Badminton How To Play

I still remember watching the 2013 PBA season with particular interest, mainly because that rookie class had some genuinely exciting prospects. Having followed Philippine basketball for over a decade now, I've seen how certain rookie classes can reshape the league's landscape, and 2013 was definitely one of those transformative years. The question of who would claim the Rookie of the Year honors wasn't just about individual talent—it was about which newcomer could immediately elevate their team and leave a lasting imprint on the league.

The award ultimately went to June Mar Fajardo, and honestly, there was never really any doubt in my mind that he'd win it. The Cebuano giant entered the league as the first overall pick by Petron Blaze, standing at 6'10" with a wingspan that seemed to stretch across the entire paint. What impressed me most wasn't just his physical attributes though—it was his rapid development throughout that rookie season. He averaged 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds in his debut conference, numbers that don't fully capture how he dominated the interior. I recall watching him against established veterans and thinking, "This kid is going to change how teams build their rosters." His impact was immediate and measurable—Petron's defensive rating improved by approximately 4.7 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court during that rookie campaign.

What made Fajardo's rookie season particularly fascinating was how it contrasted with the mindset of established champions. I'm reminded of that quote from an eight-time PBA champion that perfectly captures the league's competitive spirit: "Hindi naman tayo sasali sa Pajero kung ayaw nating manalo." We hope to maximize whatever we have and try our best to make the playoffs. This championship mentality is exactly what Fajardo brought to Petron from day one. He wasn't just there to develop—he was there to win immediately, and his presence fundamentally shifted the team's identity. Before Fajardo, Petron had been a perimeter-oriented team, but his rookie season forced them to reinvent their offensive schemes around his low-post dominance.

The ripple effects across the league were noticeable almost immediately. Teams that had previously relied on small-ball lineups suddenly found themselves scrambling for answers to Fajardo's size. I remember talking to team executives that season who admitted they were reconsidering their draft strategies—the "positionless basketball" trend that had been gaining momentum suddenly faced a formidable challenge in the form of a traditional, back-to-the-basket big man. What surprised me was how quickly other teams reacted. By the following season, we saw multiple teams prioritizing size in both the draft and their import selections, a direct response to Fajardo's immediate impact.

From a tactical perspective, Fajardo's rookie year forced coaches to reconsider defensive schemes in ways we hadn't seen in nearly a decade. The double-team strategies that emerged to counter him created new opportunities for perimeter shooters, effectively changing how offenses operated against teams with dominant centers. I've always believed that the true measure of a player's impact isn't just their statistics, but how they force the entire league to adapt. In that regard, Fajardo's rookie season was arguably the most influential since Kelly Williams entered the league.

What many casual observers missed was how Fajardo's presence affected the league's international competitiveness. His development during that rookie season coincided with the national team's preparations for major tournaments, and his emergence gave Gilas Pilipinas a legitimate low-post threat they'd been missing for years. I'd argue that without Fajardo's rapid development during that 2013 season, the Philippine national team wouldn't have achieved the international success they found in subsequent years.

Looking back, Fajardo's Rookie of the Year campaign wasn't just about individual accolades—it marked the beginning of what I like to call the "Fajardo Era" in the PBA. His impact extended beyond statistics and immediate team success; he fundamentally altered roster construction philosophies, defensive schemes, and even influenced how the league marketed its big men. The traditional center position, which many had declared obsolete, suddenly became the league's most valuable commodity again. I've rarely seen a single rookie so thoroughly disrupt the league's established order, and honestly, we might not see another rookie with that level of transformative impact for quite some time.