Justin Baltazar may become the 2023 Regular season's Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) given the way that he has tearing it up the league in both ends of the floor. In the eight (8) games that he played so far as of this writing, he is averaging 20.6 points at an extremely efficient clip of 61.9% field goal percentage.
His dominance in the paint is even more telling as he is grabbing 17 rebounds a game while also blocking 1.5 shots per outing. His passing may need some improvement but his contribution of 4 dimes per match is decent enough to lead his team to a spotless 8-0 record.
Justin Baltazar is no doubt one of the best, if not the best, players in the MPBL and perhaps in its young history. It is still doubtful though if he will finish the entire season of the MPBL since the PBA draft is scheduled on September 2023. Should he join the PBA draft, he may not be able to play in the playoffs of the MPBL.
But who knows, Delta Pineda and Congressman Dong Gonzales may be able to convince Justin Baltazar and its mother team in the PBA to allow him to play until the end of the MPBL's 2023 season. So let us enjoy his exploits in the MPBL while it lasts.
Check out below the statistics of Justin Baltazar in the MPBL 2023 Regular Season.
MPBL 2023 Regular Season
| Date | Opp | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/13/2023 | Negros | 15 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 04/20/2023 | Imus | 15 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 04/27/2023 | Valenzuela | 21 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 05/02/2023 | Laguna | 26 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 05/08/2023 | Gen. Santos | 26 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 05/11/2023 | Bicol | 21 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 05/15/2023 | Caloocan | 25 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 05/19/2023 | Marikina | 16 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| TOTAL | 165 | 136 | 32 | 8.0 | 12 | |
| AVERAGE | 20.6 | 17.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
Not only is Justin Baltazar a menace in the offensive end, he is also a force to reckon with on the boards. He tied the all-time record of 26 rebounds a game set by Jay-r Taganas when he was playing with the Bulacan Kuyas.
Obviously, Justin Baltazar's towering height is an advantage in the MPBL where big men taller than 6'7 are a rarity. With him on the paint, his teammates are confident in shooting as they know they have a player who can grab rebounds form them.