'Just go out there, compete': Kai capitalizes on precious NBA Summer League minutes
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — Kai Sotto flubbed his first three possessions in his NBA Summer League debut.
But he did not let those lapses — a defensive thee-second violation, a missed wide-open 20-foot jump shot and a bad pass that led to a turnover — define him as an NBA prospect.
Sotto bounced back strong and delivered a solid line of six points, four rebounds, three blocks and one assist in just 14 minutes.
“I feel like it's a good first game, just to go out there and compete,” Sotto said after providing the silver lining in the Orlando Magic’s fourth straight loss.
“It's not good [that] we didn't win. But we learned a lot from this game. I think we were pretty good defensively. We just got to work on getting better looks. And we’ve got to make shots in the next game. So we just got to bounce back,” Sotto added.
Kai Sotto speaks to the media. pic.twitter.com/Ebcg0Yrqdi
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) July 14, 2023
There’s a good chance Sotto will have another shot at helping the Magic bounce back on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) against the Boston Celtics after his productive debut.
Aside from stuffing the stats sheet, Sotto also did plenty of other stuff that did not reflect on the box score but made an impact.
Sotto set screens for his teammates on the offense end and altered plenty of Portland’s shots at the rim on the defensive end.
“I didn't really play a lot, but I feel like I was just emphasizing myself, just the inside presence, especially defensively,” Sotto said.
As the tallest player in the Magic’s roster, he was expected to protect the paint. He made his presence felt and impressed Orlando’s Summer League coach Dylan Murphy.
“I thought he did well. He protected the rim,” Murphy said of the 21-year-old Filipino prospect.
But he looked slow against the more athletic players and got pushed in more than one occasion.
“I think the summer league is just more fast-paced,” said Sotto, who played professional basketball in Australia and Japan before Magic’s invitation.
After logging three straight DNP-coach’s decision, Sotto finally had the chance to measure himself in a competitive environment, albeit a watered-down version of the NBA.
“Everybody's pretty skilled. Everybody's hungry to show that they're worthy of a roster spot. So it's competitive. It's nice to go out there and play finally. It's a good feeling,” Sotto said.
He became more comfortable after every block and basket. But he did not force the issue. He only took shots when the opportunity presented itself.
“I'm just gonna let the game come to me offensively. But defensively, that's where I'm doing my work,” Sotto said.
His performance energized the Filipino crowd, which included his family, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“It's a blessing each and every day to be out here and experiencing all of these and I'm just happy to be supported by a lot of people and that's one of the things I think about every day when I wake up,” Sotto said. “I always got something to look forward to just push myself and hopefully, I'll make them proud.”
An entire nation was indeed proud of his performance.
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.
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