MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas' Kai Sotto continues to look for areas in his game to work on after his latest tour of duty with the national team.
Finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 13 boards in Gilas' home win against Saudi Arabia on Monday, Sotto brushed off praise for his game.
"I have to be better... I never had a perfect game, and I think I didn't play good enough," Sotto said after the game.
"But, we won, so a win is a win. So I'm happy with that," he added.
Sotto had some of his own highlights during the fourth window of the World Cup qualifiers, some of which included baskets connecting he and Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson.
With Clarkson being where Sotto eventually wants to be, in the NBA, the 20-year-old relished sharing the court with a teammate like Clarkson.
"It's just being a pro, and we all know how good he is. He's at the highest level, he's an elite NBA player," said Sotto.
"So lahat ng ginagawa niya para sa sarili niya, para sa team, para sa bayan, maraming matutunan," he continued.
Clarkson himself is a believer of Sotto's ability to get into the league.
Knowing that it wasn't as easy for him to get into the ranks of the NBA as well, the former Sixth Man of the Year simply advised Sotto to keep at it.
"For him, just stay with it. Not to get down, give up, or anything. I think he has a bright future, he's young, he's just learning, get in the weight room, get stronger, put some time in as he grows into the player he is," said Clarkson.
"He's very skilled, catch the ball, he can space the floor, he can put the ball on the ground, make plays, he can shoot it as well, space the floor. The sky's the limit for him. He just gotta continue to put the work in, you know, keep making strides in his career path," he added.
Sotto is set to fly back to Australia Tuesday for his second season with the Adelaide 36ers in the National Basketball League.