Lassiter Stays a Beerman for 3 More Years

San Miguel maintains its "Fab Five"

San Miguel's best starting unit remains intact. (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

The San Miguel Beermen entered last season's Governors' Cup with a chance to achieve a rare Grand Slam by winning all three championships in the 42nd season. However, they never get past the quarterfinals as they were dominated by the eventual champions,  the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings who eliminated the Beermen in a single game.

June Mar Fajardo won his 4th straight MVP award. Then, the league was shocked when the Kia Picanto traded away the chance to pick Christian Standhardinger during the PBA Draft for role players from San Miguel. That deal created a rippling shockwave and even raised a few eyebrows which led to the now-hopefully mellowing down tension between the MVP Group who wanted Chito Narvasa out as PBA commissioner, and the SMC Group which stood by Mr. Narvasa. And Mikee Romero has already made the assurance that the 43rd season of the PBA will start as planned.

While the fans of the Beermen will have to wait until the end of the Asian Basketball League before they could get a glimpse of Standhardinger in an official PBA game, there's a good news for all of you. Yes, the league's best all-Filipino starting unit remains after Marcio Lassiter signed a 3-year deal to remain with the Beermen. And Coach Leo Austria said in an interview that whatever amount Lassiter will be receiving, he deserves it. And he deserves indeed, folks.

As one of the league's best snipers from deep, Marcio Lassiter dropped long bombs after long bombs especially in the crucial situations of the game. Lassiter's ability to shoot and score threes makes San Miguel a fully-weaponized team. Just imagine what they will look like once Christian Standhardinger suits up during the Commissioner's Cup.

Conclusion

Marcio Lassiter averaged 14 points per game during the 2016-2017 season while shooting 36% from the three-point line. His numbers equalized to San Miguel's winning two of three championships. Once the new season opens up, fans will definitely need to watch Lassiter because one way or another, he can shoot and score threes like he's Steph Curry. Expect him to play a big role in the offense of Leo Austria. After all, San Miguel has the best all-Filipino starting unit, right?