Fajardo leads stats race for best player plum; Aguilar close 2nd

FAJARDO (left): Frontrunner FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Petron Blaze center June Mar Fajardo and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel forward Japeth Aguilar are neck-and-neck in the statistical race for the Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference plum.

The six-foot-10 Fajardo missed three games due to a right knee injury but still managed to top the list with a 40.4 average in statistical points while the six-foot-nine Aguilar isn’t far behind with a 38.8 SPs through the elimination round.

The former University of Cebu standout Fajardo averaged 15.1 points, league-best 15.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game — notching a double-double in points and rebounds in 10 of his 11 games played in the eliminations.

The National team mainstay Aguilar meanwhile, normed 18.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and a league-high 3.5 blocks while playing all 14 games for the top-seeded Kings.

Fajardo’s teammate and reigning PBA MVP Arwind Santos and another King Greg Slaughter are tied in third at 35.6.

Rounding up the top five is GlobalPort’s Jay Washington (34.1 SPs), who leads the league in scoring along with teammate Sol Mercado and Talk ‘N Text’s Jayson Castro averaging 19.2 points per game.

Castro is in sixth while Alaska center Sonny Thoss comes next. San Mig Coffee guard Mark Barroca follows while Air21’s ageless big man Asi Taulava and Tropang Texter Ranidel de Ocampo finishes in ninth and 10th place, respectively.

The statistical points make up 40% of the tabulation while the second largest portion will come from media votes (30%) and the remaining 30% will be from the players (25%) and league officials (5%) also through voting.

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