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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Kai will have his minutes, Chot assures

Kai will have his minutes, Chot assures

Published Aug 26, 2023 07:57 am

At A Glance

  • Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes assured that 7-foot-3 big man Kai Sotto will see more action in the team's next few games after seeing limited minutes in the 87-81 loss to the Dominican Republic on Friday, Aug. 25.
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Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes assured that 7-foot-3 big man Kai Sotto will see more action in the team's next few games after seeing limited minutes in the 87-81 loss to the Dominican Republic on Friday, Aug. 25.

 

viber_image_2023-08-26_15-35-27-807.jpg
Kai Sotto sees limited action for Gilas Pilipinas (Noel Pabalate/MB)

"The next game and the game after you should be able to see more of him," said Reyes when asked about the Sotto's benching in Gilas' 2023 FIBA World Cup debut.

Sotto barely hit the floor, playing for only 73 seconds after picking up two quick fouls while trying to put a body on NBA All-Star and Dominican center Karl-Anthony Towns.

That foul-plagued stint on the floor forced Reyes to sit him down immediately and was ultimately lost in the shuffle with AJ Edu and June Mar Fajardo playing superb basketball against Dominican Republic.

"Kai picked up two quick fouls, so we had to get him out right away,” Reyes recalled.

 “We couldn’t put him back in because (AJ Edu) was playing a great game, and that’s the reason why he’s here (in the post-match press conference), right? He was playing really, really ," he added.

Although Towns still managed to get his usual numbers, the Minnesota Timberwolves center was obviously bothered by the defense of Edu.

Fajardo, on the other hand, proved to be a potent weapon for Gilas inside the paint, finishing with 16 points on a 5-of-5 shooting from the field.

The two big men's solid showing basically kept Sotto at the far end of the bench.

“If we get him in, then the other guy I have to sit is a guy named June Mar Fajardo, who had 16 points in 28 minutes. I’m sure a lot of people are going to wonder why, but between sitting AJ and June Mar, there was just no opportunity, and the matchups just didn’t favor Kai," he added.

Even with the limited action, however, Reyes is expecting a lot from Sotto especially in the upcoming two crucial matches against Angola and Italy.

Angola has another NBA player in Bruno Fernando while Italy has the likes of Luigi Datome and Nicolo Melli to pose a threat against Gilas.

Related Tags

kai sotto 2023 FIBA World Cup
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