Gilas Pilipinas center Kai Sotto during the Fiba Asia Cup 2025 qualifying match against Hong Kong at the Mall of Asia Arena. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Much has been said about the potential of this current edition of Gilas Pilipinas, but no one in the program has received as much praise as young big man Kai Sotto.
Three games into Fiba Asia Cup qualifying, Sotto has emerged as the competition’s most efficient big man with an efficiency rating of 28.7, second only to Justin Brownlee’s tournament-best average of 33.7.
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RESULTS: Gilas Pilipinas vs. Hong Kong in the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers
“Man, I’ve always said, I feel like he’s good enough to play in the NBA,” the all-rounder said of the 7-foot center.
“He’s got the size, he’s got the height and he’s got the skill. But he has improved so much. And for me, it’s really great to see: a young player with so much potential and to see him fulfill that potential,” said the Barangay Ginebra-based import, shaking his head in admiration.
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Sotto played a big role in the rousing 93-89 win over world No. 22 New Zealand and flirted with a triple-double after turning in a two-way performance of 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to go with a Steal and a pair of blocks came along.
READ: Kai Sotto showcases consistency and maturity in final Gilas stint
National coach Tim Cone praised Sotto shortly after the win. But nothing tops the praise he gave for re-imagining Gilas Pilipinas’ game against Brazil in the Olympic qualifying semifinals in July – this time with Sotto in action instead of being on the injured list.
“I thought we would have done a lot better if that guy (pointing at Sotto) hadn’t gotten hurt,” Cone said. “That (Sotto’s absence) kind of put us behind the eight ball.”
Game changer
Gilas Pilipins during the Fiba Asia Cup 2025 qualifying match against Hong Kong at the Mall of Asia Arena. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Sotto injured his rib after a collision with Georgia’s Goga Bitadze in the group stage and was forced to withdraw from the game against the 12th-place Brazilians.
“You can see the impact Kai has on the game,” Cone said.
The two-time Grand Slam coach said he was a fan of the Sotto-June Mar Fajardo pairing in depth, adding that having two big men offer different things has given the national team a new dimension offensively.
READ: Justin Brownlee praises Kai Sotto for Gilas Pilipinas win
“I just love playing June Mar and Kai together. I think it’s so much fun to watch these guys play, they have a great synergy between the two of them, they look for each other and complement each other and I think, you know, the two of them work really, really hard to be successful together.” he said.
“You don’t see as many power insiders playing the game together these days. It’s really fun to watch them play. I really enjoy it.”
Luckily, Gilas and the rest of this basketball-crazy country will have a chance to see more of the same and more of what Sotto could become since he’s still young.
Sotto gave another taste of this in the second leg against Hong Kong, which was played at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City at the time of going to press.
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“He’s got a long way to go, he’s only in his early 20s,” Brownlee said of Sotto. “I am pleased with his progress and excited to see what the future holds for him.”