Kai suffers sprain in camp

MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto was on schedule with his NBA workouts until suffering a low ankle sprain at the Atlanta Hawks facility last Friday and will rest this week before reporting for “critical” camps as the draft is just around the corner on June 23. International players with no US collegiate experience are given up to June 13 to decide whether or not to withdraw from the draft and it looks like Sotto isn’t backing out with several NBA teams expressing interest.

So far, Sotto has worked out with the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and Hawks. His exposure has been strictly in the Eastern Conference although draft forecaster Brett Siegel predicted the Sacramento Kings would pick him at No. 49. Of 270 applicants, only 58 will be drafted.

An NBA source said the setback was minor but this week’s workouts were cancelled for Sotto to recover. “It was Sotto’s fifth NBA workout,” said the source. “Workouts scheduled this week had to be cancelled because he needs a little time to heal, rest and elevate. Hopefully, the ankle will get better fast enough so he can do a few more critical workouts.”

The word is Sotto has opened the eyes of NBA coaches as a skilled 7-3 center with a high basketball IQ. “With that size and length, his ability to play the game with his mind, see the floor, pass the ball, shoot the ball, he can really do everything so he’s unique in that,” said The Skill Factory coach Jeremiah Boswell. “There are things he can always improve on. In the NBA, there’s a lot of small ball, switching on pick and rolls so how does he move laterally? Can he switch on guards? How does he play pick and roll? Can he hedge and get back?

Those are some things we’ve been working on and improving, his conditioning and shooting because in any pre-draft workout, you’ve got to be able to shoot the ball, be in great shape so those are the base items you have to capture and then you know he’s gotten better, he’s gotten tougher, he’s moving better defensively, I think now he looks like an NBA player and understands how long he is.”