Gilas Pilipinas received some bad news on Sunday morning.
Kai Sotto, who has been instrumental for the Philippines during this FIBA cycle, cast doubt on his availability for the 2023 FIBA World Cup after sustaining a back injury in Orlando’s final game in the 2023 NBA Summer League.
Gilas assistant coach Tim Cone bared that he and the rest of the coaching staff headed by Chot Reyes have yet to talk about the ongoing development.
But Gilas have been practicing with the possibility of not having Sotto or Jordan Clarkson for the global meet next month.
“We’ve always been practicing like we don’t get him,” said Cone, who watched Ginebra’s PBA on Tour game against Converge at the Filoil Ecooil Centre on Sunday.
“It’s always been a possibility from the very beginning. Same with Jordan Clarkson, it’s a possibility.
“We have looked at different scenarios but nothing is set in stone that I know of,” he continued.
Since 2016, Sotto was seen as a pillar of Gilas for the World Cup.
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Over the past three years, the 7-foot-3 big man appeared in nine FIBA games for Gilas.
In the World Cup Asian Qualifiers, the 21-year-old posted numbers of 13.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in four games played.
Though it would be hard to replicate what Sotto gives the Philippines, Cone is not worried at all, saying that June Mar Fajardo can be the rock the country needs.
And the six-time PBA Most Valuable Player showed that he can during Gilas’ tuneups in Estonia and Lithuania.
“I’ll tell you one thing. Watch any of the games we played out there, June Mar is absolutely dominating. We feel very comfortable at the center position with June Mar,” said Cone. According to The Short Corner’s Ryan Alba, Fajardo averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in six friendlies.
“Wow! There was nobody in Europe that could stop him. He was going against seven-footers, six-ten, six-eleven and just dominating everybody.
“He has given us great hope that he can fill out that position. He has been doing it on both sides, defending well and he is scoring. He is doing his June Mar things,” he added.
Fajardo already has two World Cups under his belt.
However, the 6-foot-10 big man out of Cebu only mustered numbers of 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 2014 and followed it up with norms of 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 2019.
This time around though, Fajardo will be ready, assured Cone.
“We weren’t sure if he can do that in the international arena but we found out in Europe that he can.”
(With reports from Jose Gabriel Ignacio)
