Santi Santillan leads Rain or Shine with 27 points

Santi Santillan has become crucial for Rain or Shine in the PBA Philippine Cup due to key big men being sidelined.

Last week, Santillan scored 27 points, mostly in the first half, leading Rain or Shine to a victory over Meralco Bolts with a score of 128-116 and earning him the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week award.

Coach Yeng Guiao highlighted the team's reliance on speed and quickness to compensate for their lack of big men, especially since Santillan is more suitable playing as a power forward.

Rain or Shine has been without key players like Belga due to vertigo and Datu nursing a calf injury during this conference.

Santillan's performance not only secured the win but also showed his versatility in stepping up to play bigger roles on the court, with 19 points contributed in the first two quarters alone.