The direction of Kai Sotto’s playing career has always been front and center as the nation’s hopes continue to rest on his shoulders.
Gilas assistant coach Tim Cone, who became part of the Miami Heat’s coaching staff in the NBA Summer League, believes that the future is still bright for the 20-year-old big man despite not getting selected in the 2022 NBA Draft.
In an interview on Power and Play with Noli Eala, Cone raved about Sotto’s abilities and his potential to be a force in the Asian region, especially after seeing him up close in their recent stint with Gilas.
“And then the presence of Kai protecting the rim, there’s a lot of debate on whether Kai could make the NBA, I know there’s a big debate in the NBA about that. I was there in the Summer League, there was a lot of talk about him, but I don’t think there’s absolutely any question about him being here in Asia,” the 24-time PBA champion coach offered.
The fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers gave everyone a glimpse of Sotto’s game for the first time after going undrafted in the NBA. In two games played, he averaged 13 points, 10.5 rebounds, and three blocks in 26.8 minutes of action.
And Sotto’s performance against Lebanon and Saudi Arabia showed Cone the level of impact that he can make on both ends of the floor.
“He is a dominating force in Asia and will continue to be for the next several years. He will dominate Asia for quite a while, quite a long time with his ability to protect the rim,” the 64-year-old tactician shared.
“His instincts to defend are off the charts for a big man like him. I think that his offense will continue to grow and grow and grow as he grows older, as he fills out his body.”
In fact, Sotto’s style of play reminded Cone of Wang Zhizhi who was a standout at the Asian level for several years. The former NBA player notably served a key role in towing China to two gold medal finishes in the 1999 and 2011 FIBA Asia Cup.
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“Of all the players I’ve coached against, the guy he reminds me the most of at this level, at this point, and he’ll go beyond this, is Wang Zhizhi of China,” he added.
“Wang Zhizhi was a beast at the Asian level when we were playing against him. Leftie, can shoot outside, 7-foot-2, could block shots, run the floor.”
However, Cone believes that Sotto can go way beyond that comparison as he remained confident in the young big man’s ability to improve and reach his full potential moving forward.
“He was the absolute beast. Kai is kind of a little like him, I think a little bit better than Wang Zhizhi, and has a lot more room to grow,” he said.
