Fajardo spearheads PBA BPC candidates

MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel Beer prized player Junmar Fajardo looks well on track to winning back-to-back Best Player of Conference honors in the PBA Philippine Cup.

The 6-foot-11 Cebuano behemoth emerged the leading candidate for the coveted award through the elims with his team’s dominant run and his own topnotch performance.

His chief rivals are Alaska Milk do-it-all energy guy Calvin Abueva, 2013-14 Rookie of the Year awardee Greg Slaughter of Barangay Ginebra and NLEX ageless warrior Asi Taulava.

Fajardo, Abueva, Slaughter and Taulava are four of five players averaging double-double numbers in the tourney, the other one being Cliff Hodge of Meralco.

Slaughter has had the most number of double-double games thus far with 10, followed by Fajardo with nine, Taulava with seven and Abueva with six.

Fajardo is the most well-rounded, though, as he leads all comers in points and blocks, and ranks second in rebounds.

The SMB lead slotman is No. 1 in scoring with 18.5 points per game, followed by Abueva (17.36), Taulava (16.7), Kia’s Reil Cervantes (16.6), Macmac Cardona (16.45), Slaughter (15.6), Paul Lee (15.3), Alex Cabagnot (15.3), Arwind Santos (15.2) and Jayson Castro (15.09).

Fajardo is also tops in swatting away enemy shots with 2.27. Tied at second with 1.55 are Santos, Japeth Aguilar and Billy Mamaril.

Abueva and Slaughter lead the rebounding department both with 13 a game. Fajardo is right behind them with 12.73 followed by Taulava (10.91) and Hodge (10.55).

Globalport teammates Cabagnot (5.0) and Stanley Pringle (4.73) are one and two in assists while San Miguel’s Chris Ross and Talk n Text’s Ryan Reyes pace everybody in steals 2.09 a game.