He's rounding into form... finally.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, the first overall pick of the 2022 PBA Draft, is starting to really show why he was the top overall pick last season. He is even making a case that he can be one of the cornerstones of the NLEX Road Warriors.
Ganuelas-Rosser continued to show out this conference Wednesday night against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, recording a huge double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds on top of 5 blocks and 2 assists.
More than the numbers, however, the Fil-Am big man played with a palpable ferocity all-game-long—something that is fast becoming a BGR trademark. The 28-year-old sophomore didn’t back down one bit from the defending champions. He got into their faces. He flexed on them. He talked some trash. In short, he made sure Ginebra felt his presence—and on both ends.
Ganuelas-Rosser, in fact, nearly towed the Road Warriors to a fifth straight win, helping them build a double-digit second half lead against Ginebra. And he did so by attacking the paint relentlessly and anchoring the NLEX’s suffocating interior defense.
After another strong showing, the former no. 1 pick has upped his per game averages this conference to 13.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1.8 assists, and 1 steal—on pace to outdo his Commissioner’s Cup averages of 10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 assist, and 0.7 steal.
Unfortunately, Ganuelas-Rosser’s impressive was all for naught, no thanks to the Gin Kings activating their famed never-say-die spirit in the game’s last six minutes. The brash big man’s big game, though, should give the Road Warriors reason for optimism, as it appears Ganuelas-Rosser is finally healthy—and starting to find some consistency.
And with Wayne Selden Jr. looking like a gem of an import himself, NLEX might just end Season 47 on a high note.