Oklahoma City Thunder star and former Adelaide 36er Josh Giddey had nothing but praise for Kai Sotto.
In an interview with Adelaide36ers.com, Giddey said that he feels impressed with Sotto’s skill set even for his size.
“He’s a young kid, but for a guy that big, he moves well and he’s a smart player,” said Giddey who played a season with Adelaide.
“What I got to see of him last year I was really impressed.”
Sotto played one year in Australia where he suited up for the 36ers. He then decided to try his luck in the NBA draft.
During that tourney, the 7-foot-3 Filipino averaged 7.5 points on 50-percent shooting together with 4.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 0.8 blocks in just 15.2 minutes per contest.
Giddey, meanwhile, also played for Adelaide back in 2020-21, a year before Sotto arrived.
The one-year-wonder played fantastic in his only NBL season putting up a well-rounded 10.9 markers, 7.3 boards, and 7.6 dimes average in 32-minute of playing time.
The 6-foot-8 guard took the NBL Rookie of the Year award by a mile.
The Melbourne native managed to translate his game to the NBA after his selection at sixth overall by Oklahoma City.
In his rookie year with OKC, Giddey averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. He was also a part of the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team.
For Sotto, he went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft.
Currently, he is serving his national team in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Following that, he will return to Adelaide for the upcoming 2022-23 NBL season.
Even though the two never met despite playing on the same team, still, Giddey thinks that Sotto would be a staple in the sport in the coming years.
“Kai’s a very fun player to watch,” said Giddey.
“There’s a lot of upside for where he can get to in the future.”
Sotto and the 36ers will meet Giddey and the Thunder at Paycom Centre on October 6.
