San Miguel eye best talent available with No. 9 pick in 2025 PBA Rookie Draft

The 2025 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Rookie Draft is just four days away, with the final list of 128 hopefuls set to be evaluated by the league’s franchises ahead of its historic 50th season.

PBA powerhouse San Miguel Beermen will enter the Rookie Draft holding the ninth overall pick in the first round. It won’t be an easy decision for management, however, as the team already boasts strength and depth across all positions after securing its 30th Philippine Cup title earlier this year.

Head coach Leo Austria admitted that the Beermen are still assessing their options, noting that the top prospects are unlikely to be available by the time they make their selection.

“We will see. As of now, we have not pinpointed any particular player because we will be picking at No. 9. I think if we decide on who to pick, he will be gone by the time we have to make a choice,” Austria said.

“With that, we’ll just settle for the best talent available at No. 9. We don’t have any trade assets, and at the same time, we have to reward the players who were with us when we won the title,” he added.

As per coach Leo Austria, San Miguel began practicing last Thursday to prepare for its PBA PH Cup title defense @spinph

— gerryramos (@gerardmos) August 30, 2025

Austria, 67, confirmed that the Beermen have already begun preparations for the upcoming season, which tips off with the Philippine Cup on October 5.

“We started our practices on August 28 and continued until Saturday. But that was just a warmup. Our daily grind is from Monday to Saturday, although we’re still not complete. Hopefully, we’ll be full after the draft,” he explained.

As of now, San Miguel is still without star players June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, and Jericho Cruz, who are recovering from a calf strain, ankle sprain, and hamstring injury, respectively.

Despite their stacked roster, the Beermen will face stiff competition in the new season from Philippine Cup finalists TNT Tropang Giga, perennial contenders Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

“That’s why we require our injured players to show up in practices. Just in case there are adjustments we need to implement, they can absorb them right away,” Austria concluded.

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