Welcome to the first edition of the PBA Rookie Rankings for the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup. This is an unofficial look at the rookies that are doing well against the established players of the league.
As of the moment, there have been 21 rookies that have seen action for their respective teams. Terrafirma has fielded two rookie free agents in Terrance Tumalip and John Grospe while TNT's 2021 Gilas pick Jaydee Tungcab is also getting a couple of minutes for the squad.
Anyway, here are the top ten newbies of the current conference.
10 | CHRIS LALATA - PHOENIX
RD 2 | PICK 16 | OLIVAREZ SEA LIONS
2002 PHL CUP (AS OF JUN 20) | 3.5PPG, 1.0RPG, 0.5SPG
The current draft batch is weak. Chris Lalata though is making the best out of the opportunity. One of three Phoenix second-round gems, Lalata is giving a huge shoutout to the Olivarez Sea Lions with his gameplay.
9 | GIAN MAMUYAC - RAIN OR SHINE
RD 1 | PICK 5 | ATENEO BLUE EAGLES
2002 PHL CUP (AS OF JUN 20) | 3.3PPG, 1.3RPG, 1.0SPG
Gian Mamuyac, Shaun Ildefonso, and Jhonard Clarito have been disappointing, to say the least. Yes, Mamuyac had one good game where he scored 10 points and 3 assists but I guess this is more of an anomaly because the former Ateneo Blue Eagle is totaling just 30 minutes this season and 22 of these came from that one good game.
8 | TYRUS HILL - CONVERGE
RD 1 | PICK 7 | DLSU GREEN ARCHERS
2002 PHL CUP (AS OF JUN 20) | 2.8PPG, 4.8RPG, 0.8BPG
The coming games will be important to Tyrus Hill's development. Sure, he's getting the numbers despite the minuscule playing time. With that said, the return of Abu Tratter will definitely hurt Converge's rookie trio as well as the development of Ben Adamos. Hill needs to have a major game 180 to keep his spot.
7 | JAVI GOMEZ DE LIANO - TERRAFIRMA
RD 1 | PICK 8 | UP FIGHTING MAROONS
2002 PHL CUP (AS OF JUN 20) | 3.7PPG, 6.0RPG, 2.3APG
Not going to lie but I'm kind of disappointed with how Javi Gomez De Liano plays as of this moment. Terrafirma is a perfect place to excel and instead of instantly making his presence felt, his scoring isn't as productive. With that said, he has a solid all-around game and hopefully his numbers improve as the season wears on.
6 | JEO AMBOHOT - CONVERGE
RD 1 | PICK 3 | LETRAN KNIGHTS
2002 PHL CUP (AS OF JUN 20) | 5.5PPG, 7.0RPG, 1.3BPG
This is the awesome problem Converge has at the moment. Abu Tratter has returned and he is bound to displace one of their rookie trio from their spot. It's also going to hurt the chances of Ben Adamos. The former Letran Knight's numbers are fluctuating and consistency is going to be vital in sustaining his rise as a future franchise player.
5 | TYLER TIO - PHOENIX
RD 2 | PICK 14 | ATENEO BLUE EAGLES
2002 PHL CUP (AS OF JUN 20) | 10.3PPG, 2.5RPG, 1.8APG
Yes, Tyler Tio's numbers haven't been as impressive as it was during the start of Phoenix's campaign but for a team in need of options, he is doing his best to stay relevant. We predicted that Phoenix is one of the best draft spots but who knew the discrepancy between Tio and Mamuyac?
4 | JM CALMA - NORTHPORT
RD 1 | PICK 6 | SAN SEBASTIAN GOLDEN STAGS
2002 PHL CUP (AS OF JUN 20) | 8.0PPG, 6.5RPG, 1.3APG, 0.8BPG
Giannis Anteto-Calma. Northport is in the middle of the pack currently despite the absence of Greg Slaughter and Troy Rike thanks in part to this guy. I wish the PBA would pick up on this moniker because he is a definite diamond in the rough for Northport. Learning the ropes from play-a-likes Arwind Santos and Jamie Malonzo is going to give his career a tremendous boost.
3 | ENCHO SERRANO - PHOENIX
RD 2 | PICK 19 | DLSU GREEN ARCHERS
2002 PHL CUP (AS OF JUN 20) | 9.0PPG, 4.3RPG, 2.0APG, 0.8SPG
I was never a fan of this guy because I never saw him play. He is posting all-around numbers for the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters though. It's hard to post boss numbers every game day but Encho Serrano has proven that he can some sort of variation of it, especially if given the chance to succeed.
2 | ATO ULAR - BLACKWATER
RD 2 | PICK 13 | LETRAN KNIGHTS
2002 PHL CUP (AS OF JUN 20) | 12.3PPG, 5.3RPG, 0.3APG
It's automatic to state that a Blackwater player will have his way this season. With that said, everyone was looking in the direction of Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser. Ato Ular though is the type of player that would use any opportunity to his advance. So far, so good for the former Letran Knight. Ular is a major contributor to Blackwater's impressive start.
1 | JUSTIN ARANA - CONVERGE
RD 1 | PICK 4 | ARELLANO CHIEFS
2002 PHL CUP (AS OF JUN 20) | 7.0PPG, 7.8RPG, 1.3APG, 0.8SPG, 1.3BPG
Arana takes the top spot for now. Even if Ular's numbers look good on paper, the two-time NCAA Defensive Player of the Year has a better all-around game. Arana started strong but has since posted so-so numbers as Converge evolve into a better basketball squad. I would like to see him improve on his scoring and hopefully, the return of Abu Tratter would help and not ruin his development.
I think I am going to make another set of rankings this week... but I also want to switch things up. I don't know if I am going to do a league-wide power ranking but just check the blog out next week.