June Mar Fajardo will likely bag his ninth Best Player of the Conference plum, since he currently leads the race for the said award in the ongoing 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup.
The San Miguel Beermen main man is on top of the list with 38.4 statistical points at the end of the elimination round, which includes a league-leading 13.6 rebounds per outing.
But right behind Fajardo are challengers and young guns CJ Perez and Kiefer Ravena for the plum.
Perez ranks second with 37.2 SPs including league-bests 23.2 points and 2.5 steals. Still, the Columbian Dyip’s failure to advance to the quarterfinals has given Ravena a chance to upset Fajardo.
Ravena is third with 36.1 SPs, highlighted by 8.2 assists a match. His NLEX Road Warriors are through to the next round as the top seed with a franchise-best 8-3 win-loss record.
Being the top dog grants a team a twice-to-beat advantage, which the Road Warriors will carry against the eighth-ranked NorthPort Batang Pier. That quarterfinals series begins on Monday.
Meanwhile, Fajardo and the Grand Slam-seeking Beermen entered the quarters as the fifth seed. They will have to defeat number four Barangay Ginebra San Miguel twice to barge into the semifinals.
