Kai Sotto Thread

[zairex]

he only needs to know how to manage his fouls, as being in foul trouble is his number 1 enemy, he will not be able to do or show what he can if he is seating in the bench because of fouls

I agree on foul trouble. There is a problem in Asia leagues including Japan on foul calling. They call fouls quickly on tall and big players defending on Japanese and smaller players. While Kai got push with two hands by a small players, that should be unsportsmanlike foul. And they only call a regular foul and no freethrows in his last game.

[Metta]

I noticed that Kai's improved on defense. In the portions I've watched this Emperor's Cup, he seems to have gotten better at deterring shots and protecting the rim. His drop defense has improved too.

He's figuring out things like angles, positioning, leverage, etc. Those plus improving strength and stamina.

It's a byproduct of getting older, things achieved over time.

I'm waiting for the time when he becomes an expert on "gulang" moves. It's such a good basketball term that is our very own and perfectly encapsulates the advantage of experience.

[JOI2dWorld]

I noticed that Kai's improved on defense. In the portions I've watched this Emperor's Cup, he seems to have gotten better at deterring shots and protecting the rim. His drop defense has improved too.

he only needs to know how to manage his fouls, as being in foul trouble is his number 1 enemy, he will not be able to do or show what he can if he is seating in the bench because of fouls

[IPC]

I noticed that Kai's improved on defense. In the portions I've watched this Emperor's Cup, he seems to have gotten better at deterring shots and protecting the rim. His drop defense has improved too.

[live_evil]

they should start making babies as early as possible. Kai should be good for around 10 children. hehe

[Juan Lun]

5’8 accdg to google

not bad, hopefully Kai's blood is strong lol

[CoJ]

How tall is she?

5’8 accdg to google

[Juan Lun]

Well atleast rere is tall

IMG_2710.jpg

How tall is she?

[CoJ]

Well atleast rere is tall

IMG_2710.jpg

[live_evil]

mods please ban mobileapps. obviously not here for basketball

[sroth3839]

Agree bro.

This is what I said about 2 or 3 years ago: That as Kai matures age wise, his muscle & bone mass will improve significantly which will make him stronger & improves his ability to absorb physical contact. These aspects will have a significant positive effect on Kai's overall game - offensively, defensively, rebounding, etc.

I say a 22-year old Kai Sotto is a better version of a 19-year old Kai Sotto not just because of the skills & basketball I. Q. that he has developed in that span of time but mainly becoz of the physical development of his body. We are talking about human physiology here.

I’d like to see Kai in the NBL again now that his body is maturing.

If he can’t make the EuroLeague or NBA, he should at least be exposed to quality competition on the low post.

I don’t recall but how did he do against Aron Baynes?

[JAMSKIE]

Kai of about 3 years ago wasn't physically ready for high level competition. His lack of strength and stamina was taken advantage of by opponents. And he wasn't skilled or quick enough to play finesse. His body language also implied a player who didn't realize what he was lacking.

It's only recently that he has started maturing physically and mentally.

I always advocate for playing up levels. In hindsight, there could've been a better route, but it's the path he took and there's no use second guessing. Even AJ did what seemed like a good move going to a program where he realistically had a good chance of getting major minutes, but other unexpected things happened. There are no guaranties.

What's important is Kai seems to gone over a hump and is healthy. Let's all hope it stays that way. People have no idea the type of pressure that was placed on him as a teenager. It's like the fate of his family and his nation was placed on his shoulders. I give props to him for handling that relatively well.

Agree bro.

This is what I said about 2 or 3 years ago: That as Kai matures age wise, his muscle & bone mass will improve significantly which will make him stronger & improves his ability to absorb physical contact. These aspects will have a significant positive effect on Kai's overall game - offensively, defensively, rebounding, etc.

I say a 22-year old Kai Sotto is a better version of a 19-year old Kai Sotto not just because of the skills & basketball I. Q. that he has developed in that span of time but mainly becoz of the physical development of his body. We are talking about human physiology here.

[Metta]

Kai of about 3 years ago wasn't physically ready for high level competition. His lack of strength and stamina was taken advantage of by opponents. And he wasn't skilled or quick enough to play finesse. His body language also implied a player who didn't realize what he was lacking.

It's only recently that he has started maturing physically and mentally.

I always advocate for playing up levels. In hindsight, there could've been a better route, but it's the path he took and there's no use second guessing. Even AJ did what seemed like a good move going to a program where he realistically had a good chance of getting major minutes, but other unexpected things happened. There are no guaranties.

What's important is Kai seems to gone over a hump and is healthy. Let's all hope it stays that way. People have no idea the type of pressure that was placed on him as a teenager. It's like the fate of his family and his nation was placed on his shoulders. I give props to him for handling that relatively well.

[paolylo]

Best chance was ignite since he’s within the nba radar but it is a downgrade in terms of pay

Family went for the money which i respect, nba is no guarantee and they have a small window to earn

too bad kai was a year early before NIL was implemented, though i doubt they will still pursue the ncaa route since they are keen on getting the bag as early as possible

Hindsight is 20/20 but then again his game was trash when he was in the G-League compared to the improvement in 2024. There were no guarantees that scouts would even give him a look had it gone another way and based on those Ignite scrimmages, chances are we'd have seen 15 games of whatever he did in the Summer League a few years later: garbage time ginulat ang mundo then still go undrafted considering he wasn't showing much in Australia after. The G-League level is still much higher than 2021 Korea and Indonesia. It's just that everyone gave him too much credit for highlights against Serbia and the DR in the OQT without ever talking about how he got bullied in the paint. That 2021 version of Kai isn't even significantly better than a Jakrawan (Thai big who's in New Taipei now).

[lem0nadi]

His best chance was getting into Division 1 College Basketball. With the Ignite team, if he doesn't manage to showcase his skills during the short season (which is likely to happen), he won't have another opportunity to impress the scouts—unless he spends another year with Ignite. This would be his last chance, as he finished high school in the U.S. and went pro immediately after.

If he were playing in the U.S. NCAA Division 1, he could take full advantage of his college eligibility. He could also declare for the draft to test team interest, and if none were forthcoming, he could simply return to his college team—similar to the route Zach Edey took.


It was unbelievable how his agent completely missed the opportunity for him to play at Kentucky, the most successful program in U.S. NCAA history. He also had offers from Auburn and Georgia Tech.

Even if he wasn’t used immediately, he would’ve surely gotten a chance over the course of those four playing years.

Back then, he was heavily recruited. With the right training on a college team, he could have easily become part of the rotation—maybe even earned a starting role.

Plus, his playstyle was perfect for college basketball.

With the right decision, he could already be playing in the NBA right now.