Kaiju and Mighty Mouse

Jimmy Alapag has made remarkable inroads into the NBA fraternity in such a short time. When the COVID-19 pandemic initially decimated professional sports, the one-time PBA Most Valuable Player sought a stable future for himself, his wife LJ and their three little children. From a summer stint with the Sacramento Kings organization four years ago, he has transitioned to becoming an assistant coach with their G League affiliate the Stockton Kings.

After cracking the door open, Alapag has also showed the way for Filipino talent – players and coaches – to get a deeper peek into the league. Ginebra coach Tim Cone’s joining the Miami Heat for the NBA Summer League is an example of the ripple effect. And the week before the NBA Rookie Draft, Jimmy was with Kai Sotto at the latter’s workout with the Kings.

“He’s a big kid. He just turned 20 years old,” says the 5’9” Alapag of the 7’3” NBA aspirant. “And with a really, really nice touch from the perimeter. I’d seen Kai a few years ago. I saw a drastic improvement. He really has NBA range. I think he was able to improve on that in his time with Adelaide in the NBL.”

Sadly, not having come up through the US collegiate system and not sticking with his first G League team, Kai did not draw as much American media attention as those who did. Though projected by Sports Illustrated to be picked at 49th, Sotto was not selected. But although Sotto went undrafted, it’s not a death sentence, but a small bump in the road.

“I think for Kai, his biggest challenge moving forward, is just getting acclimated to the speed of the game in the NBA,” Alapag explains. “Nowadays, it’s such a guard-dominated game. There’s a lot of ball screens, and they really expect centers to be able to step out into the perimeter and guard the point guards on any switches. From a physicality standpoint, he still has time to continue to get stronger and just really be in elite condition. I think the sky’s the limit for him.”

Many NBA champions, All-Stars and Hall of Famers rose to fame and excellence after being passed on in the NBA Rookie Draft. Connie Hawkins, Ben Wallace, Jeremy Lin, John Starks, Bruce Bowen, Fred VanVleet are just some examples. Wallace and Hawkins are in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Hawkins and Starks were each the first undrafted players to become league All-Stars in their respective eras.

Besides, the Kaiju will have a little big brother in the Mighty Mouse to guide him along the way.