CJ Perez was quick to validate his status as the top overall pick in the 2018 PBA draft.
The NCAA Season 93 MVP guided Columbian Dyip to an even 2-2 record in his first four games in the season-opening Philippine Cup.
He immediately made his presence felt in his PBA debut, as he exploded for 24 second-half points to steer the Dyip to a 124-118 upset of defending champion San Miguel Beermen. The ‘Baby Beast’ finished with 26 points and five rebounds.
Perez, 25, led the Dyip in both scoring and rebounding with averages of 16.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while adding 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals (tied for team-best).
His arrival reinvigorated the moribund franchise, which only produced a single victory in this same All-Filipino conference last year.
For his impressive work with the Dyip early this season, Perez emerged as the unanimous choice for the first-ever recipient of the PBA Press Corps Rookie of the Month for January.
The wingman out of Lyceum edged out three other fellow talented rookies for the inaugural citation.
Also in contention for the honor were Robert Bolick of the NorthPort Batang Pier; Abu Tratter of the Blackwater Elite; and Javee Mocon of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
Bolick, the no.3 overall pick, averaged 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists as the Batang Pier went 2-1 in the first three games of the former San Beda star for the franchise.
The 23-year-old Leyte native also posted 26 points in his pro debut, a 117-91 NorthPort drubbing of Blackwater. But he was on the losing end of his highly-anticipated match-up with Perez, as the Dyip hacked out a 110-100 victory over the Batang Pier. Perez finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Bolick was held to just three points but had seven rebounds and six assists.
The 7th pick overall, Tratter averaged a second team-best 12.7 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds in the Elite’s first three outings for a 1-2 record. The rookie out of La Salle has been labeled by coach Bong Ramos as the most consistent player so far for Blackwater, shooting 54 percent from the field as the team’s starting center.
Mocon – last year’s NCAA Finals MVP and tabbed by the Elasto Painters in the draft at number six – also made a good account of himself in his first three games, where Rain or Shine went 2-1, posting averages of 9.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.
