TO no one's surprise, Justine Baltazar is the No. 1 pick in the PBA Season 49 Draft.
The UAAP champion and Mythical Team member and MPBL champion and MVP joins a FiberXers team that finished dead last in last season's PBA wars.
Sedrick Barefield, meanwhile, was selected No. 2 by Blackwater. The Fil-American was not present for the draft festivities.
Barangay Ginebra, on the other hand, used the No. 3 pick it acquired in a trade with Terrafirma on the eve of the draft by picking RJ Abarrientos.
READ: No. 3 pick RJ Abarrientos completes Ginebra haul from Terrafirma trade
Magnolia assistant coach and PBA legend Johnny Abarrientos, RJ's uncle, represented the new Gin King on the stage. The younger Abarrientos is currently in Taiwan, playing for Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas in the 39th William Jones Cup.
Kai Ballungay, a UAAP champion with Ateneo and one of the top bigs outside Baltazar in this year’s draft, went to Phoenix after being selected No. 4.
Former KBL champion and Blue Eagle Dave Ildefonso was then tabbed at No. 5 by NorthPort, although he too was absent due to his campaign with SGA in the Jones Cup.
PBA Draft Combine MVP Jonnel Policarpio from La Salle went No. 6 to NLEX, the same team he worked out for in the lead-up to the draft.
Caelan Tiongson and little-known Fil-Swedish Felix Lemmeti were tabbed by Rain or Shine at No. 7 and 8, respectively.
Jerom Lastimosa was picked at No. 9 by Magnolia even though the former Adamson superstar is not expected to play immediately as he continues to recover from the ACL injury he sustained during the UAAP wars.
Green Archers speedster Mark Nonoy went to Terrafirma at No. 10, using the pick it got from Ginebra as part of the Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle-for-Stephen Holt and Isaac Go deal.
Onetime University of the Philippines skipper and champion CJ Cansino was called on by Meralco at No. 11, while ex-KBL import Avan Nava was chosen at No. 12 by San Miguel.
La Salle’s Francis Escandor and Evan Nelle opened the second round by being selected at No. 13 by Rain or Shine and No. 14 by NorthPort.
CJ Catapusan went to Terrafirma at No. 15, followed by Mike Malonzo for Rain or Shine at No. 16.
Didat Hanapi was the first selection of Ginebra in the second round, as he was tabbed at No. 17, while Brandon Ramirez made it to NLEX at No. 18.
Pao Javillonar was taken by Converge at No. 19, while Miggy Corteza was taken by Rain or Shine at No. 20.
Ben Phillips, a gold medalist for Gilas Pilipinas in the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia last year, was selected by Converge 21st, Paolo Hernandez at 22nd by Ginebra, Kurt Reyson at 23rd by Meralco, then Jason Credo for Converge at 24th.
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