Kai Sotto is looking to highlight his defensive might in the 2023 NBA Summer League after making the most of his on-court debut in the Orlando Magic’s 88-71 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, July 14 (Manila time), at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. After three straight DNP-CD (did not play-coach decision), the Filipino center finally had his much-anticipated playing time, still in limited minutes. The Gilas big man registered six points, four rebounds, one assist and three blocks in 13 minutes and 23 seconds of action after being fielded in the second quarter. It was a huge sigh of relief for the 21-year-old NBA hopeful to be able to experience firsthand what the competition is all about instead of just observing from the bench. While Sotto was upbeat about getting his first taste of the NBA, the deficiencies he needed to work on also highlighted themselves, something that he vows to build on. “I mean, I didn’t really play a lot, but that was just emphasizing on myself, just the inside presence especially defensively. Obviously, I’m one of the tallest players out there, maybe I am the tallest, so I gotta help my team take the paint when I am in there,” said Sotto post-match in an interview with the Orlando Magic. “And offensively, you know, it’ll come to me. I’m a good teammate, so I’m really a willing passer for a big guy. So, I’m just gonna let the game come to me offensively. But defensively, that’s where I’m doing my work,” he added. It was Orlando’s fourth straight loss in the preseason league, with Sotto completely missing out on the first three matches. The Magic are eyeing to join the winning column when they take on the Boston Celtics on Sunday, July 16 (Manila time), where Sotto is expected to pick up where he left off and continue to give a good account of himself. “I’ll take a few pretty good lessons defensively, just gotta work on better looks and gotta make chances for the next games. So, we just gotta bounce back,” Sotto said. Orlando trailed almost throughout the match, with Sotto scoring his first basket with 54 seconds left in the third quarter. His second basket came in the fourth quarter off a jumper and even finished off his limited outing with a dunk with a minute to go in the contest. For Sotto, though, the most impactful moment in the game was when he got his first block as it proved to be a significant factor in his play. “For me, it’s just maximizing each and every possession, especially when I get out there, offensively and defensively just be solid.  But for me, my biggest factor is defensively that’s what I gotta keep on working on, protecting the paint, guarding perimeter. For me, it’s just impacting the game defensively,” he added.