Kai Sotto complained of extreme back pain and decided to sit out the second half of the Orlando Magic’s 94-77 loss to the Boston Celtics yesterday, a development that could affect his stint with Gilas Pilipinas in a Chinese tournament next month.
The 7-3 Sotto went 0-of-3 from the field but grabbed two rebounds, dished off an assist and posted a block and two turnovers before getting sidelined.
“Since last year, I wasn’t able to get a break to take care of my body. I’ll have to think about it. My back feels painful and I would like to work on my rehab as soon as possible,” Sotto, 21, said.
“It felt like back spasms and it felt really painful during the game. I’m okay now though,” he added.
Sotto makes it clear that he can still endure the pain given the opportunity of playing in the National Basketball Association.
“I can play through the pain, especially now and I’m not going to waste this opportunity. I’m not making excuses but the pain was too much that I can’t take it anymore.”
Sotto is slated to arrive in Manila on Tuesday, to join Gilas Pilipinas in training for the pocket tournament in China from 2 to 6 August.
But if he decides to address his nagging problem, he could miss the China friendlies.
The former Ateneo High School star played two of the Magic’s five matches in the Summer League.
He made his Summer League debut against the Portland Trail Blazers last 14 July, where he scored six points, four rebounds and three blocks in Orlando’s 88-71 loss to the Blazers.
Even getting into the Magic’s Summer League roster wasn’t a walk in the park for Sotto as he previously did tryouts with the Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks and the New York Knicks before getting invited by Orlando.
Despite his limited appearance, Sotto remains tickled pink.
“I learned a lot in the past two weeks with the Orlando Magic. I still have a lot to work on but now, at least I know how the Summer League works,” Sotto said.
Magic head coach Dylan Murphy lauded Sotto’s readiness when he was given his minutes despite his bad back.
“Credit to him for staying ready. I think Kai did well with the minutes he had and we’ll see how his journey continues,” Murphy said.
“I thought he played well and protected the rim very well. He’s a calm presence out there and wants to play for others so I think he brought all those in the team.”
