CAN 'BALTI' STILL CATCH UP TO RJ IN THE PBA ROOKIE OF YEAR RACE?

IT'S a two-man race for the PBA Rookie of the Year award between Barangay Ginebra's RJ Abarrientos and Converge's Justin Baltazar. But as things stand, Abarrientos may have the edge as Baltazar's bid hinges on whether he has satisfied a requirement needed  to qualify for the award.

Under PBA rules, a player to qualify for the ROY award, and for that matter, all other yearend league awards, must have played at least 70 percent of their team's games for the season.

RJ Abarrientos is already ahead of the RoY race PHOTO: Mark Cristino

Baltazar, the No. 1 overall pick this year, did not immediately play at the start of the season. His PBA debut was delayed after his team in the MPBL, Pampanga, which was then contending for the championship, did not release him until after the regional meet's tournament.

He missed all of the team's games in the PBA Governor's Cup and only made his debut for Converge in the fourth game of the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup.

Because of this, he might not have reached playing 70 percent of the team's games. The actual total has not been tallied but a source told Spin.ph that he may have fallen short of that number.

READ: Ginebra puts away Converge, sets up PBA semis vs San Miguel

The PBA is reportedly trying to determine if there is a loophole that may allow Baltazar to qualify for the award.

Converge made the playoffs in the two conferences where Baltazar played, including the ongoing Philippine Cup where the FiberXers were booted out in the quarterfinals by Abarrientos' Barangay Ginebra. 

The two-time MPBL MVP has been a force in the Converge campaign and is ranked No. 7 in the race for the Best Player of the Conference award in a tie with teammate Justin Arana.

Baltazar has 34.6 statistical points built on 13.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 block shots per game.

Justine Baltazar has been a two-way force this conference for Converge PHOTO: Mark Cristino

He, along with Kai Balunggay (Phoenix), Caelan Tiongson (Rain or Shine), and Abarrientos made the Top 20 among rookies in the BPC race.

In contrast, Abarrientos played in the finals in back-to-back fashion this season and his team is in contention for a possible championship after Ginebra made the semifinals and will meet top seed San Miguel for a seat in the finals.

The No. 3 overall pick has 14.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists for the Kings during the eliminations.

The other rookies in this year's batch did not fare well in the race for the ROY plum. These include No. 2 pick Sedric Barefield (Blackwater), Balunggay, Tiongson, Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti, Jonel Policarpio, Jerom Lastimosa, Mark Nonoy, CJ Cansino, Evan Nelle, Xyrus Torres, Brandon Ramirez and Peter Alfaro.

2025-06-23T10:12:01Z