Two weeks' worth of games in the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup have given us an idea of what to expect from this conference's crop of imports.
One has already been sent home, another will follow suit very soon, while a couple of others might be hanging by a thread.
The one who was a cut above the rest has left for greener pastures, but a couple of others remain standouts.
Here's where each import stands after two weeks.
1. Jonathon Simmons (NLEX Road Warriors)
Simmons was so good during his four-game stint that NLEX coach Frankie Lim jokingly said he had burned the import's passport to prevent him from leaving. Before flying out, Simmons averaged 37 points (No. 1 among all players), nine rebounds, five assists and two steals per contest. This will be the first and last time he will be on these rankings, but at least he can say he exited as the top dog.
2. Jamaal Franklin (Converge FiberXers)
The first import substitute for this conference, Franklin is averaging a triple double (31 points, 12.3 rebounds, ten assists) in three games and is a big reason why the FiberXers are tied for the best record after two weeks. He's also shown to be a clutch player, knocking down the marginal baskets in Converge's close win over Magnolia Hotshots.
3. KJ McDaniels (Meralco Bolts)
Now in his third PBA season with his third team (all from the MVP Group), McDaniels leads everyone in rebounds (19.8) to go along with 28 points and 4.8 assists per outing to help the Bolts to a 3-1 start. He's shooting much better from the field (53%) compared to last conference as he's slimmed down a bit, but his free-throw shooting (58%) could use some improvement.
4. Cameron Clark (San Miguel Beermen)
Clark's numbers (23.3ppg, 10.0rpg) don't really stand out, but they don't have to if you're playing for a team that's as loaded as SMB. Besides, his shooting is pretty efficient: 51.3% FG and 93.8% FT. The one thing lacking from his offensive game is a 3-point shot: he's taken just one attempt in four games (which he missed). June Mar Fajardo is shooting better than him from beyond the arc.
5. Justin Brownlee (Barangay Ginebra)
In his first game last Sunday, Brownlee immediately put up a 29-10-11 triple-double to power the defending champions to a win over Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. We've come to expect this performance from Brownlee, so now we focus our attention on his career points total as he's just 89 points away from overtaking another Ginebra/Gilbey's Gin import -- Lew Massey -- for fourth place on the all-time imports scoring list.
6. Jordan Williams (Terrafirma Dyip)
The Dyip may be struggling (as usual), but Williams has been pretty solid with averages of 35 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest. He scored 46 in his PBA debut, and while he hasn't scored more than 30 since, he's shown he can put up big numbers when needed.
7. Jalen Hudson (TNT Tropang Giga)
Hudson would have ranked higher in this list if it weren't for his dismal 14-point effort against Magnolia where he shot just 23.5% (including 1-of-9 from 3-point distance). Overall, a little more consistency would be good for him: His scoring has ebbed and flowed over four games with outputs of 34, 24, 39 and 14. The good news is the Tropang Giga are tied for fourth.
8. Marcus Weathers (NorthPort Batang Pier)
The Batang Pier are still winless even though Weathers has been contributing some pretty solid numbers. He's third in scoring (31.8) and fourth overall in field goal percentage (60.0%) while also grabbing ten boards per game. It's just hard to overlook the fact that NorthPort has lost all its games by an average of 13.8 points
9. Du'Vaughn Maxwell (Phoenix Super LPG)
Maxwell is proving to be a good all-around player. He ranks first among imports in blocks per game (3.4), second in rebounds per game (14.4), and third in field goal percentage (57.8%). He's also contributing 26.0 points and 4.8 assists per contest. On the minus side, he's fifth in turnovers (4.6) and shooting just 59.1% from the free throw line.
10. Michael Qualls (Rain or Shine Elasto Painters)
Qualls got off on the wrong foot in his very first game for the Elasto Painters, shooting just 3-of-22. He did better in his next two games, averaging 34.5 points and 13.0 rebounds, but then regressed again last Sunday against Ginebra, missing all his five 3-point attempts and grabbing just five rebounds. Also, Rain or Shine lost all four of those games, so unless they can turn it around soon, Qualls might find himself with a plane ticket back to America.
11. Shawn Glover (Blackwater Bossing)
Hampered by a foot injury, Glover is already on his way out with his replacement Troy Williams already in town. Glover is tied with Simmons for most turnovers per game (5.3), and is in the bottom third in imports' scoring (23.3 points per game). He does have good rebounding (9.3) and blocks (1.8) numbers, but ultimately the Bossing decided to go in another direction.
12. Eric McCree (Magnolia Hotshots)
McCree is another import walking on thin ice. The Hotshots are still winless, and he's not exactly lighting it up with a scoring average of just 21.0 (the lowest among all the imports) and low marks in field goal percentage (38.0%) and assists per game (2.7). After scoring 38 in his PBA debut, McCree was held to just 12 and 13 points, respectively, against TNT and San Miguel.