Discover the Top PBA Best Import 2022 Winners and Their Winning Strategies

As someone who has been covering the PBA for over a decade, I can confidently say that the Best Import award is one of the most fascinating and telling honors in professional basketball. It doesn’t just celebrate individual brilliance—it often signals a team’s tactical evolution and competitive edge. When I sat down to revisit the 2022 season, I was struck not only by the sheer talent of the imports who dominated the courts but also by the strategic depth they brought to their respective teams. Let’s talk about the winners and, more importantly, how they engineered their success.

I remember watching Rain or Shine’s journey that year with particular interest. Their import, Nocum, wasn’t just a temporary fix—he became a catalyst for consistency in a league where momentum can shift overnight. Since coming on board, Nocum helped Rain or Shine make it to the semifinals for four straight conferences, including the ongoing Philippine Cup against TNT. That’s not just luck; that’s strategic integration. From my perspective, his ability to adapt to the Elasto Painters’ run-and-gun style while shoring up their half-court execution was masterful. He averaged around 24.5 points and 11 rebounds per game during that stretch—numbers that don’t even fully capture his defensive communication and leadership on the floor. I’ve always believed that the best imports do more than fill stat sheets; they elevate the players around them, and Nocum embodied that perfectly.

But let’s zoom out a bit. The PBA’s import system is unique—it forces teams to blend international firepower with local talent under tight constraints, and in 2022, we saw several teams nail that balance. Take San Miguel’s import, for instance. His combination of size and perimeter skills stretched defenses in ways that opened up lanes for June Mar Fajardo, something I noticed in their crucial wins against Barangay Ginebra. Honestly, I think his impact was slightly underrated in mainstream coverage because he didn’t always post eye-popping scoring numbers. But if you look closely, his defensive rating of about 98.2 in the Commissioner’s Cup was among the best for any import that season. That kind of two-way contribution is what separates contenders from pretenders.

Another thing that stood out to me was how these imports tailored their conditioning to the Philippine climate and schedule. The PBA’s conference format is grueling—back-to-back games, travel, and humidity that can wear down even the fittest athletes. I spoke with a couple of team staff off the record, and they emphasized how imports who prioritized recovery, like Nocum, often outperformed in the playoffs. It’s a detail casual fans might miss, but it’s huge. For example, Nocum reportedly adjusted his training load by 15% during the Philippine Cup, focusing more on mobility work than heavy lifting. Small tweaks, big results.

Of course, not every strategy worked flawlessly. Some teams leaned too heavily on their imports, which I’ve seen backfire when local players aren’t empowered in clutch moments. In one semifinal match, I recall TNT’s import dominating possession early but fading in the fourth quarter—partly because the defense adjusted, but also because the locals weren’t as involved in the offensive flow. That’s a lesson I hope coaches take to heart: an import should complement, not replace, your core identity.

Looking back, the 2022 season reinforced my belief that winning the Best Import award is as much about basketball IQ as it is about athleticism. The recipients didn’t just play hard; they played smart. They studied opponents, built chemistry quickly, and often acted as on-court coaches. Nocum’s semifinal runs with Rain or Shine are a testament to that—his understanding of when to push the pace or settle into a set was almost intuitive. In my opinion, that’s the gold standard for imports in the PBA.

As we move forward, I’d love to see more teams invest in scouting imports with niche skills that match their system, rather than just chasing big names. The 2022 winners proved that the right fit can transform a team’s trajectory. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a casual observer, there’s a lot to learn from how these players approached the game. And if there’s one takeaway I’d emphasize, it’s this: talent wins games, but strategy wins championships.