The draft pool is extremely shallow.
I don’t care if it has 128 applicants.
The last time the PBA draft had record applicants, Mikey Williams was the runaway top star with Calvin Oftana and Jamie Malonzo also unleashing hell on their foes and Joshua Munzon, Santi Santillan, and I guess Will Navarro (when he returns from injury) a grade below them.
The first round of the draft is so disappointing that the Rain or Shine second-round team of Anton Asistio and Andrei Caracut can easily trump their careers.
So I am going to do a quick mock draft depending on the team needs of each team.
The great thing about this draft is that some teams have “dibbed” on some of the players because of the PBA On Tour. Now I don’t know which PBA On Tour players will backfire on the teams that played them (Fran Yu, Clifford Jopia, Damie Cuntapay, Kim Aurin, Raphael Cu, Dominick Fajardo, Jolo Mendoza, Francis Giussani, Tommy Olivario and JB Bahio are the names to watch here,) but it’s a noteworthy thought as to whether or not this is a great idea in the near future.
Because honestly, why would you reveal the player you want in your team?
How can you win at poker when you’re already revealing your hand?!?
Anyway, I am writing this at around 5:00 a.m. and I'm just going to expound on my picks as the days leading to the draft creep in. My work is overdemanding at the moment and at the moment, my biological clock is shot.
FIRST ROUND
# | TEAM | PICK |
|---|---|---|
1 | TERRAFIRMA | STEPHEN HOLT | SAINT MARY'S (CA) |
2 | BLACKWATER | ZAVIER LUCERO | UP |
3 | RAIN OR SHINE | SCHONNY WINSTON | DLSU |
4 | RAIN OR SHINE | KEMARK CARINO | SAN BEDA |
5 | NORTHPORT | LUIS VILLEGAS | UE |
6 | PHOENIX | BRANDON BATES | DLSU |
7 | NLEX | JAMES KWEKUTEYE | SAN BEDA |
8 | MERALCO | RICCI RIVERO | UP |
9 | CONVERGE | MARK LOUIE SANGALANG | LETRAN |
10 | CONVERGE | JOE GOMEZ DE LIANO | UP |
11 | NORTHPORT | FRAN YU | LETRAN |
12 | TERRAFIRMA | CHRISTIAN DAVID | BUTLER |
SECOND ROUND
# | TEAM | PICK |
|---|---|---|
13 | TERRAFIRMA | CADE FLORES | ARELLANO |
14 | PHOENIX | KEN TUFFIN | FEU |
15 | RAIN OR SHINE | KING CARALIPIO | LETRAN |
16 | PHOENIX | BRENT PARAISO | LETRAN |
17 | NLEX | RAFFY VERANO | ATENEO |
18 | NLEX | JB BAHIO | SAN BEDA |
19 | CONVERGE | HENRY GALINATO | UP |
20 | CONVERGE | KEITH DATU | CHICO STATE |
21 | BLACKWATER | WARREN BONIFACIO | MAPUA |
22 | TERRAFIRMA | RENZ NOCUM | MAPUA |
23 | GINEBRA | CLIFFORD JOPIA | SAN BEDA |
24 | RAIN OR SHINE | BJ ANDRADE | ATENEO |
THIRD ROUND
# | TEAM | PICK |
|---|---|---|
25 | TERRAFIRMA | ENOCH VALDEZ | LYCEUM |
26 | BLACKWATER | SHERWIN CONCEPCION | UST |
27 | RAIN OR SHINE | MATTHEW DAVES | ATENEO |
28 | PHOENIX | SHEAN JACKSON | CHEYENNE HS |
29 | NORTHPORT | JOHN AMORES | JRU |
30 | NLEX | DOMINICK FAJARDO | BULACAN STATE |
31 | CONVERGE | JOLO MENDOZA | ATENEO |
32 | MERALCO | JBOY GOB | UP |
33 | TNT | DAMIE CUNTAPAY | SAN BEDA |
34 | MAGNOLIA | NIKKO PARANADA | UE |
35 | GINEBRA | KIM AURIN | PERPETUAL |
36 | SAN MIGUEL | KYT JIMENEZ | PERPETUAL |
FOURTH ROUND
# | TEAM | PICK |
|---|---|---|
25 | TERRAFIRMA | --- PASS | 5 PICKS ALREADY --- |
26 | BLACKWATER | ROMMEL CALAHAT | SAN SEBASTIAN |
27 | RAIN OR SHINE | --- PASS | 5 PICKS ALREADY --- |
28 | PHOENIX | JOHN LLOYD CLEMENTE | NU |
29 | NORTHPORT | TOMMY OLIVARIO | LETRAN |
30 | NLEX | FRANCIS GIUSSANI | ENDERUN |
31 | CONVERGE | --- PASS | 5 PICKS ALREADY --- |
32 | MERALCO | JL DELOS SANTOS | JRU |
33 | TNT | OMAR LARUPAY | LYCEUM |
34 | MAGNOLIA | ZACHARY HUANG | UST |
35 | GINEBRA | RAPHAEL CU | DLSU |
36 | SAN MIGUEL | FRANZ ABUDA | SAN BEDA |
ON BLACK: A team's first two picks. Most likely, there is a chance that both players will have an opportunity to play for the team as the primary and secondary priority.
ON BLUE: The team's third pick. He's going to get his chance but most likely, if he's a deep-round player or picked by a perennial contender, his playing chances are questionable.
ON RED: Extremely questionable. I mean, second-rounders might have the chance as the fourth player selected by his team but the third-rounders picked up fifth by their squads are most likely going to get the axe. Even if they are as low as Terrafirma in the scheme of things, there is no chance for a team to have six rookies. The player in this predicament is probably going to return to the MPBL or bound for their 3X3 team.
And of course, Ginebra, Magnolia, and San Miguel are the automatic whammy spots in the draft. Unless the pick is in the first round, no player has escaped the benchwarming hell of these squads.