SAN Miguel Beer superstar June Mar Fajardo and Meralco import Sulaiman Braimoh, Jr. took pole position in the race for the PBA Commissioner's Cup's individual awards prior to going down with injury.
Fajardo zoomed to the front seat in the Best Player of the Conference derby with 43.3 average statistical points against two of his rivals for the Season 47 MVP, Ginebra's Christian Standhardinger (42.8) and SMB teammate CJ Perez (40.3).
Coming off his record-extending seventh MVP, Fajardo turned in league-best averages of 11.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks complementing his 19.3 points, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals over four games en route to the BPC head start.
But with a fractured metacarpal sidelining "the Kraken" for at least four weeks, his rivals are expected to make their moves in the second half of the Commissioner's Cup elims.
Standhardinger submitted solid cards of 19.4 markers and 11.6 boards plus 5.6 assists and 1.2 steals for No. 2 in the early chase followed by Perez, who's good for 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals.
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Maverick Ahanmisi, who's making a big impact in his Ginebra debut, ran fourth with 37.2 average SP built around 15.8 points. 8.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals while NorthPort's Arvin Tolentino, the league's top local scorer with 22.8 points per game, sat at No. 5 with 35.5.
Rounding out the sixth to 10th spots were Jio Jalalon (33.7), the tournament's leader in steals (2.5), and his Magnolia backcourt partner Mark Barroca (32.8), Season 46 MVP and top assist man (7.3) Scottie Thompson of Barangay Ginebra (31.5), Meralco's Chris Newsome (30.2), Terrafirma's Javi Gomez de Liano (30.17) and Magnolia's Paul Lee (30.17).
Meanwhile, Braimoh's 55.0 SPs before tearing his Achilles put him in front of the Best Import chase versus NorthPort's Venky Jois (54.8) and Phoenix's Jonathan Williams III (53.7).
Tyler Bey, who led the Hotshots to 6-0, occupied No. 4 with 53. 2 ahead of TNT's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (50.3), the conference's premier gunslinger with 33.3 points.
Meanwhile, the Batang Pier's hard-working big Cade Flores held sway among rookies.
Flores, who ran 13th in the BPC race, chalked up 29.0 SPs spiked by elite averages of 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists plus 11.2 points to pace No. 1 pick Stephen Holt of Terrafirma (25.2), Kenneth Tuffin of Phoenix (24.8), Dyip Kemark Carino (21.4) and Fuel Master Ricci Rivero (21.0). (OL)
