JOSHUA Munzon said he put in the work to deserve to be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming PBA Rookie Draft.
"It would be nice to be the No. 1 pick, but it’s really out of my hands," the Fil-Am slasher said. "For me, I don’t feel any pressure when it comes to the hype of being the No. 1 pick because I’ve worked very hard to get to where I am now."
Munzon certainly has a legitimate case to be selected at the top of the class given the body of work he has done over the past few years.
He made a name for himself in the region with his stellar performances for the Saigon Heat and Westports Malaysia Dragons in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), and was rightfully selected No. 1 in the PBA D-League Draft in 2019 by AMA Online Education.
He continued to impress in the developmental league as he normed 35.0 points - easily the best scoring average in the PBA D-League - to go with 10.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Titans in the 2019 Aspirants' Cup.
Munzon later lorded it over the 3x3 circuit as he became the top-ranked Filipino in the Fiba 3x3 rankings and was a shoo-in to the Gilas Pilipinas squad for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
"I've proven myself wherever I played and I feel like all those experiences have led me up to potentially being the No. 1 pick," he said.
Terrafirma sure could use someone like Munzon to bolster its roster, giving additional support to two-time PBA scoring champion CJ Perez as the Dyip seek to finally make a run at the playoffs.
But any team would love to have the talent of the 6-foot-4 scorer.
Munzon has long been considered one of the top talents in the amateur ranks outside of the PBA. And now that he's one step closer in making it to the league, the 26-year-old vowed to prove that he's worth the hype.
"I’m super excited at the opportunity to showcase what I can do in the PBA, not only on offense but on defense as well," he said.
"I’m looking forward to the experience of playing in the PBA the most, matching up against all the great guards in the league, and focus on winning games with the team that drafts me."
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