The upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup serves as an alternate route as it also offers Kai Sotto a ticket to the National Basketball Association, TNT Tropang Giga coach Jojo Lastimosa said.
In a message to Daily Tribune, Lastimosa stressed that the 21-year-old Sotto should display his talent in the World Cup if he wants to compete in the biggest, richest and most prestigious professional basketball league in the world.\
Although he already signed a contract with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, Sotto remains reluctant to join Gilas Pilipinas, saying that he is not yet in perfect shape after suffering a back injury in his final game in the NBA Summer League.
But the clock is ticking on Sotto as Gilas head coach Chot Reyes stressed that he needs him in the pocket tournament in China next week, an event that will be crucial in the country’s preparation in the World Cup set from 25 August to 10 September in Manila, Jakarta and Okinawa.
Lastimosa said if Sotto really wants to become the first full-blooded Filipino to play in the NBA, he should play in the World Cup and display his talent for the entire world to see, including the NBA coaches, general managers, scouts, agents and talent evaluators.
“Scouts will not only be looking at Kai but the whole World Cup and they will see potential talents for the NBA,” said Lastimosa, who was at the sidelines together with former Alaska import Sean Chambers when Kai competed in the Summer League recently.
“Any outstanding performance will not go unnoticed.”
In a previous statement, Reyes stressed that he will give Sotto all the opportunities he needs to turn his dream of playing in the NBA into a reality.
In fact, he is willing to give the 7-foot-3 slotman major minutes, short of hinting at the possibility of playing him ahead of six-time Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo and fellow World Cup veteran Japeth Aguilar.
“The entire saga of Kai Sotto is the lack of playing time. He has always been sitting. He sat in Australia and he is not getting much time in Japan and the Summer League,” Reyes said in a television interview.
“This is his opportunity to get major minutes. But he has to earn it in practice.”
Lastimosa agrees, saying that grabbing around 30 to 35 minutes in the World Cup will boost his chances of landing a contract in the NBA.
“The only time I’ve seen Kai playing longer minutes was way back in high school. But since then, he was utilized sparingly by teams he played for,” Lastimosa said, adding that the World Cup offers a lot of opportunities for Sotto.
“For him to dominate and make a good impression, he needs to play 30 to 35 minutes.”
Former Gilas coach Yeng Guiao, however, offered a different take.
Guiao, who guided the national squad in the previous World Cup in China, stressed that a two-week tourney will hardly make an impact in the opinion of NBA powerbrokers.
“I don’t think that’s substantial enough to be considered as a big factor in cracking an NBA roster,” Guiao said in a telephone interview.
“For a league that’s going to be held for two weeks, it won’t be enough to serve as merit in choosing a player to play in the NBA. It could be a factor, but it’s one of the many factors.”
Luigi Trillo, head coach of Meralco, who also visited and watched Sotto played in the Summer League, doesn’t see the World Cup as a determining point in choosing a player to make it to the NBA, unless the young player gets an opportunity to dominate.
“I think given the opportunity for Kai, it will help him immensely if he does play well. Do I think it will help? Of course, but he would have to be on top of his game,” wrote Trillo via Messenger.
Trillo added that the window of opportunity is now beginning to close for Sotto.
“By next year, it will be his third Summer League,” added Trillo. “Those NBA teams don’t get fourth year players (from the Summer League) on their rosters.”
