What y'all think about having another Filipino on the roster with the 7' 3" big man? He has looked pretty good in the Australian league with limited minutes and looks like he will add some weight as he matures. I see him as having the same skillset as Holmgren with a cheaper price tag. If he doesn't get drafted in the 2nd round, I say we offer him a 2 way.
He aint good enough for the NBA yet and tbh I doubt he will declare if he isnt a lock to be at least a 2nd rounder. Right now he is a clone of Hasheem Thabeet. Yeah he is 7'3, fairly mobile and willing to scrap and be physical but he has 0 range and isnt that efficient either, scoring 6 pts on sub 50% FG. Good news is he is only 19 and loves the game, so I think the smart play is spend 1 more year on development and try for a first round selection next year or the year after.
At the moment he isn't better than what Zhou Qi was when he was on the Rockets. He's mobile enough for his size but doesn't really have a strong core and gets pushed around more easily than he should, given his size and weight. I think 20 years ago or so he'd be a solid prospect, but I don't really see a place for him in the current NBA unless he expands and develops his game--and works his ass off.
I don't think Kai Soto will make the NBA. He might be able to play G-League with is size, but I just think his skill set comes up short. Definitely one of the best Filipino prospects we've had!
You talking about practice? Not the game, just practice? https://nbl.com.au/stats/all-time?player=Kai Sotto It's good for Sotto to work on his perimeter cuz he'll never be a dominant force inside. He should train in prep for next year with 1 more year of training and showing out I think he can be a low 1st rounder in 2023.
In defense of Sotto, there are virtually no designed plays for him in the NBL. He'll not blossom with his former Adelaide team, even if he's given one more year. Their coach is totally clueless. I'd rather have Sotto enter the NBA and train in the G League. He has his chance now. If it does not pan out then he can join a team in Europe. It will be a better for him rather than staying in the NBL.
He didn't even get 1 min in the GLeague lol. NBDL has a good track record of honing NBA prospects as we've seen with Giddey and Lamelo. If Sotto was a Lebron level prospect ok he can worry about the coach not designing any plays for him but he is a fringe NBA prospect right now he should psych himself to make an impact even if the coach doesn't design any plays for him. The coach is trying to win the game if Sotto is so much better than everyone else the coach will have no choice but to make him the centerpiece. What do you mean Sotto has his chance now? I haven't seen his name pop in majority of draft boards I've looked at, most people think he isn't NBA caliber. It'll be dumb to declare now and waste his chance to declare for the NBA. I've watched Sotto play a lot and he ain't nowhere near ready. Even in Gilas he is the backup to Ange Kwame who has 0% chance to be in the NBA.
He had already declared and I'm talking of when a team in NBA get him, he'll be designated to play in the G-League for sure. That's what I'm talking about. Angelo Kouame is 24 years old and at that time in Gilas, he's still a freshman/soph. Anyway, I won't argue with you about who's ready or not. It's the NBA teams who will evaluate if he's got the potential or not. With his age, it may not matter if he's ready or not. He can be a project for a lot of teams.
Just because he declared doesn't mean he can't withdraw. He's in the same boat as a ton of players. He has until June 13 to withdraw from the draft, which he probably will
Sotto didnt get 1 min of GLeague ignite and the guys who did get minutes arent even a lock in the first round guys like Jaden Hardy so what more Kai Sotto? Teams arent gonna waste a draft pick on a 20 yr old rookie who cant get mins on a GLeague team. They'll offer him undrafted contracts, SL Lesgue invites and 2 way deals but not actual draft picks. Kai can still opt out if nobody will give him a promise they will take him. Thats what he should do and build his stock up next year.
If I'm an NBA team picking in the late 2nd Round, I'll definitely waste a pick and draft this guy. If you think LoF are bad, wait for SoFs. They are on a different level. This also means $$$ for the team who drafted him.
Nah, Asians have bias for their players but only if they are good. The Linsanity movement pretty much died when JLin dropped out of the league so there isnt gonna be a huge fanbase for Sotto if he cant play on the court. Nobody's gonna come see him sit on the bench. Look at the Japanese freak Japan is crazy about bball too but Hachimura isnt causing waves cuz he isnt on the court.
Kai is not NBA ready yet or anytime soon. Rockets legend Zhou Qi schooled him in the NBDL in their matchups so if you want Kai, you should want Zhou Qi back even more.
Unfortunate for Kai Sotto seems he has joker advisors. These people fed him on all the hype and made him think he actually had a chance to get drafted. It was pretty clear he is nowhere near ready the right play would be to stay in NBL for 1 more year and develop his game, then the following year he could be a low first or 2nd pick. Instead Kai drank the kool-aid and thought some team was gonna pick him up when he hadn't really shown anything yet. SMH.
