Four debuting...

Racela, the witty and outspoken leader of the TNT franchise, is likely to enter his sophomore season with plenty to prove, along with his main weapons in Jayson Castro, Rookie of the Year RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario, Kelly Williams and Mo Tautuaa.

First-round draft picks Sidney Onwubere and Mac Tallo could likely play major roles in TNT’s drive to win its first championship since the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup.

Meanwhile, Meralco is coming off a second straight finals loss in the Governors’ Cup, losing to Ginebra in seven games that ended last October in front of 54,000 fans at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

That loss came with Best Import Allen Durham leading the charge for Meralco. The Bolts also made the playoffs of the Commissioner’s Cup with Alex Stepheson manning the middle.

With no imports to field, the Bolts face a tough task at making the playoffs, having won just four games in the last two all-Filipino tournaments.

Meralco coach Norman Black will have Baser Amer, Jared Dillinger, Cliff Hodge, Chris Newsome, Ranidel de Ocampo and Reynel Hugnatan back in the fold while adding Nico Salva, Jason Ballesteros and KG Canaleta from free agency.

Rain or Shine and Blackwater are out to play spoiler and launch their own campaigns in a big way.

The Elasto Painters failed to make past the quarterfinals in all three conferences last season while the Elite nearly appeared in their first semifinals, losing to the Bolts in the Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.