For years, the San Miguel Beermen have chased the elusive PBA grand slam -- a prize they've tasted just once before. Time and again, their hopes have been dashed by a single stumbling block: the Governors' Cup.
Is it surprising they haven't achieved such a feat? Absolutely. The "Death 5" lineup composed of Chris Ross, Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter, Arwind Santos, and June Mar Fajardo was a dominant force -- with a bench good enough to start on most other teams. But why did that team fall short? Because Justin Brownlee happened.
San Miguel's struggle in the Governors' Cup can be traced back to one recurring issue: finding the right import. It's a familiar story. This conference saw them swap their original import for Jordan Adams, then move to Sheldon Mac, only to eventually bring Adams back.
"We just wanted to try an import who can play multiple positions, but it backfired," head coach Jorge Gallent said. "So we decided to bring back Jordan and he was professional enough to stay with us. It shows how great of an import he is."
Despite their import issues, San Miguel finds itself sitting atop Group B with a 6-2 record. This can be attributed to a high-octane offense driven from their stacked roster filled with star power.
Excluding their 131-82 drubbing of Ginebra, San Miguel boasts the league's best offensive rating at 109.6 points per 100 possessions, according to InStat. They also rank second in both effective field goal percentage (54.8%) and true shooting percentage (61.6%). These impressive numbers are where we credit three standout scorers on this talented team.
The biggest reason why San Miguel might have stuck with Adams as their import is his splendid scoring. He is currently the second best scorer in the conference at 33.2 points per game, highlighted with a 50-piece against Blackwater, a 49-point performance versus Phoenix, and 41 points to hand Rain or Shine its first loss of the conference.
Just to reiterate, offensively, Adams is the perfect frontcourt partner for June Mar Fajardo -- as he is able to play in the perimeter and remain lethal as an off-ball threat. As per InStat, he has scored 1.23 points per possession on catch-and-shoot situations and 1.31 on baskets made off cuts. His versatility adds another layer to San Miguel's offense, making it harder for defenses to collapse on Fajardo in the paint.
Speaking of Fajardo, the eight-time PBA MVP continues to dominate in the paint while showing improved range. He's averaging 22.7 points, 17.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on an impressive 74% true shooting percentage. Fajardo has made a concerted effort to take more midrange shots, hitting 56.5% (13-23) on jumpers inside the arc, according to InStat. Though he's only attempted a few 3-pointers, he's been efficient, making 66.7% (4-6). His evolving offense makes him even more of a nightmare for opposing defenses.
Another potent scorer to complete San Miguel's three-headed monster is CJ Perez. It's certainly a luxury to have a 17.5 points per game player as your third option on offense, who can just be the best scorer on any formidable PBA team. Having said that, Perez has made sure to capitalize with opposing defenses focusing Fajardo and Adams, as he scores on 1.08 points per possession (PPP) and 1.27 PPP in catch-and-shoots.
Now the question is, what's holding San Miguel down? While their big 49-point win has improved their defensive rating in this conference -- which is now at the middle of the pack at 105.9 points per 100 possessions -- glaring holes remain to be fixed.
Even with Fajardo receiving multiple merits as one of the best defensive players of the league, it has been proven that the best way to attack San Miguel is through him in the pick-and-roll. This feels like the most feasible way to score against them, as you can test his slow laterals while being in drop coverage.
From data provided by InStat, San Miguel is the third worst team to give up points on PnRs where the ball handlers take the shot for the possession at 0.8 PPP -- which can be caused by the space given to them because of the drop. There's also a little semblance of rim deterrence for San Miguel, as the rollers for the PnRs score at 0.9 PPP (4th worst mark) and same points given up in catch and drives (2nd worst mark).
The simple conclusion is that San Miguel's talented squad has a legitimate shot at winning every conference. But in an import-laden Governors' Cup, talent alone isn't enough. Choosing the right import and improving their performance on the other side of the court are essential if they want to finally end their nine-year drought in this tournament.