Former PBA scoring champion CJ Perez has been named the PBA Player of the Week after making a difference for the San Miguel Beermen, which now stands just a win away from barging into the semifinal round.
Playing his first conference with the Beermen, Perez has lived up to expectations and served as the quiet but lethal operator for the team’s resurgence after being dethroned in the Clark bubble last season.
A two-time scoring champ from Terrafirma, Perez averaged 17.0 points on 44 percent clip from three-range, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals in the Beermen’s last two wins which ended dramatically behind the game-winners of veterans of Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot.
Behind his consistent performance, Perez, a native of Pangasinan, was deemed the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period Sept. 22-26, bridging the tail-end of the eliminations and the start of the quarterfinals.
Perez is seeing action in his first playoffs since emerging as the top pick in the 2018 draft. The third-year pro led San Miguel in scoring in their 101-100 win over Alaska with 20 points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists, including the clutch corner swing pass to Lassiter for the game-winning trey.
The win sealed the Beermen's spot in the upper bracket of the standings at No. 4, putting themselves in prime position of reclaiming lost glory after an early quarterfinal exit in last year’s all-Filipino conference.
In the Beermen’s thrilling 88-87 win in Game 1 of the playoffs over fifth seed Northport behind Cabagnot’s clutch game-winner, Perez also made his mark with 14 points, six rebounds, and two assists as the moved on the cusp of a semifinals return. (JNP)