The PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup currently has six teams with undefeated records but only one has Justin Arana on their roster. 

Arana has been able to maximize the height restrictions in this conference, imposing his will and dominating the paint. With averages of 28.0 points (on an insane 71.7 percent shooting from the field), 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, he has emerged as the early frontrunner in the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) race.  

The Macau Giant Pandas were Arana’s latest victim and it was evident that they had no chance early on as he had the hot hand even in the first quarter. The Converge FiberXers were happy to have Arana’s career night extend their unbeaten run to three games, with the 149-124 victory allowing the FiberXers to have only Arana (37 minutes) and Justine Baltazar (30 minutes) eclipse 30 minutes for the contest. 

Growth has been evident in Arana’s game, not just in the production, but also in the poise that had made him an even tougher cover. He has gotten used to the rigors of the PBA not just by forcing his way into the paint, but in smartly utilizing fakes, his positioning and moving without the ball. It certainly helps that Danny Ildefonso is part of Converge’s coaching staff, but Arana still has to execute on the court and he’s a major reason as to why the FiberXers are currently tied with the NLEX Road Warriors for the top spot in Group A of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup standings. 

Sustaining this current run is now what Arana and Converge must focus on. The FiberXers’ next three games will include matchups against the Road Warriors, the San Miguel Beermen, and the TNT Tropang 5G, and while these games are evenly spaced out, this is where Converge will be tested. Arana will definitely be a marked man against these teams, as they also have the personnel to keep him in check. How the 27-year old navigates through this stretch could determine his BPC fate early on, but more importantly, it will help set the tone for the FiberXers. 

Converge has had strong conference starts fizzle out later on and that has prevented them from making extended runs despite showing their potential against the league’s marquee teams. Charge it to inexperience, or perhaps circumstances just ended up being their undoing, but now the FiberXers look primed to finally overcome the hurdles that have plagued them in previous campaigns. 

Justin Arana is surely playing like he wants to overcome the ghosts of the Converge FiberXers’ past and with him leading the way, the FiberXers could surprise teams. Hopefully though, it’s not just an early shock, but one that can reverberate all the way until the postseason.