JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — Orlando Magic Summer League coach Dylan Murphy lauded Kai Sotto for his solid debut despite getting benched in their first three games.
“I thought he did well. He protected the rim,” Murphy said of the 21-year-old Filipino prospect.
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Sotto bucked a jittery start to produce six points, four rebounds, three blocks and one assist in under 14 minutes of play. He was a bright spot in another lethargic Magic loss — 88-71 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday (Friday Manila time) in front of a pro-Sotto crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Sotto gained more confidence as the game wore on, impacting both ends of the floor in the second half as the Magic cut a 28-point deficit to 18 in the fourth quarter.
“[Sotto] Had a couple of nice finishes. Credit to him for staying ready. Obviously, [after] not playing the first couple of games. So, definitely [I’m] proud of his performance. Sometimes, it can be hard to come in cold and perform and I thought he did well,” Murphy added.
Sotto got the opportunity to play after the Magic shut down their lottery picks — Anthony Black and Jett Howard — along with returning players Kevon Harris and Caleb Houstan in the Summer League after three games.
The 7-foot-3 Sotto made his presence felt, which he hopes translates to another opportunity in their final game on Saturday (Sunday Manila time) against the Boston Celtics.
“We’ll kind of make that decision here the next day or so. But definitely proud of his performance and I thought he did well,” Murphy said.
It was all Sotto needed to hear to boost his confidence as he bids to become the first full-blooded Filipino to play in the NBA.
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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.