FILE–Best import Justin Brownlee and Best Player of the Conference Scottie Thompson, both from Barangay Ginebra, during the awarding ceremony in the 2022 Governors’ Cup. PBA IMAGES
Barangay Ginebra is expected to sweep the two individual awards that will be handed out before Game 4 of the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Friday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Two wins away from capturing the midseason crown, the Gin Kings are expected to get a boost before the 5:45 p.m. contest with Scottie Thompson favored to bag the Best Player of the Conference and Justin Brownlee expected to claim the Best Import plum.
Thompson is eyeing a second career BPC after another significant performance that saw the Gin Kings reach the Finals, though teammate Jamie Malonzo could spoil that bid after a similar showing in his first conference since being acquired from the NorthPort Batang Pier.
Malonzo’s ex-NorthPort mate Robert Bolick, San Miguel Beer’s CJ Perez and NLEX’s Don Trollano are also candidates for the award, but their team’s failure to reach this point of the conference have virtually left them out of consideration.
Brownlee is set to win the top honor for foreign players for the third time in his decorated career in the Philippines, also for steering Ginebra to the championship round against guest team Bay Area Dragons.
Magnolia’s Nick Rakocevic is second but lost to Brownlee and Ginebra in the semis which turned out to be the likely clincher for the latter.
The other Best Import contender is San Miguel’s Devon Scott.
Forty-five percent of the statistics will be used as criteria to determine the winner with the rest coming through votes from media (30%) and players (25%).