What’s best for Sotto

“The NBA G-League gives top young prospects a chance to begin their professional careers while receiving mentorship and life skills training. Sotto will have the opportunity to accelerate his on-court development as he learns NBA-style basketball,” the league said in a statement.

Sotto will be joining a new team, the G-League’s 29th, along with top prospects like Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd, in the next season.

This move came as a surprise to many, as the original understanding was that the son of former PBA player Ervin Sotto would enter an American university with a strong NCAA Division 1 basketball program. Like many foreign players before him, this would familiarize Kai with the American system of play, and make his peers familiar with him. This, in turn, would improve his profile and make it easier for him to get drafted into the NBA.

Those were just some of the advantages of being in college in America. What about the cons? There are already big adjustments to living in the US. The food, culture and weather are the basic differences. Dry heat and extreme cold are taken for granted, depending on where you are. The biggest concentrations of Filipinos are on the West Coast, for two main reasons. It is the entry point from this part of the world. (For generations of Europeans fleeing war and political unrest, it is New York on the East Coast). The weather is warmer, and there are more Asian and Mexican immigrants. The more you head south or east, the culture changes. The south is more conservative, the east more competitive in many areas.

As for playing in college, a foreign player (more so one from Asia) has other challenges or obstacles that are rarely discussed. First, many coaches expect polished players, almost finished products. If you didn’t go through the high school or AAU system, that’s a disadvantage. Some coaches would find it easier to play someone they don’t need to put extra effort into training. Also, there are cliques on many teams, and a foreigner would be an outsider. Third, in some college programs, you may be an accommodation, and not the coach’s choice. He may resent you. And lastly, depending on where you end up, you may be taking a slot from a local boy, someone popular in the community. And even if that’s not your fault, there could be some hostility from fans of the school. By going straight to the G-League, Sotto leapfrogs all these potential stresses.

There have been many players Kai’s age who turned  pro  and succeeded in the NBA: LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal, Dwight Howard, Darryl Dawkins, and others. They owe this to the hardship rule. In the 1970’s, a player was only allowed to apply for the NBA Rookie Draft in the year that he would have graduated from college, whether he was studying or not. Spencer Haywood successfully argued that playing professional basketball was the only way he could support his family. Also, the rival American Basketball Association (ABA) did not have that rule. So the NBA relented, allowing highly skilled teenagers into the league.

If there are concerns about his education, many players – most notably Shaquille O’Neal – have graduated and even furthered their education while playing. Sotto will no doubt do that. And as McGrady told this writer in 2004, “You go to college to get a good job. I already have the best job in the world.”

The G-League is a direct feeder system into the NBA. This is a major plus as it saves league teams from traveling to scout Kai. Reviews say he is relatively mature for a player of his age, and has a great skill set already. He has a good handle on the ball, passes well, and has an effective jump shot. His major adjustment will be the physicality of pro play, but he’s a fast learner. It will depend on what position his coaches will play him. At Western Kentucky University, Japeth Aguilar was listed as a small forward/center, which made good use of his slight frame and athleticism, and put him in better position on the fastbreak.

As a young player, Sotto will have more time to mature, and the G-League will allow him to constantly measure himself against his peers. He will be teammates with those who will later be his rivals, outside of the US NCAA system. Overall, Kai Sotto will be in a very good place, as long as he is allowed to develop, and isn’t saddled with the responsibility to carry a team right away.