Looking Back at the 2014 PBA Draft Pick Class and Their Career Achievements

I still remember sitting in that dimly lit sports bar in Makati, the humid Manila air clinging to my skin as I watched the 2014 PBA draft unfold on the television screen. The place smelled of stale beer and fried chicken, but none of us regulars cared - we were too busy debating which teams would make the smartest picks. Seven years later, as I look through my old draft notes stained with coffee rings, I can't help but marvel at how right - and how terribly wrong - we all were about that particular class. Looking back at the 2012014 PBA draft pick class and their career achievements feels like revisiting an old photo album where some faces became superstars while others faded into obscurity.

That draft night, my friends and I had this running bet about who would become the biggest steal. I remember passionately arguing for Stanley Pringle, who went first overall to GlobalPort - and boy, was I right about that one. The guy turned out to be exactly what we hoped he'd be, evolving into a perennial All-Star and eventually winning a championship with Barangay Ginebra. But what fascinates me more are the players who took longer routes to success, the ones we initially wrote off. Like Chris Newsome, who was picked fourth by Meralco. I'll admit I thought he was just another athletic guard who'd fizzle out, but he proved me wrong by becoming the 2016 Rookie of the Year and developing into one of the league's most reliable two-way players.

Then there are the what-could-have-been stories that still haunt me. Remember Kevin Alas? Selected third by NLEX, he showed flashes of brilliance before injuries derailed his momentum. I saw him play live during his rookie year, and the potential was just oozing from every crossover and step-back jumper. It's heartbreaking how some careers get sidetracked by factors beyond a player's control. On the other end of the spectrum, you have players like Jake Pascual, who was already established before the draft but continued to be a reliable big man for multiple franchises. What's interesting is how these players' careers intertwined - some became teammates years later, others developed rivalries that defined conference finals.

The international players from that draft class particularly intrigue me because their paths were so different from the local talents. Take the case of David Ariel, who was picked but never really made an impact in the PBA. Meanwhile, looking at players who developed outside the PBA system before entering gives us fascinating comparisons. On the other hand, the 6-foot-4 Bravo played seven games and averaged 9.7 points and 7.0 rebounds for Lyceum last season, his final year with the team, before turning pro. These numbers might not jump off the page, but watching him play, you could see the raw tools that made scouts interested - the defensive versatility, the ability to switch onto smaller players, that mid-range game that just needed polishing.

What strikes me most about evaluating that 2014 class now is how development isn't linear. Some players peaked early while others took three, four, even five years to find their stride. The environment they landed in mattered tremendously - the coaching staff, the system, the veterans who mentored them. I've always believed that player development is as much about organizational culture as it is about individual talent, and this draft class proves it. The teams that invested in proper player development programs reaped the benefits, while those looking for quick fixes often found themselves disappointed.

There's this romantic notion we basketball fans have about draft classes - we want clear winners and losers, definitive grades that stand the test of time. But reality is much messier, much more nuanced. The 2014 PBA draft produced All-Stars, role players, journeymen, and early retirements all mixed together. Some players exceeded expectations dramatically, others fell short, and a few never got the chance to show what they could do. As I finish my second bottle of San Miguel Pale Pilsen here in the same sports bar seven years later, I realize that what makes draft retrospectives so compelling isn't just tracking career statistics or championship rings - it's remembering the human journeys, the unexpected turns, the quiet triumphs and public disappointments that make Philippine basketball endlessly fascinating to follow.