Scottie Thompson or Mikey Williams? Will Mikey pull off the double and win both MVP and Rookie of the Year? Who tops the vote in this year's Mythical Five?
With just two weeks remaining in a short PBA offseason, voters are debating these questions for the annual Leo Awards. ESPN talked to 11 head and assistant coaches around the league to participate in a poll for the Season 46 awards -- which will be announced on June 5 ahead of the official start to the new season.
For the Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Mythical Team, and All-Defense voting, the league follows the criteria where 40 percent of the votes are based on statistical points. A 30/25/5 split is divvied up between the media, players, and the commissioner's office. Other awards, like Defensive Player of the Year, Mr. Quality Minutes, and the All-Rookie Team are decided by the PBA press corps.
For this poll, coaches were given anonymity so they could speak unfiltered without having to worry about their own affiliations and how their counterparts might react.
Statistics used in this piece are from the PBA and from advanced stats database "Stats by Ryan" on Tiebreaker Times.
1. Most Valuable Player
Scottie Thompson: 7 votes
Mikey Williams: 4 votes
Thompson: 13.9 points (55/36.3/70 splits, 57.5 True Shooting Percentage), 9.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 38.3 minutes in 33 games
Williams: 19.5 points (41/37.6/73 splits, 52.9 TS%), 4.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 36.3 minutes in 36 games; almost 10 3s attempted a game
The debate boiled down to what the coaches valued more: Williams' torrential volume scoring and pinch of playmaking for a team that badly needed those outbursts, or Thompson's all-around brilliance blended with improved playmaking and a more diverse offensive repertoire?
Thompson's ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor drew the majority vote.
"Scottie is a dominant player in all facets of the game, including defense, and obviously, rebounding, and he affects the game in more areas than Mikey, who is primarily a scorer," one head coach said of Thompson.
Others zoned in on his very recent successes in the season-ending Governors' Cup, where he snagged both the Best Player of the Conference and Finals MVP awards after playing a central role in Barangay Ginebra's title defense.
"[Thompson] just stood out to me as more of an MVP-type of performance since they had to go through TNT with a twice-to-beat disadvantage, then NLEX who was finished second in the standings, and he topped off his stellar play in the finals against Meralco," another coach said.
Coaches who picked Williams gave more weight to his tournament-long brilliance and Finals MVP in TNT's Philippine Cup title campaign -- the franchise's first in six years. They argued that the Tropang Giga winning an all-local conference was more impressive than what Thompson and Ginebra achieved with Justin Brownlee on board.
"I believe TNT wouldn't win all their games if Mikey didn't perform at the level he did," a coach said. "Scottie could sit out and you'd still have LA (Tenorio), Christian (Standhardinger), Japeth (Aguilar). And in the Governors' Cup, I believe it's still Brownlee who pushes them to the top with the help of Scottie and other guys.
"Sa TNT baliktad - Mikey puts the team to the top with the help of other guys. That's why I believe Mikey is more valuable than Scottie."
2. Rookie of the Year
Mikey Williams: 11 votes
No arguments here: Williams is expected to be the unanimous winner for the rookie award. The only question is whether he will be the first player to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP since Benjie Paras did it in 1989.
3. Most Improved Player
Juami Tiongson: 5 votes
Aaron Black: 3 votes
Two others: 1 vote each
One coach did not place a vote
Tiongson in 2021-22: 16.4 points (40.6/37.9/77.8 splits, 54.0 TS%), 2.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.9 steals, 33.1 minutes in 21 games Tiongson in 2020: 13.4 points (43.3/39.6/88.9 splits, 54.5 TS%), 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 steals, 27.8 minutes in 11 games
Black in 2021-22: 8.5 points (39.8/27.1/65.1 splits, 48.8 TS%), 3.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 23.7 minutes in 31 games Black in 2020: 6.6 points (38.9/34.7/69.2 splits, 49.8 TS%), 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 17.8 minutes in 18 games
Tiongson's rapid development as Terrafirma's lead guard has not gone unnoticed. The seven-year veteran the most votes after a fruitful season that saw him improve as a primary option in the Dyip backcourt without losing much efficiency.
One of the coaches detailed the difference between the Tiongson who struggled to get consistent playing time with two franchises prior to his arrival in 2019, and the player who is undoubtedly now one of the league's better scorers.
"You're now seeing a much more confident Juami -- more effective, more lethal," one coach said. "He can now score in a lot of different ways -- attacking the cup, mid range, isolations vs. guards and more so against mismatches, transition layups, transition 3s, ball screen decision-making, you name it. And he's now unafraid of the moment."
"Juami certainly plays with a chip on his shoulder," a second coach said. "He just carries himself with a lot of confidence, and it helps that [Terrafirma] coach John [Cardel] gives him the green light. He's always been good with the pick and roll, but his ability to shoot from all corners of the globe made him really difficult to guard this year."
Meralco guard Aaron Black also collected votes from coaches, with some even saying the minutes he got under his father and head coach Norman were earned, not given.
"I just don't subscribe to that idea. That's not a fair take," one coach said when asked about these criticisms. "Aaron's good -- it just so happened that he is the son of coach Norman, who knows how his son plays and knows what Aaron is capable of. Aaron has made vast improvements from his rookie year, is tough, and can keep up with the best of them."
NorthPort's Robert Bolick and Rey Nambatac of Rain or Shine got a vote each as well.
4. Mythical Five
Scottie Thompson: 9 votes
Mikey Williams: 9 votes
Calvin Abueva: 6 votes
Chris Newsome: 4 votes
Christian Stanhardinger: 3 votes
Robert Bolick: 3 votes
June Mar Fajardo: 2 votes
LA Tenorio: 2 votes
Five others: 1 vote each Two coaches did not send their lineups
A lot of coaches didn't follow the Mythical Five's traditional limits (two guards, two forwards, one center) when filling in their ballots, but we still managed to end up having a good five-man unit for the First Team. Leading MVP candidates Thompson and Williams are shoo-ins for the backcourt spots, Newsome and Abueva occupy the forward positions, while Standhardinger was the center who garnered the most votes.
Other players who earned a vote in some of the coaches' ballots were Phoenix's Matthew Wright, Ginebra's Japeth Aguilar, TNT's Poy Erram, Magnolia's Paul Lee, and NLEX's Kevin Alas.
5. All-Defense
Scottie Thompson: 7 votes
Chris Newsome: 6 votes
Calvin Abueva: 6 votes
Chris Ross: 4 votes
Christian Standhardinger, Japeth Aguilar, Cliff Hodge: 3 votes
All seven of the players who got three or more votes received nominations for the coaches' Defensive Player of the Year ballot.
Thompson, Ross, and Newsome were regarded by coaches as three of the most prolific perimeter defenders in the PBA today, while Standhardinger, Aguilar and Hodge earned praises for their different approaches on defense.
One coach cited Standhardinger's increasing comfort on defense after struggling early in his Ginebra stint. "There were certainly struggles getting him on the same page defensively in the beginning. They had to adapt to him as much as he had to adapt to them, but once they filled the puzzle correctly, he became a dominant force defensively. The scary part is that he's going to get better - if he stays healthy."
Another coach talked about Aguilar's mobility and versatility: "Japeth is a switchable defender, which makes it easier for team defense because there's no rotation needed. A big part of it is he covers the paint really well. His intimidation factor is better than most. And he can guard imports, too."
When discussing Hodge, a coach touched on the Meralco big man's improved control and penchant for getting under the skin of his opponents.
"One aspect of Cliff's defense na nakita namin ang improvement is 'yung tamang placing ng energy niya. Dati kasi parang kiti-kiti lang all over the place, most of the time in foul trouble and hindi nakakatapos ng game. But now he knows when and where to place yung sobra sobra niyang energy, and positive na 'yung effect sa team niya," the coach explained.
'Yung paglaro niya rin ng mind games ng ibang best players na binabantayan niya, mala-Draymond Green - 'yung nakaka-asar na magaling."
NorthPort's Jamie Malonzo and Arwind Santos, Magnolia's Jio Jalalon, and San Miguel's June Mar Fajardo all got two votes, while Phoenix's Jason Perkins, Meralco's Bong Quinto, TNT's Kib Montalbo, Poy Erram, Roger Pogoy, Ryan Reyes, and Kelly Williams, Magnolia's Mark Barroca and Rome dela Rosa, and Ginebra's Nards Pinto all received a vote.
6. Defensive Player of the Year
Jio Jalalon, Chris Ross: 2 votes
Seven others: 1 vote
Relevant numbers Jalalon: 8.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.2 steals (11th), 23.3 minutes in 40 games for Magnolia (3rd in defensive rating); 25th in Defensive Box Plus/Minus or DBPM (minimum 15 minutes a game)
Ross: 5.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals (1st), 0.3 blocks, 32.5 minutes in 27 games for San Miguel (8th in defensive rating); 3rd in DBPM
The variance in votes might indicate there wasn't a single player who consistently made an impact on defense during Season 46. Four coaches, however, still ended up splitting votes between Magnolia's Jio Jalalon and San Miguel's Chris Ross, a couple of guards who spearheaded the perimeter defense at the point of attack.
One coach spoke highly of Jalalon's instincts on that end of the floor and how he warps opposing offenses with his activity. "He's not necessarily a 'stopper,' but he affects the game defensively more than my other player, in my opinion, with his pressure, quickness and anticipation. You have to change your game when you play against him."
Another made notice of Ross' work against Williams during a grueling seven-game TNT-SMB semifinal series in the 2021 Philippine Cup. Williams managed just 13.9 points on a woeful 32.4 percent shooting with the two-time Defensive Player of the Year guarding him for most of the series.
"I clearly remember how Mikey's numbers went down in that seven-game series because Chris Ross locked down Mikey. That's why Mikey probably didn't get the BPC award," one coach said.
Other coaches threw in votes for Ginebra's Thompson, Standhardinger, Aguilar, Meralco's Cliff Hodge and Chris Newsome, Magnolia's Calvin Abueva, and NorthPort's Jamie Malonzo.
7. Mr. Quality Minutes
Nards Pinto 4 votes
Kib Montalbo: 3 votes
Four others: 1 vote each
Pinto and Montalbo received most of the votes here, but both players are apparently ineligible for the award; under PBA rules, a player must have come off the bench in over 50 percent of his games for the season. Pinto started 16 of the 21 games he played with Meralco before eventually being traded to the Gin Kings, while Montalbo started 21-of-32 contests he played in this year.
Maliksi was a popular second choice among coaches, though he only drew one official vote from one coach who was very complimentary of his entire offensive package.
"I've always thought he was a matchup nightmare in the league with his size and length. He can also post up smaller guys and shoot over them, and he can knock down 3s at a high clip. He has a knack for scoring in bunches. Very efficient guy," the coach raved. "He's always an addition to the arsenal of whatever team he plays for. He is simply a point of attack a coach wishes to have."
8. All-Rookie Team
Mikey Williams: 10 votes
Jamie Malonzo: 10 votes
Calvin Oftana: 9 votes
Joshua Munzon: 8 votes
Santi Santillan: 4 votes
Jerrick Ahanmisi: 3 votes
Five others: 1 vote each One coach did not submit a lineup
Voting for this category seemed mostly straightforward: Williams and Terrafirma's Munzon comprise the backcourt, Malonzo and NLEX's Oftana take their places in the forward spots, while Santi Santillan gets the final slot as the center with the most votes.
Rain or Shine's Anton Asistio and Andrei Caracut, Alaska's Ben Adamos, Magnolia's Adrian Wong and Blackwater's Andre Paras all obtained a vote each.