NLEX duo with inside track for PBA Govs' Cup individual awards

Robert Bolick is the current frontrunner for the PBA Governors' Cup Best Player of the Conference. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—NLEX's surge to the top of the PBA Governors' Cup standings at the end of the group stages helped put its local superstar Robert Bolick and current foreign recruit Deonte Burton ahead in the race for the individual awards.

Bolick leads the pack for the Best Player of the Conference with 37.1 average statistical points, ahead of Terrafirma's Maverick Ahanmisi, who tallied 35.7.

The Converge trio of Justin Arana (34.7 SPs), Balti Baltazar (34.2), and Juan Gomez De Liaño (33.8) round out the Top 5.

With the Dyip already out of contention and the FiberXers also in the quarterfinals like the Road Warriors, expect Bolick to widen his lead against Ahanmisi and Arana, Baltazar, and Gomez De Liaño to continue moving up too.

Reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo is sixth in the BPC race with 33.5 SPs, followed by NLEX's Schonny Winston (32.6), Magnolia's Zav Lucero (32.4), Rain or Shine's Adrian Nocum (32.3), and Fajardo's San Miguel teammate CJ Perez (30.3) to complete the Top 10.

Meanwhile, Burton, despite playing only three games as DeQuan Jones' replacement, topped the partial Best Import race results with 55 SPs, ahead of Beerman George King, who tallied 53.1.

Meralco's Jordon Varnado and Converge's Cameron Clark, who were also late replacements, are also in the Top 5 in the Best Import race so far, placing third with 52.7 SPs and fourth with 48.8, respectively.

Blackwater's Kentrell Barkley rounds out the Top 5 with 47.6 SPs, but with the team already eliminated too, Ginebra's Jordan Murphy and TNT's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who are sixth with 47 and seventh with 45.5, respectively, have an opportunity to breach into the Top 5 after the quarterfinals.