San Miguel’s Fajardo paces PBA Best Player of the Conference race

MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel center June Mar Fajardo is the early leader of the Best Player of the Conference race in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup.

Fajardo is ahead of the pack with 43.3 statistical points (SPs). He is currently averaging 19.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 3.0 blocks per game.

However, the San Miguel big man is set to miss some time due to a fractured metacarpal.

Breathing down Fajardo’s neck is Ginebra’s Christian Standhardinger, who is norming 19.4 points and 11.6 rebounds, along with 5.6 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. He is averaging 42.8 SPs.

Fajardo’s teammate, CJ Perez, has 40.3 SPs off of 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals a game.

Ginebra’s Mav Ahanmisi is fourth in the race with 37.2 SPs, while NorthPort’s Arvin Tolentino is at 35.5.

In the Best Import race, Meralco Bolts’ Suleiman Braimoh leads with 55.0 SPs before he tore his Achilles.

Before the conference-ending Achilles injury, Braimoh led the Bolts to a 4-1 win-loss slate.

Seconding Braimoh is NorthPort Batang Pier’s Venky Jois with 54.8 SPs and Phoenix Fuel Masters’ Johnathan Williams with 53.7 SPs.

Magnolia’s main man Tyler Bey (53.2 SPs) and TNT Tropang Giga’s scoring juggernaut Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (50.3 SPs) round out the best-performing imports of the conference.

Leading the rookies thus far is NorthPort’s Cade Flores with 29.0 SPs.

Flores is averaging 11.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

No. 1 pick Stephen Holt is following Flores with 25.2 SPs, while Phoenix’s Ken Tuffin is third with 24.8 SPs.