Big, wing, guard? Gin Kings will have whatever they want and need available at No. 3
JUST when you thought the top three picks in the PBA Season 49 Rookie Draft were all but locked in, the mega-trade between Ginebra and Terrafirma rocked the boat once more.
Justine Baltazar – barring any more change of heart – is poised to be picked by Converge first overall, while Blackwater should not pass up the opportunity to take Fil-Am guard Sedrick Barefield at two.
The No. 3 selection – now owned by the Gin Kings following the swap which saw them flip Christian Standhardinger, Stanley Pringle, and their No. 10 pick for Stephen Holt and Isaac Go – is where the intrigue starts.
Two days before the draft, all signs pointed to Ateneo skipper Kai Ballungay being tabbed at the spot.
The Fil-Am winger, after all, provides the versatility which could have been the missing piece for the Dyip’s young core following the departure of Javi Gomez de Liano.
Now, it could be Ginebra’s for the taking.
However, his services may not be that much well-suited for the Gin Kings who will have Jeremiah Gray and Aljon Mariano both returning from injury soon, even as Jamie Malonzo has been ruled out of the next conference due to a calf injury.
If not Kai, then what?
That opens the door for other top prospects to make their case at three.
With Standhardinger being traded, Ginebra could follow the route of past drafts and take a shot at bolstering its ceiling.
Caelan Tiongson is an intriguing option thanks to his veteran smarts as part of San Miguel Alab Pilipinas before and Strong Group Athletics now, while Jonnel Policarpio certainly made his presence felt by winning the MVP in the Draft Combine with coach Tim Cone watching.
Though undersized, both are gritty forwards who are more than happy to share the rock and could provide help in the middle.
After all, Japeth Aguilar isn’t getting any younger, and Go, as crafty as he is, is more suited to play the four.
But what about the guards?
Scottie Thompson’s injury and Pringle’s departure may have been alleviated by the arrival of Holt to help Maverick Ahanmisi and LA Tenorio in the position, but with the level of talent on hand, Cone for sure is strongly considering it.
PHOTO BY: JEROME ASCANO
RJ Abarrientos should make a strong case as the next best guard on the board, and it’s a tantalizing prospect as Cone could pair up with the nephew of his former stalwart Johnny.
One, however, also couldn’t sleep on the idea of picking guys like Evan Nelle, arguably the best pure playmaker in the field, or a reliable scorer in Dave Ildefonso at this spot.
PHOTO BY: JEROME ASCANO
Whichever way Ginebra goes, there’s really no wrong path for the crowd favorites to take, as they get one of the first few cracks in this strong draft pool.
