Every week, ESPN5.com contributor and ESPN5 PBA anchor Charlie Cuna rates the five best rookies of the 2019 PBA season. Here is his list for the period covering March 4 to 10, 2019.
The seventh week of the PBA Philippine Cup was not kind to the league's rookies. It seems the grind is getting to them and they must find ways to be more creative to escape the defenses that the opposing veterans have against them. What is impressive, though, for many of them is their ability to step up in categories aside from scoring, such as rebounding or passing the ball, which makes them valuable despite poor shooting performances and allows their coaches to leave them in the ballgame. Here we go.
1. CJ Perez, Columbian Dyip (week's averages: 11 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals in 29.49 minutes in one game)
Perez shot horribly from the field (4 of 19 for 21%), but Coach Johnedel Cardel left him in the game for almost 30 minutes because he was affecting it in other ways. His 11 rebounds, six on the offensive end, particularly helped his team against the bigger, heftier, Elastopainters on Wednesday. It seems the Dyip have Rain or Shine's number, having beaten them for the fourth straight conference. Perez was also his usual high-energy self as he challenged the opposing guards on defense and, although he could not hit baskets, he only turned the ball over once despite maximum focus on him. He was able to get his shots off; they just would not fall. One gets the feeling that Perez is really still feeling his way around the PBA, still reading how the defense reacts. Despite that, he was still the most impressive for the week.
2. Rober Bolick, NorthPort Batang Pier (week's averages: 8.5ppg, 8rpg, 3.5apg in 36.23 minutes in two games)
If Perez could hardly buy a basket in his lone game, Bolick was not much better, making just seven of 24 field goal attempts for 29% in his two games. But, in similar fashion, Bolick was still able to contribute in other ways, grabbing nine rebounds and handing out three assists against Meralco on Friday and securing seven rebounds and dishing four assists against San Miguel Beer on Sunday. Plus, he only had one turnover in each game despite the fact that he handled the ball often when he was on the court. Unfortunately for him, his team lost both times in games that were surely winnable if the team's overall execution were better down the stretch. Bolick's shooting percentage has been plummeting as the conference has gone on and, surely, that is a concern he will need to address soon to keep the defense honest.
3. Javee Mocon, Rain or Shine Elastopainters (week's averages: 12 points, nine rebounds, one assist, four turnovers in a little over 23 minutes in one game)
Mocon just keeps plugging away. With almost a double-double against the Dyip on Wednesday, he has shown a fair level of consistency. The trust of Coach Caloy Garcia in him is apparent and he has not disappointed in almost every ROS outing thus far. While the focus of other rookies tends to wane from time to time, it seems Mocon is always locked in. To reiterate what has been said about him in past weeks, he has a nose for the ball and a feel for the game that has set him apart so far in his young career. His shooting percentage has also gone slightly south lately, but that is not his strong suit anyway. Rain or Shine has a bunch of other scorers so when Mocon hits double digits, that's already a bonus for the team. It's the other things he does that make him valuable.
4. Trevis Jackson, Meralco Bolts (week's averages: 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, one block in 24.35 minutes in one game)
It has not been easy for Jackson in the PBA. His minutes have been up and down and he has not shown the consistent ability to break down his defender to get open for shots the way he did in the PBA D-League. In a tightly contested game on Friday against Northport, Jackson's minutes were up because he was mostly able to stay in front of his opponent on defense and was putting points on the board, although not at a high clip (four of 12 field goals for 33%, but two out of four from rainbow country). He played some minutes in the tight fourth quarter. His progress has been very slow and not so sure, but in this one game, Jackson showed enough for some to understand why Meralco picked him at fifth last December.
5. Jesper Ayaay, Alaska Aces (week's averages: six points, eight rebounds (three offensive) in 16 minutes in one game)
Against Magnolia on Saturday, Ayaay played steadily yet again, as he has in practically each Alaska game this season. He regularly comes off the bench, defends one of the opposing teams' top scorers and is not embarrassed, and also keeps the defense honest because he can hit shots all the way out to the three-point line. Like Mocon, Ayaay did not need much time to adjust to the physicality of the PBA and he exhibits confidence in the way he plays while not trying to do too much or anything too fancy. His deliberate foul on Paul Lee (a body check) showcased both his willingness to mix it up and a need for better discretion in certain situations. With the Aces already down and trying to catch up, that foul seemed to ignite the Hotshots even more. Undoubtedly though, from what we've seen, Ayaay is a keeper.