It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Joshua Munzon is most likely going to be the top overall pick in the coming PBA Rookie Draft.
Right after the league approved the trade that shipped Terrafirma Dyip’s top gun CJ Perez to the San Miguel Beermen for five players, it became clearer that the next order of business for the former is to get the best talent available and no doubt, Munzon is the best talent among the 97 applicants in the Draft.
Rich in playing experience — be it in international or professional level — the 6’4” Munzon is a notable scorer. He was a solid player while seeing action for the Saigon Heat and the Westport Malaysia Dragons in the Asean Basketball League.
He also suited up for the iECO Green Warriors, the Philippines’ representatives in the East Asia Super League ‘ Terrific 12 in 2018, then played for the AMA Online Titans in the PBA D-League.
His best moment was probably with the Philippine 3 x 3 squad where he became the country’s top player, while representing the Filipinos in the FIBA 3 x 3 World Tour and for about two years, he played alongside Alvin Pasaol, Leonard Santillan and Troy Rike, boosting the Philippines’ chances of qualifying for the Olympics.
Similar to Perez, Munzon also plays the wing spot and no doubt, he’s the best scorer among the PBA hopefuls who applied for this year’s Draft.
Perez, the PBA’s scoring ace, was traded to the already talented San Miguel Beermen in exchange for forward Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, center Russell Escoto, and guard Gelo Alolino. The Dyip will also get two first round picks — the Beermen’s first round pick this year and the team’s first round pick two years from now.
With a center, a forward and a guard already added to their roster, the Dyip will definitely need a go-to-guy in offense and the team could exercise that option by getting it in the Draft by selecting Munzon.
There are several other talented players in the Rookie Draft considered as possibly the deepest since the Class of 1989 when Benjie Paras, Nelson Asaytono, Bong Alvarez, Ato Agustin, Elmer Cabahug, Dindo Pumaren and Zaldy Realubit among others entered the PBA.
Jamie Malonzo, a 6’6” forward, whose athleticism is exceptional among the other aspirants, is also worth considering, same as the other prospects from Gilas Pilipinas like 6’5” Calvin Oftana and William Navarro, although it’s not clear yet whether they will fall under the special draft for Gilas or be included in the regular PBA Draft.
Outside of the names mentioned, there’s Rike, probably the best talented big man, and there’s Pasaol, an undersized forward, but is highly regarded for his toughness and will to win. Frontliners like James Laput, a 6’10” Fil-foreign player and Larry Muyang from NCAA champion Letran, are also high on the list.
But Munzon’s talent level is exceptional and almost every coach in Philippine basketball would agree.
Whatever is on the mind of Terrafirma is really none of my business. I would love to see Perez and Munzon play together at the same time and it would be an explosive tandem at the No.2 and 3 spots.
Instead, we won’t see a tandem who could easily put an average of 40 points per game combined, but the Dyip decided to go on a different direction. For now, Munzon is going to be the team’s future — if he ends up at No.1.
How far can Dyip go with their new acquisitions and their future star?
One could only guess if they’re capable of going the extra mile, but if the team is bent on replacing its marquee player, Perez, the Dyip don’t need to look far beyond Munzon.
