For nearly a month, Justin Arana was limited to being a spectator for the Converge FiberXers. 

A left knee injury kept Arana on the sidelines longer than he would have wanted, but he was fortunate that the FiberXers only had the San Miguel Beermen left on their schedule. Converge did miss the 2023 PBA Rookie of the Year as they were defeated by the Beermen to end the preliminary round of the 2024-2025 Honda PBA Commissioner’s Cup. 

The 116-113 loss itself, though, didn’t really matter as the FiberXers were already assured of a spot in the postseason and earned a favorable matchup in the quarterfinals thanks to their 8-4 record.  

Nonetheless, it was great to see Arana was playing with pent-up energy in his first game back. 

Arana nearly had a double-double (22 points and eight rebounds) and missed only one of his 11 shot attempts in a 130-118 come-from-behind Converge victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, but his biggest contributions were the intangibles he brought to the table. He didn’t back down against the physical Elasto Painters frontline and even got into it with rookie Caelan Tiongson. That definitely set the tone as the rest of the FiberXers frontcourt followed suit and imposed their will in the win. 

Converge should be pleased to see Arana play as if he never left. There were clearly no signs of rust and with the way he showed out, it was clear that he was in a good spot mentally. The postseason doesn’t offer much time for players to rest and recover so it speaks to both the player’s character and the team’s supportive efforts.  

For the last three seasons, Arana has validated the FiberXers’ decision to select him with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 PBA Draft. The 25-year old has worked on his game and has earned the respect of his peers and drawn comparisons to June Mar Fajardo. Like Fajardo, he has found ways to maximize his physical gifts regardless if he’s facing an import or not. 

Of course, Arana still has ways to go to catch up to the eight-time PBA MVP, but he will definitely tick off his own milestones with his work ethic. It also helps that he has Fajardo’s mentor, two-time PBA MVP Danny Ildefonso, on his side as an assistant with Converge. 

The Converge FiberXers earned their first postseason victory with a complete lineup so it’s an advantage having Justin Arana and the rest of the FiberXers in good health and at pretty much full strength. The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will come back with a vengeance and attempt to tie the series so it would be wise to go all out, and with Arana showing no ill effects from his knee injury, best believe he will be unfettered going forward.