PBA Rookie Rankings Week 4-5: You can’t teach height

MANILA, Philippines – Greg Slaughter maintains his impressive stat line and he’s slowly becoming a force in the PBA. Check out Rappler’s latest PBA Rookie Rankings below.

1. (Last week: 1) Greg Slaughter, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (—) 

15 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.3 SPG, 2 BPG, 37.94 EFF

Greg Slaughter can’t be stopped. He’s clearly the best rookie right now. No one comes close. The guy is logging double-double averages and he’s dominating the paint. Fans can’t wait for the titanic showdown with fellow giant June Mar Fajardo.

2. (Last week: 4) Ian Sangalang, San Mig Coffee Mixers (▲)

11.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 28.54 EFF 

The second overall pick played his best game in the PBA against Globalport, finishing with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and one block on his birthday. There is so much room for improvement and the sky is the limit for the San Mig rookie.

3. (Last week: 5) Justin Chua, Globalport Batang Pier (▲)

7.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 23.20 EFF

Slaughter’s back up in Ateneo is now rising as one of Globalport’s finest big men. Chua scored 11 points and grabbed 6 rebounds against San Mig Coffee, where he was fielded for a good number of minutes. He did have a crucial turnover in the end game but I bet it’s only going to make him stronger. The kid will definitely bounce back. (READ: Justin Chua ready to move past major rookie mistake)

4. (Last week: 3) RR Garcia, Globalport Batang Pier (▼) 

10.5 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 22.53 EFF

While Romeo is on his own slump, Garcia meanwhile is becoming a more effective backcourt gunner for the Batang Pier. He scored in double-digits in three of his last four games even if he’s playing just about 20 minutes a game.

5. (Last week: 2) Terrence Romeo, Globalport Batang Pier (▼)

14.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.3 SPG, 27.35 EFF 

He is on a serious slump, bro. He did have a 21-point effort against Alaska, but aside from that game, Romeo averaged just 2.33 points in 3 of his last 4 games. What’s worse? He shot 3-of-35 from the field in those outings. He’s still the third leading scorer for Globalport, but he has to regain that rhythm to be helpful.

The sixth man 

(Last Week: n/a) Carlo Lastimosa, Barako Bull Energy

5.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 17.20 EFF

Ever since getting activated, the spitfire guard has provided Barako Bull with hustle and youth. He scored 15 points in just 18 minutes in his PBA debut, but he has to work on more aspects of his game to become a better all-around package for the Barako squad. – Rappler.com

READ RAPPLER’S PREVIOUS PBA ROOKIE RANKINGS: 

• PBA Rookie Rankings: Romeo shoots his way to the top
• PBA Rookie Rankings: Romeo stays hot
• PBA Rookie Rankings Week 3: Greg-Zilla