The question did not surface in a vacuum. It arrived on the back of a performance that demanded historical context in terms of guard play in Asia’s first play-for-pay league, the Philippine Basketball Association.
Scottie “Iskati” Thompson finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in Barangay Ginebra’s 105-91 Game 4 win over San Miguel Beer, dragging the crowd favorites back into the Philippine Cup semifinals and leveling the series at 2-2.
It was not just a triple-double; it was a statement—against the league’s most decorated franchise with 30 championships, on a stage where reputations are either burnished or exposed.
Performances like that inevitably revive old debates. And in Ginebra’s case, no debate carries more weight than the comparison with Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa, the iconic “Fast and the Furious” backcourt that once defined the franchise’s identity.
For years, greatness at guard for Ginebra meant speed, bravado, and scoring punch. Helterbrand and Caguioa embodied that mold. Thompson does not. And yet, here we are.
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The question now feels unavoidable—has Thompson surpassed them?
On the surface, the answer seems straightforward. Helterbrand and Caguioa were scorers. Thompson is not—at least not in the traditional sense.
Caguioa averaged 13.5 points per game over a long and productive career, winning three PBA scoring titles and finishing with over 10,000 career points. He was the primary offensive option for much of his 20 seasons in the league, a fearless volume shooter whose confidence never wavered. Helterbrand, while not as prolific, still averaged 9.3 points per game and was devastating in transition, where his speed often broke defenses before they could set.
Thompson’s career scoring average sits at 10.3 points per game—solid, but unremarkable when placed next to Caguioa’s body of work. If scoring were the sole metric, this comparison would barely be worth entertaining.
But basketball has never been about a single column in the box score.
Where Thompson separates himself—and where the conversation truly begins—is everywhere else. His career averages tell a radically different story: 7.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. For a 6-foot-1 guard, those numbers are not just impressive; they are anomalous.
By comparison, Helterbrand averaged 3.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Caguioa posted 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Both were effective within their roles, but neither consistently controlled possession, pace, and structure the way Thompson does.
Thompson’s rebounding alone reshapes games. He is not padding numbers off long misses; he is securing defensive stops, extending offensive possessions, and initiating breaks. His 7.5 rebounds per game nearly double Helterbrand’s output and comfortably exceed Caguioa’s. He has already crossed the 2,000-defensive rebound mark, making him the first guard since Robert “Living Legend” Jaworski to do so—an achievement that places him in rare historical company.
And speaking of the former Ginebra playing coach, methinks Jaworksi is still the No. 1 PBA point guard of all time, but he’s not part of the comparison since his heyday came wearing the Toyota jersey.
But I digress. When it comes to playmaking, much like “The Big J” Thompson’s 5.2 assists per game underscore his role as a facilitator rather than a finisher.
He doesn’t dominate the ball the way Caguioa once did, nor does he rely on speed like Helterbrand. Instead, he connects actions, keeps the offense organized, and ensures that scorers thrive in rhythm. His career assist total has already surpassed 2,000, another milestone that reinforces his identity as a system driver rather than a complementary piece.
Accolades, too, tilt the discussion.
Helterbrand and Caguioa each enjoyed long careers filled with recognition. Both won a PBA most valuable player award—Helterbrand in 2009, Caguioa in 2012. Both won multiple championships with Ginebra, with Caguioa collecting nine titles and Helterbrand six. Both were named to the PBA’s 50 Greatest Players list in 2015, a testament to their enduring impact.
Yet Thompson, still active and just a decade into his career, has already assembled a résumé that rivals theirs. Since entering the league in 2015, he has won seven championships, captured the league MVP award in 2021, earned two Finals MVPs, multiple Best Player of the Conference citations, and secured his own place on the PBA’s 50 Greatest Players list in 2025.
What stands out is not just the volume of awards, but the timeframe. Thompson has matched—or exceeded—many of Helterbrand’s and Caguioa’s achievements in significantly fewer seasons, and without being the focal scorer of his team.
This is where roles matter.
Helterbrand and Caguioa thrived in an era where Ginebra’s offense leaned heavily on guard scoring and transition play. They were tasked with creating offense first, everything else second. Thompson operates differently. He does not bend defenses by volume shooting; he bends them by controlling possessions. He influences games whether or not his shot is falling.
The Game 4 performance against San Miguel was a perfect illustration. Thompson didn’t just score 34 points. He dictated tempo, punished mismatches, grabbed key rebounds against bigger bodies, and delivered timely passes that prevented San Miguel from ever fully seizing momentum. That triple-double wasn’t an outlier—it was an encapsulation of his value.
This doesn’t diminish the Fast and the Furious. Their legacy is secure. They defined an era, carried Ginebra through lean years, and left an indelible mark on the franchise’s culture. Caguioa’s scoring feats and Helterbrand’s speed-driven highlights still live vividly in the collective memory.
But greatness evolves.
If the question is about who was more exciting, the answer remains subjective. If it is about who scored more points, Caguioa stands alone. If it is about longevity, the veterans still hold the edge.
But if the question is who impacts the most facets of the game, who gives you the widest margin for winning, and who redefined what a Ginebra guard could be, the answer has changed.
Thompson does not replace the Fast and the Furious in memory. He does something more difficult. He surpasses them not with flash, but with substance—one rebound, one assist, one possession at a time.
And after nights like that Game 4 against San Miguel, the comparison is no longer nostalgia-driven.
It is earned. Here’s to more games like that from Iskati.
