Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
The Kraken is set to continue his stronghold on the PBA kingdom.
San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo has been a dominant force this season and it’s no surprise that the Cebuano giant is the runaway leader for the MVP plum this 40th season.
READ: Fajardo wary of Alaska, says SMB has to improve defense
At the end of the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals, Fajardo is well ahead of the pack in the statistical points race, garnering an average of 37.1 SPs.
The Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference is also the favorite to bag the BPC award in the season-ending conference, which would make him a no-brainer choice for the MVP trophy.
READ: Fajardo leads MVP, Governor’s Cup BPC race
Aside from the statistics, votes from the players, media, and the PBA office are also taken into account for the end of season awards.
If Fajardo does come away with back-to-back MVPs, he will replicate the feat of his mentor Danny Ildefonso in 2000 and 2001.
READ: Ildefonso student Fajardo believes mentor still has it
Trailing Fajardo for the award is the Commissioner’s Cup BPC Jayson Castro of Talk ‘N Text (29.09 SPs), Ginebra’s Greg Slaughter (29.07 SPs), NLEX’s Asi Taulava (28.2 SPs), and Rain or Shine’s Paul Lee (28.1 SPs).
In the Rookie of the Year race, GlobalPort’s top pick Stanley Pringle is also the undoubted leader with 27.9 SPs.
Following Pringle is TNT’s Matt Ganuelas-Rosser (22.5 SPs), Blackwater’s Brian Heruela (20.5 SPs), Alaska’s Chris Banchero (18.7 SPs), and Barako Bull’s Jake Pascual (16.4 SPs).
The 2015 Annual Leo Awards will be before Game 4 of the Governors’ Cup Finals between Alaska and San Miguel on July 17 at Smart Araneta Coliseum. CFC