Shifting Contributions of the Rookies

The 37th season has started last October 2, 2011, marking a new era as the league gets its new coverage partner, AKTV on IBC.

There are also a batch of new rookies contributing for the Philippine Cup, with most of the Smart-Gilas Pilipinas players joining the PBA after giving the country the highest finish ever by a Philippine team in FIBA Asia Championships since 1987 with a semi-finals appearance.

Although it is still the early part of the conference, a shift can be seen already, with rookies like Paul Lee, Chris Lutz, Dylan Ababou, Alein Maliksi, and Marcio Lassiter contributing to their teams' early success.

Paul Lee's contribution can be seen right away, as he announced his entry against crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra with 21 pts, 8 assists and 5 rebounds to average a neat 14.8ppg, 4.4 rpg and 4.8 apg for Rain or Shine in 5 games, while Chris Lutz is the 3rd leading scorer in the league right now with 17.3 ppg for the loaded Petron Blaze Boosters, while already having a career-high 6 steals against Barako Bull.

Meanwhile, the Santo Tomas duo of Dylan Ababou and PBA D-League MVP Alein Maliksi are giving solid contributions for the Energy Boosters, with Ababou having back-to-back 20 point games and Maliksi averaging a solid 11.3 ppg in 4 games.

As defensive standout Marcio Lassiter giving Powerade 14 ppg and 5.8 rpg along with 1.5 spg, as the 1st pick JVee Casio is still coming back from an injury.

Lee, a standout player coming from the University of the East warriors is the only player taken from the top 5 not having played for the Smart-Gilas national team, and although Lee was not able to get the international exposure that the Gilas players had, his explosive first game vs Ginebra showed that he means business in this league.

Chris Lutz, known for his 3-point shooting in his college days at Marshall University, is now handling the reigns in the Blaze Boosters offense. Getting the trust of Boosters coach and former PBA MVP Ato Agustin, Lutz is contributing not just on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end as well by averaging 2.5 spg.

Dylan Ababou, who did not have an ideal role with the national team, is now showing is capabilities that made him earn the UAAP MVP honors. Along with Alein Maliksi who is also showing that he has polished his game by being a solid contributor for Barako Bull.

Marcio Lassiter, the standout wing defender for the national team is showing is all-around capabilities on the court, and although his team had lost close games against Rain or Shine and Ginebra, his presence can be felt already, by recording his 1st ever double-double of 21 pts and 12 rebounds vs the Kings. And with Casio recovering from his injuries, things may be looking bright for the Tigers.

So, with already 5 rookies changing the complex of the league in the early stages, we could have a very interesting season in our hands.