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Who Were the Top Picks in the PBA Rookie Draft 2017? Find Out Now!
I still remember sitting in front of my laptop, refreshing the PBA website repeatedly on draft day back in 2017. The excitement was palpable even through my screen - this was the year everyone was calling one of the deepest draft classes in recent memory. If you're wondering who were the top picks in the PBA Rookie Draft 2017, let me walk you through what made that draft so special and how these players approached their transition to professional basketball.
First off, you need to understand the context. The 2017 draft had this unique energy because teams weren't just picking athletes - they were selecting complete packages. Christian Standhardinger went first to San Miguel, which surprised exactly nobody given his dominant performance in the ASEAN Basketball League. What many casual fans didn't see was how he prepared mentally for this moment. I've learned through covering these athletes that the physical preparation is obvious - everyone's putting in gym hours - but the mental game separates the good from the great. There's this quote from another athlete that perfectly captures what I saw in these draftees: "Taking time not only to prepare her body but also to sharpen her mind." That's exactly what separates players who last in the league from those who fade away.
Now, let's talk about the second pick - that's where things got really interesting. Kobe Paras, arguably the most buzzworthy name, actually went undrafted initially due to eligibility issues before later finding his way into the league. Meanwhile, teams were scooping up talents like Jason Perkins at number four and Robbie Herndon at five. What struck me watching their development was how each approached the mental side differently. Perkins, for instance, spent about three hours daily on film study during his rookie season - that's beyond the physical training. He understood that sharpening his mind meant understanding defensive schemes and opponent tendencies, not just meditating or visualization.
Here's what I've noticed separates successful draftees from those who struggle - and this applies whether you're a basketball player or someone in a completely different field. The ones who make it build what I call "mental recovery time" into their schedules. After intense physical sessions, they don't just collapse on the couch scrolling through social media. They might spend 20-30 minutes reviewing performance metrics, watching tape, or even reading about sports psychology. I remember talking to one rookie who admitted he initially underestimated this component - he thought being in peak physical condition was 90% of the battle. Turns out it's more like 60%, with the mental preparation making up the crucial remainder.
Looking back at that 2017 draft class now, the players who've had the most sustained success aren't necessarily the most physically gifted - they're the ones who treated mental preparation with equal importance. Standhardinger developed into an All-Star not just because of his athleticism but because he could read defenses two steps ahead. The guys who focused solely on physical training? Many washed out within two seasons despite having impressive physical tools.
So when you look back and ask who were the top picks in the PBA Rookie Draft 2017, remember that their draft position only told part of the story. The real differentiator for their careers became that daily commitment to both physical and mental preparation - the very thing that turns promising rookies into league mainstays.