Will Kai Sotto get enough playing time with the Orlando Magic in the NBA Summer League?
No promises, said his handlers, although Orlando reportedly gave him better options than the rest of the NBA teams that offered slots to the 7’3” Filipino center to show his potential and readiness for the National Basketball Association’s regular season.
A closer look at the 22-man lineup released by the Magic showed that Sotto is the only legitimate center on the team. The only other center in the squad, 6’11” Roy Baker, is even listed as forward-center.
That means Sotto can fully utilize his skills on both ends with less competition in the lineup if Dylan Murphy, Orlando’s designated coach in the summer tournament, decides to use the Filipino’s tall presence inside.
Interestingly, the lineup is loaded with guars as 13 “smaller” players are listed, which might show that Orlando will go for a fast-paced, small-ball rotation on offense.
But if the idea is to see if Sotto can develop to become more potent as he ages, the full-blooded Filipino is definitely a worthy investment.
The NBA 2K24 Summer League is slated from July 7 to 17, with Orlando facing Detroit on Sunday (Manila Time) in its first outing.
Also expected to show their worth are Orlando’s 6th and 11th picks Anthony Black and Jett Howard, respectively, as well as Caleb Houstan and Kevon Harris, who are bidding to retain their slots in the Magic’s regular lineup.
All 30 NBA teams will play at least five games each with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs. Orlando will also face Indiana, New York, and Portland in their first four games.
Sotto, who went undrafted last year, became a free agent and played in the NBL in Australia and most recently in Japan’s B.League with the Hiroshima Dragonflies, averaging 9.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 assists per game.