Standhardinger grabs lead in BPC race; Thompson, Ahanmisi in Top 10

Christian Standhardinger is currently leading the race for the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup Best Player of the Conference award.

The Brgy. Ginebra big man surpassed San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo to claim the number one spot with an average of 38.0 statistical points (SPs) at the end of the elimination round on Sunday.

The 34-year old Fil-German had impressive statistics of 17.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 11 games with the third-seeded Gin Kings.

Standhardinger was in second place behind Fajardo during the midway point of the elimination round.

However, the fractured left hand that Fajardo suffered resulted in him being unable to play for six weeks, consequently excluding him from the latest statistical race released by the league on Tuesday.

Fajardo’s SMB teammate, CJ Perez, along with Calvin Oftana of TNT and Arvin Tolentino of NorthPort will be competing against Standhardinger, who won the BPC award last year during the Governors’ Cup, for the conference’s highest individual award.

Perez is currently in second place with 35.2 SPs, Tolentino follows closely with 35.1 SPs, while Oftana has 35.0 SPs. Perez submitted averages of 16.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, while Tolentino leads the conference in scoring with 22.4 points to go with 5.7 rebounds. Oftana logged 21.9 points and 6.6 rebounds.

Former MVP Scottie Thompson secured a spot in the Top 5 list with a total of 32.5 SPs, on averages of 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists.

There is one player from Brgy. Ginebra, two from Magnolia, and one each from Meralco and Phoenix in the next five spots.

In his first season with the crowd darlings, Maverick Ahanmisi is also in contention for the BPC award, ranking sixth with 31.3 SPs (14.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists). Following closely are Jio Jalalon and Mark Barroca from the Hotshots with 31.2 and 29.2 SPs respectively, showcasing their contributions with 12.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 13.8 points, 5.1 assists, respectively.

Chris Newsome of Meralco is currently in ninth place with 28.4 SPs, while Jason Perkins of Phoenix is in tenth place with 27.33 SPs.

The battle for the Best Import Award is currently interesting as two replacement reinforcements are leading the way.

Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson of TNT currently holds the top spot with 67.5 SP in just two games, surpassing his brother Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. He is the leading scorer among imports with 42.5 points, along with 12.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 2.5 steals.

San Miguel’s Bennie Boatwright is currently in second place, closely behind Hollis-Jefferson. He has impressive averages of 40.3 points and 13.3 rebounds, for a total of 67.3 SPs.

Meralco’s Shonn Miller, who averaged 27.0 points and 17.3 rebounds, is currently in third place with 55.0 SPs. Following closely is Phoenix’s Jonathan Williams, who is averaging 27.0 points, 15.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, with 53.6 SPs.