KAI Sotto’s decision to bring his act to Adelaide in the National Basketball League of Australia will only make him better.
That’s according to Gilas Pilipinas program director Tab Baldwin, who is convinced the Australian NBL’s history of producing big men who played in the NBA such as Luc Longley, Andrew Bogut, David Andersen, and Mark Bradtke could pave the way for Sotto to realize his coveted dream of becoming the first homegrown Filipino to suit up in the NBA.
“When you look at the Aussie NBL and you consider the history of that league, you’ve got a litany of big men that have come directly from that league and into the NBA,” Baldwin said last Wednesday in an exclusive roundtable interview via Zoom with Filipino reporters.
“That league does play well to the big man’s game. It hasn’t completely gone the way that a lot of basketball has that are guard-dominated game. The big men in Australia still feature their play. This bodes well with the development of Kai in the future,” he added.
Sotto, 18, and his camp announced that he has signed a multi-year deal with the 36ers as a Special Restricted Player, a ruling that allows NBL teams to link up with players from Asian countries as locals.
The prospect of experiencing the NBL’s physicality also excites Sotto.
“Very excited because the style of play will be different,” Sotto said.
“Para sa akin, ang focus ko lang is to develop and mag-adjust para sa team ko.”
Baldwin maintained that Australia’s NBL is not for patsies.
“I think it’s an excellent marriage. You heard Connor (Henry, Adelaide coach) talk about the physical development of Kai and a hundred percent endorse that. It’s going to be a huge challenge for Kai,” Baldwin said.
“I applaud Kai for the maturity of his decision, stepping up to a situation where it will be very tough for him. I think it’s going to be wonderful for his development.”
