WHY ARVIN TOLENTINO NEEDS TO STAY WITH NORTHPORT

As of this writing, NorthPort just suffered a gut-wrenching loss, courtesy of the Meralco Bolts. They led most of the way, but the endgame collapse was brutal. Jio Jalalon missed two crucial free throws, Sidney Onwubere bricked his pair, and Will Navarro clanked four of his last six attempts. On the flip side, Chris Newsome, Bong Quinto, and Chris Banchero delivered in crunch time. And before fouling out, Cliff Hodge went full beast mode against an already undersized NorthPort squad.

Then there’s Arvin Tolentino—dealing with a hip injury at the worst possible time. While he was never really in the MVP conversation, his absence could cost him a Mythical Five spot.

The PBA has seen Best Player of the Conference winners miss out on Mythical First Team nods before.

But what’s more concerning is the sense that Arvin’s playing like he’s waiting for something—maybe bigger contract overseas. Sure, looking ahead is smart, but heading to Japan or Korea right now feels premature. Overseas moves make sense if you're trying to boost your draft stock or force a trade to a contender. But in his case, leaving could derail a trajectory that’s headed toward “Greatest Player” status.

Right now, the SMC teams aren’t as deep as they look. Ginebra might have name-brand assets, but Tim Cone’s system often dampens an individual's confidence. At San Miguel, it’s basically June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez carrying the load. Magnolia looks stacked with Mark Barroca, Paul Lee, Calvin Abueva, and Ian Sangalang—but it’s clear they’re slowly handing the keys to Zav Lucero and Jerom Lastimosa.

Meanwhile, NorthPort—while known for eventually trading away its top players—can still offer a guy like Tolentino the green light to pad his numbers.

And that matters.

If he ends this season averaging 21.9 points or more, that’ll be his fourth straight year of improving his scoring average. Add that to his résumé: two championships, one BPC, one Mythical First Team, one Mythical Second Team—and likely another Mythical nod this year.

Think about it: he’s stacking accolades while playing for a "farm team." Give him three or four more Mythical Team-level seasons, and his name belongs in the Greatest Players conversation.

For context, only Calvin Abueva, Sonny Thoss, and Olsen Racela have five Mythical Team selections and still haven’t made the cut.

And unlike them, Tolentino carries the undisputed “franchise player” label for NorthPort—something not even Abueva had outside his early Alaska and Phoenix years.

Yes, the allure of going abroad is real. And sure, Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, and Kevin Quiambao are doing well overseas. But let’s be real—are KBL or B.League players going to be remembered the same way if their leagues don’t even recognize imports in their all-time lists?

For now, NorthPort needs to find more pieces. But as long as Arvin remains the focal point, he just has to keep hitting his stat quotas. Whether the team wins or not, the path to future greatness is still wide open—as long as he stays the course.