Kai Sotto rides bench for second straight time as Orlando falls to Indiana in Summer League
Kai Sotto continued to ride the bench for the second straight time as Orlando Magic fell at the hands of Indiana Pacers, 108-85, in the 2023 NBA Summer League at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Tuesday morning, July 11 (Manila time).
*Kai Sotto gets benched for the second straight time in the NBA Summer League. (Orlando Magic on Instagram)*
With Orlando hyping up Sotto’s inclusion in the lineup, the 7-foot-3 center wasn’t even on the floor once when Magic absorbed an 89-78 drubbing from the Detroit Pistons two days ago to the dismay of Filipinos back home. The Filipino hopeful’s debut in the Summer League hasn’t gone as promising as expected, with Magic coach Dylan Murphy still sticking to power forward DJ Wilson, who tallied 10 points and saw the most action, to man the frontline that could’ve also been Sotto’s role had he been fielded. Forward Robert Baker II, likewise, who suited up for Orlando's G-League affiliate team, Osceola Magic, logged decent time and scored 10 points in 13 minutes of play. Meanwhile, Canadian guard Caleb Houstan carried out the team-high 18 points and five rebounds in the losing effort. Another Canadian guard in Andrew Nembhard then top-scored for the Pacers with 21 points to go along with three rebounds and seven assists. It was another letdown for Sotto’s fellow countrymen as the crowd at the venue consisting of Filipino spectators erupted with a “We want Sotto” chant during a free throw in the contest, according to a tweet. Aside from the coach’s decision not to play Sotto, there was still no confirmation or mention of Sotto nursing some sort of injury. At this point, the 21-year-old center could be racing against time as there are only three remaining games ahead of him in Magic, with the next one against the New York Knicks on Thursday, July 13 (Manila time).
*Kai Sotto gets benched for the second straight time in the NBA Summer League. (Orlando Magic on Instagram)*
With Orlando hyping up Sotto’s inclusion in the lineup, the 7-foot-3 center wasn’t even on the floor once when Magic absorbed an 89-78 drubbing from the Detroit Pistons two days ago to the dismay of Filipinos back home. The Filipino hopeful’s debut in the Summer League hasn’t gone as promising as expected, with Magic coach Dylan Murphy still sticking to power forward DJ Wilson, who tallied 10 points and saw the most action, to man the frontline that could’ve also been Sotto’s role had he been fielded. Forward Robert Baker II, likewise, who suited up for Orlando's G-League affiliate team, Osceola Magic, logged decent time and scored 10 points in 13 minutes of play. Meanwhile, Canadian guard Caleb Houstan carried out the team-high 18 points and five rebounds in the losing effort. Another Canadian guard in Andrew Nembhard then top-scored for the Pacers with 21 points to go along with three rebounds and seven assists. It was another letdown for Sotto’s fellow countrymen as the crowd at the venue consisting of Filipino spectators erupted with a “We want Sotto” chant during a free throw in the contest, according to a tweet. Aside from the coach’s decision not to play Sotto, there was still no confirmation or mention of Sotto nursing some sort of injury. At this point, the 21-year-old center could be racing against time as there are only three remaining games ahead of him in Magic, with the next one against the New York Knicks on Thursday, July 13 (Manila time).