MANILA – After winning the ASEAN Basketball League title, Justin Brownlee and Renaldo Balkman are competing for the Best Import award in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Brownlee and Balkman are in a tight battle for the individual honors after leading Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and San Miguel Beermen, respectively, to the best-of-seven Final series.
The 30-year-old Brownlee is slightly ahead in the Best Import race with 54.46 statistical points (SPs) built on his averages of 28.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 13 games.
The 34-year-old Balkman, on the other hand, is on second place with 51.0 SPs on 28.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 2.2 blocks in 15 games.
Brownlee started Kings’ resurgence this conference when he took over the job from the ineffective Charles Garcia while Balkman carried Beermen from a 0-3 start in lieu of the temperamental Troy Gillenwater.
Alaska Aces’ Diamon Simpson is on third place with 51.03 SPs despite coming in late in the conference to replace Antonio Campbell while Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ Reginald Johnson is on fourth with 47.8 SPs.
The SPs make up 40 percent of the rating in determining the Best Import while the rest comprise votes from the media (30 percent), players (25 percent) and the PBA Commissioner’s Office (5 percent).
The Best Import award and the Best Player of the Conference plum will be handed out before Game 4 of the Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Aug. 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum./PN
