FORD ARAO

Why he’s worth the minutes: Ford Arao is the prototypical PBA big man: good height (6”5), good post work, and the work ethic to bang with the big boys on the court. The good points of his game – post play and lateral defense – only got better with the time he spent playing in the PBL. His formidable face-up game allowed him to score against Jervy Cruz in the championship match-up, and his soft range, although limited, will be valuable to Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio in the same way he used former MVP Kerby Raymundo to hit jumpers.

Why he will warm the end of the bench: Although he works hard, there is nothing much he can do at this level. His size merits him some upside, but his narrow shoulders won’t allow him to do much boxing out the likes of Taulava and Peek, and he might resort to shooting face-up jumpers than posting up. His athleticism is non-existent since he is still wary of his knees, which he has succumbed to injury more than once.

The verdict: Arao is good enough to be the guy who subs in after your starting center gets exhausted. The guy is a classic workhorse. Unfortunately, Arao is not the guy you would repeatedly pass the ball to in the post, or the guy who stuns the whole crowd with a dunk. Chances are he will opt for a steady lay-up in a fast break or pass the ball to a more electrifying, cutting guard, but hey, that’s how Tim Duncan rolls right? And that guy has four rings doing those things year in and year out. Meralco is a new franchise, so the expectations are low and there will be no pressure to amaze anyone for the former Blue Eagle.