ANTIPOLO – June Mar Fajardo is confident that it would only be a matter of time before Converge’s two young big men dominate the PBA.
The league’s only eight-time MVP sees much upside on both Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana after San Miguel got tested by the FiberXers once again during their Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup encounter on Friday night.
“Sobrang taas nung potensyal nung bata, si Baltazar tsaka si Justin Arana. ‘Di na ‘ko magugulat kung magdo-dominate sila sa liga,” he told reporters moments after their 116-113 escape at the Ynares Center here.
Arana wasn’t good to go due to a knee injury and instead watched from the sidelines his Converge bring the fight to the Beermen especially in the fourth, where they got to within just a point after being down by as big as 19 points.
Fajardo, though, already knows what the former Rookie of the Year could bring to the table following multiple battles since the latter came into the league as the fourth overall pick by his franchise in the 2022 Rookie Draft.
So, much of the attention was on the Cebuano star and his matchup with Baltazar, the first overall pick of the draft proceedings last July.
‘Balti’ did make a good account of himself in the first of what should be many encounters with Fajardo, notching a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds as he played a key role in Converge’s late-game uprising.
(C) PBA Images
What Fajardo appreciates from the two is the agility they possess for their sizes, believing that it’s a tool they could maximize as they continue to prove their worth in a league where solid bigs have been arriving in recent years.
“Agile sila sa big. ‘Yun ‘yung advantage nila,” offered the top selection of the 2012 class, who had 19 points and 14 rebounds against Converge.
“‘Di naman na mga bata ‘yun, matured na ‘yun, hinog na ‘yung mga ‘yun. In a matter of time lang, mado-dominate na nila ‘yung liga.”
He’s confident as well that both Baltazar and Arana would remain on an even keel should they grow to become league stars in the near future, for he knows the kind of guidance they have been — and will be — receiving.
“‘Di sila maliligaw ng landas, kasi nandun si Kuya DI,” said Fajardo, himself a proud protege of Danny Ildefonso, one of the PBA’s 40 Greatest Players.
“Basta makinig lang sila,” the 35-year-old added. added. “Ano lang sa katawan, ingat, stay healthy lang kasi sa mga players, injury lang talaga [kalaban].”
