MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto will be suiting up for the Gilas Pilipinas men's basketball team in the third window of the FIBA 2021 Asia Cup Qualifiers in Doha, Qatar in February.
That's good news for Gilas, but not so much for the 7'3" basketball wunderkind.
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Why? He has much to lose with the Doha qualifiers clashing with the scheduled NBA G League bubble in Orlando, Florida.
Sotto will likely miss out on the whole G League season, which begins on February 10, with health and safety protocols expected to prevent the 18-year-old from rejoining Team Ignite in the bubble.
READ: NBA G League source: Kai Sotto's Ignite stint now uncertain after Gilas commitment
What exactly does Sotto miss out on when Ignite heads to Orlando without him? The short answer is — a lot.
First, this NBA G League season, something that wasn't a sure thing to happen until recently, is the epitome of the whole Ignite program.
It's a precious stage where prospects like Filipino-American Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Sotto, if he would be joining them, can strut their stuff with NBA scouts surely watching them.
While the 18-year-old has probably picked up a lot from scrimmages with his teammates and veterans at their training camp in Walnut Creek, California, nothing will beat the experience of going against some of the best teams just south of the NBA in the G League bubble.
Per Ignite coach Brian Shaw, each player in his roster would likely get about 16 to 24 minutes of playing time per game in the bubble — something that would have been crucial in bringing up Sotto's draft stock.
Incidentally, Sotto has been snubbed more often than not by mock drafts by prominent sports websites so far.
READ: Jalen Green taken 5th, Kai Sotto snubbed anew in NBA mock draft
Seeing how he would've played against G League players, some of whom are former NBA bucket-getters, would have likely given NBA scouts a lot of light on how the Philippine wunderkind plays.
Legitimate playing time, and against elite competition at that, would've proven invaluable for Sotto's dream to be the first Filipino in the NBA.
While of course, playing internationally at FIBA competitions will likely bring exposure and development for Sotto's talent to some extent, NBA-caliber coaches, and opponents are simply hard to match.
And honestly — with only one more win needed for Gilas Pilipinas to qualify for the Asia Cup, and with a more than formidable pool of talent for the taking, is taking Sotto's time away from the NBA G League really that worth it?