Four-man race

TNT's Teen Titans

When was the last time that the PBA had four neophytes all going neck-and-neck for the season’s top rookie plum?

It’s almost always a two-man race: Kelly Williams and Arwind Santos, Gabe Norwood and Jarred Dillinger, Junemar Fajardo and Calvin Abueva, with a darkhorse or two coming out of the woodwork. But four guys? The top four picks all delivering in the minutes given to them right away?

We have: TNT Katropa’s Moala Tautuaa (20mpg 11ppg 4rpg 1apg) and Troy Rosario (24mpg 13ppg 5rpg 1apg), Rain or Shine’s Maverick Ahanmisi (21mpg 9ppg 4rpg 3apg) and Meralco’s Chris Newsome (28mpg 12ppg 4rpg 3apg), all engaged in a tight stats battle. They play different roles for their respective teams, but there is no denying that they have already made a name for themselves in the pros.

Let us start with the man-mountain Tautuaa; he was expected to somehow replicate 2x PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo’s numbers right away but didn’t exactly live up to the hype. Some say that he should be averaging a double-double every single night, given his size, build and athleticism, but a closer look shows that he is more of a face-up, wing player trapped in a power forward’s body. He’s a big man in the PBA setting, but he probably and most likely grew up playing as a wing/ running four overseas.

Also, how is a rook expected to average 10 and 10 a night when you have national skipper Ranidel de Ocampo, Kelly Williams and Harvey Carey for frontline teammates (not to mention fellow rook Rosario)?

Ah Rosario, the true Gilas Cadets/Seniors’ true Golden Boy.

Little was expected of Rosario as he was supposed to be de Ocampo’s understudy at TNT while Tautuaa was penciled in as the incumbent starter. Boy, were we all wrong. Rosario’s versatility and hustle has made him play more minutes than Tautuaa, his catch-and-shoot, set-shot range has made him an easy kick-out option for star teammate Jayson Castro, and he just appears to have this “drive” the entire time he’s on the court.

There is not a question in our minds that if you were to plug Rosario in on a so-so team, he’d be averaging 16 points and 12 rebounds a night. And if Tautuaa were placed on a team packed with slashers and shooters like RoS instead of the Euro bigs-heavy TNT, this guy would be a 20-20 monster.

While Tautuaa and Rosario came into the league with a lot of hype and expecations (which they are somewhat living up to), Ahanmisi didn’t enjoy such adoration.

No, Ahanmisi’s selection was met mostly with a “who’s he again?” by most fans (this writer, an admitted RoS fan, included).

He didn’t really look like much in the first conference, but a quick check at his minutes back then showed that RoS coach Yeng Guiao was in no hurry to break him in. By the time the second conference ended, Ahanmisi proved his worth as a quality back-up point guard to star Paul Lee and more than held his own against San Miguel’s bloodhound Chris Ross en route to a championship.

So yeah, Ahanmisi was a surprise, but he is living up to the 3rd pick billing.

Is he good enough to take over should Lee try the free agency market?

Yes. He’s not Lee, Ahanmisi is not an explosive scorer, but he can definitely shoot the ball and make heady plays. Oh, and he plays better defense too.

Lastly, Newsome has wasted no time in making the most out of the golden opportunity that the basketball Gods have blessed him with. After playing second/third fiddle to collegiate star Kiefer Ravena in Ateneo, Newsome applied for the PBA Draft and was picked by his former coach, now Meralco coach, Norman Black.

Black didn’t really have a concrete position locked up for Newsome in the first conference, as the rookie spent plenty of time shifting from positions 1, 2 and 3 on the hardcourt. The best thing about it all? He learned, and delivered in near Alaska Aces Calvin Abueva fashion (minus the crazy). We also learned that while Newsome could handle and pass some, it’s best that he play either 2 or 3 (he basically, single-handedly, made veteran Gary David expendable as the team’s new Alpha in the perimeter).

With Newsome though, we are not too sure if he would be able to get the same numbers under a different system. He’s athletic as hell, but his lack of shooting won’t buy him minutes on a contender. He’s also susceptible to being grounded by quality or physical defenders. Still solid, but the ball has been coming to him quite a lot over at Meralco when compared to the touches being given to Rosario and Tautuaa at TNT and even Ahanmisi at RoS.

Who do you think is this season’s top rookie? Who is going to enjoy a breakout next year? Scottie Thompson? Kevin Racal? Garvo Lanete, perhaps?

@kilikilishot on Twitter