‘Looked good, played unselfish’: Kai Sotto's agent satisfied with long-awaited NBA Summer League debut
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — Kai Sotto shook off a jittery start to finish strong in his much anticipated NBA Summer League debut.
The Orlando Magic remained winless — dropping an 88-71 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday (Friday, Manila time) — but the 7-foot-3 Sotto provided the silver lining.
The 21-year-old Filipino center scattered six points on 3-of-7 shooting, four rebounds and three blocks with one assist against two turnovers in 14 minutes.
“He looked really good — if he would even go harder, his game will be better — played unselfish [and] looked to play as a teammate,” Sotto’s agent Tony Ronzone of Wasserman told Philstar.com after the game. “He was ready to play after sitting three games. [It] shows maturity.”
Sotto started his NBA Summer League debut with a turnover but finished with an emphatic slam that punctuated his productive night.
He scored on a putback to get on the scoring column and drained a midrange jumper for his second bucket. But more than his offense, it was his length that led to three swats and several altered Portland attempts at the rim which stood out.
“He’s a force at defensive end with his shot blocking ability,” Ronzone added. [It was a] great day at the office for Kai. On to next game. Be ready.”
Ronzone said Sotto will be given another opportunity on Saturday (6:30 a.m. Sunday, Manila time) when the Magic wrap up their Summer League against the Boston Celtics.
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.
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