Moments after signing with G League Ignite, Kai Sotto set his goals.
The 18-year-old wanted to be like 7-foot Serbian Nikola Jokic and 7-foot-3 Latvian Kristaps Porzingis.
“Siguro ‘yung sa mga laro ngayon, ‘yung mga players na tinitingala ko is sila Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis,” he said during an online press conference last May.
But being under the tutelage of former Los Angeles Laker guard Brian Shaw for the last two months has changed his worldview.
Instead of having the court vision of Jokic or the outside shooting of Porzingis, Shaw had a different vision for the 7-foot-2 Filipino – be as deliberate and as cerebral as Pau Gasol.
“I think there’s a little similarity with Kristaps with the height and size, but he’s a lot more different because he’s more athletic and has the better three-point shot,” admitted Sotto in a press conference organized by Ignite, Thursday morning (Manila time).
“I’m like Pau Gasol who’s more all-around. He can score pass, defend, dribble, and shoot.”
Gasol had a legendary career in the NBA.
The Spaniard won Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 with Memphis. After his trade to the Lakers, he elevated Kobe Bryant to another stratosphere, helping the all-time great win two more championships from 2009 to 2010.
In his 18-year career, he has also made six All-Star teams.
Not bad right?
“He’s a player that I watch with Coach Shaw and Coach Rasheed [Abdul-Rahman]. We’ve been watching clips of him in the Lakers and the Bulls on how they play and execute the triangle.”
For his part, Sotto has seen improvements in his game compared to his time in Ateneo High School two years ago.
Before training with Ignite, Sotto had been training with the Georgia-based program The Skills Factory.
“I think I really got better. I think I got more athletic and I think I’ve been better a lot offensively because I’ve been around here in the States for over a year, training here and playing here,” he said.
“The competition that I’ve played each and every day is better, so I think I really got better since the last Under-19 World Cup.”
