2014 PBA Draft 1st Round Rookie Report Card (Part 1)

And your 2014 PBA Rookie of the Year is...
(Photo courtesy of Sports 5)

With the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round near its end (and some teams already, clearly, out of contention) Kilikilishot.blogspot.com pays the 1st round picks of the 2014 PBA Draft a nice visit stats-wise to see how well they're doing so far. While some people are already proclaiming number one pick Stanley Pringle of the GlobalPort Batang Pier as the runaway winner for the prestigious PBA Rookie of the Year, we feel that he still has some legitimate competition in what is proving to be a rather deep and serviceable first round.

But before we proceed, we cannot help but give a special shout out to BlackWater Elite's Brian Heruela, formerly known as the DLSU Mike Cortez to the reigning PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo's Don Allado over at the University of Cebu. Picked in the 3rd round (!), Heruela has fought for his spot on the Elite's rotation and is now averaging a sweet 25.50mpg 9.25ppg 4.75rpg 5apg which is pretty solid for an unheralded rookie point guard. We're calling it right now, he's our sleeper pick to be either a breakout star for the Elite OR traded to whichever money franchise is looking for a backup point guard.

Now on to the first round picks:

12. Juami Tiongson, PG, Blackwater - C
12.22mpg 4.11ppg 1.33rpg 0.78apg
Here's an honest question: if Tiongson didn't play for Ateneo in the UAAP and won all those titles, would you pick him 12th overall when there's still talent like Rome dela Rosa, Harold Arboleda and even teammate and above mentioned Heruela around? We're not hating on Tiongson (what's there to hate? Dude seems like a stand-up guy), but there's a reason why he went from playing 19 minutes his first game, and 5 his last (against Talk'n'Text). He's not the same firebrand of a scorer as peer Eman Monfort, he's not a specialist on the defensive end either. He's solid, but there are a lot of areas that he can improve on if he is to have a meaningful PBA career.


11. Manny Pacquiao, SG, Kia Sorento - A+
7.00mpg 0ppg 0rpg 0apg

You never really thought that Pacquiao would play 20 minutes a game and average at least 10 points and 5 assists a night right? He's there as Pacquiao, Kia endorser. He's missed a lot of games owing to his other interests, but no one cares. Why? Because he put Kia on the map by simply dressing up as the company mascot (live with kung-fu grip!). Will we ever see him play again, let alone score his first PBA basket? Who knows? But just having him inside the arenas, smiling, interacting-- and even cheering his teammates show you how passionate he is with the sport of basketball. He's THE Manny Pacquiao man, how could you hate on the guy? Hate on him if he forced his team to play him 30 minutes a night and look like the new Nelson "MOVE B GET OUT THE WAY" Asaytono each time down.

10. David Semerad, C, Barako Bull - Inc.
Is he still in the league? No disrespect, but couldn't find any stats.
5.17mpg 1.0ppg 1.5rpg 0apg
He needs to pick a position and develop it. Power forward seems to be his thing, not the hybrid type like his brother, but more the Dave Marcelo, Doug Kramer, traditional "pretty boy" banger type. Sorry, but what else is there to say about a guy who plays 5 minutes (at most)?

9. Jericho Cruz, SG, Rain or Shine - A-
17.12mpg 8ppg 2.88rpg 1.12apg

Just like when Yeng Guiao somehow had Lordy Tugade, Junthy Valenzuela, Vince Hizon AND Willie Miller and were able to pluck Cyrus Baguio through the draft... here comes another gem of a find in Cruz. Unlike the man whose spot he took on the Elastopainters' roster (Adamson buddy Alex Nuyles), Cruz has made an easy transition in the pros thanks to his developed mid-range game which allows him to mix it up on offense. His defense is a lot more grounded, which is a plus for any guy playing under Guiao, and which has rightfully earned him a spot on the rotation. As the season unfolds, don't be surprised if Cruz somehow becomes the Elastopainters' main offensive, isolation weapon behind scorers Paul Lee and Ryan Arana.

8. Jake Pascual, C, Barako Bull - B+
25.00mpg 7.89ppg 6.67rpg 1.22apg
Pascual is making the most out of a good and bad situation-- good because he gets to learn from veterans Dorian Pena and Mick Pennisi, two of the best to ever play the big man spot the last decade. Bad, because he's playing for Barako Bull-- a known farm team that only wins when needed but loses more if only to secure proper PBA Draft positioning. If only he could be more aggressive on the rebounding side of things, he'd be a lock to play more minutes at center or power forward. Fortunately for him, he has a coach in Koy Banal who is a good teacher and puts a premium on defense more on flashy offense.

7. Anthony Semerad, SF, GlobalPort - B 
23.40mpg 8.20ppg 2.60rpg 1.2apg

We love Semerad in the sense that he's Keith Jensen, Josh Vanlandingham and maybe a little of Sean Anthony (whatever happened to that dude? Where'd his game go in just a short period?). You know them as the Tony de la Cruz mode-- serviceable, hybrid forwards with a nice touch from the perimeter. The thing that's lacking at the moment though for Semerad is his dedication to the team and on defense. Though this isn't his fault, as a rookie, he needs to get with the program and embrace that the scoring will come from Alex Cabagnot, Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle most of the time and his best bet to stay on the floor is to commit himself to playing safety wing or high post defense. Once he is able to do this at a high level (playing defense), he'll stay on the floor longer which will give him more touches (because of the double team that the three guards are sure to command) and easy baskets.

6. Rodney Brondial, PF, Barangay Ginebra - B+
12.62mpg 3.25ppg 4.25rpg 0.5apg

Brondial has impressed us in the sense that he has shown a lot of balls in playing bruising, old school, big man basketball. Though baby-faced, Brondial is a willing banger and workhorse in the paint who doesn't mind doing all of the dirty work for his superstar teammates. We've seen him countless times go into the weak side of the offensive set, position himself for a rebound and or an easy drop pass that he almost always converts because of his great, catching hands. Having played with a near-dominant 7"0 in college seems to have only helped him prepare for his role with Ginebra next to Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar. White collar facade with a blue collar mentality, definitely a keeper for Ginebra.

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Part 2 in a bit.