PBA: June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez still lead Best Player race
San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–San Miguel Beer teammates June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez maintained their hold on the top two spots in the race for the Best Player of the Conference through the quarterfinal phase of the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup.
Not much has changed in the updated tally provided by the league on Thursday, with Fajardo ahead with 42.7 Statistical Points while Perez is a distant second at 39.7.
Fajardo and Perez were ranked 1-2 at the end of the eliminations which saw the Beermen posting a league-best 9-2 mark.
Ranked third to fifth are Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson (37.8), Japeth Aguilar (33.1) and Christian Standhardinger (32.8) but their team was booted out after a heartbreaking series defeat to longtime rival Meralco.
NorthPort’s Robert Bolick (32.63) and Jamie Malonzo (32.60) are sixth and seventh, Meralco’s Chris Newsome and Magnolia’s Jio Jalalon forged a tie for eighth with 32.5 apiece while NLEX’s Calvin Oftana completed the top 10 at 32.4.
LOOK: San Miguel Beer's June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez are 1-2 in the Best Player of the Conference race at the end of the #PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals. | @jonasterradoINQ /PDI pic.twitter.com/PbmpkwcLes
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) August 4, 2022
A final count will be released following the semifinals of the season-opening conference, with 40 percent of the statistics to be used as criteria to determine the winner.
Fajardo, eight-time BPC winner, averaged 17.9 points, a league-best 13.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks after the Beermen easily eliminated the Blackwater Bossing in the quarters.
Perez has put himself in a position to bag his first-ever BPC after posting 17.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.4 steals and almost a block per contest.
