3 things Kai Sotto can do to get to the NBA
MANILA, Philippines – While there are plenty of undrafted players who eventually made NBA rosters, including a few who made huge impacts with their clubs, I recommend that Kai Sotto should look to the 1999 NBA Draft for inspiration.
There were 77 players who applied for the 1999 NBA Draft. Fifty-eight were selected but not all made the roster. Of the 19 that went undrafted, 14 eventually made the NBA. Some took a longer route while four immediately played that 1999-2000 season.
Of those 14, two notable names include Raja Bell, Chris Andersen, Milt Palacio and two foreigners — Spain’s Jorge Garbajosa and Argentina’s Pablo Prigioni.
There are a couple of things that Sotto can do to keep his dream of playing in the NBA alive. One is to play in the NBA Summer League and give an excellent account of himself. Take note, I said excellent and not just so-so.
Second, he can show the entire world by dominating the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Yes, that is a tall order but it has to be done, right? And what better venue with the world watching.
And third, Sotto should be inspired by those foreign players, Garbajosa and Prigioni, and not the Americans. The foreigners had to work really hard to find their place in the world’s best basketball league.
After being snubbed by the NBA, Garbajosa went back to Spain to finish off his stint with TAU Ceramica then went to Italy to play for powerhouse Bennetton Treviso where he won six major trophies while playing for Mike D’Antoni.
Garbajosa also won a smattering of individual awards.
By 2006, he was in the NBA. Although he only played two seasons after suffering an injury of which he did not return to form, the Spaniard made it to the All-Rookie First Team of 2007.
Prigioni, for his part, made his NBA debut 13 years after he missed the draft of 1999 at age 35.
Prior to his NBA call-up, he suited up for five ball clubs — one in Argentina and four in Spain. The last one, with Baskonia, he won nine titles and a smattering of individual accolades.
The next year, he was with the New York Knicks and became their starting point guard in the final two months of the 2012-13 season, including the playoffs.
Prigioni played four years in the NBA, played his swan song for Baskonia in 2016-17 then turned to coaching. At present, he is an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The common denominator for Garbajosa and Prigioni is they dominated the leagues they played in and made a name for themselves. If Kai wants to be seen and scouted, he must dominate a top league.
If you want to look at an undrafted American from 1999, take a look at Bell. He was the Continental Basketball Association’s All-Rookie Team.
Andersen bounced around for several years before he showed his worth in the NBA D-League in 2001. He became the first D-League player to receive an NBA call-up.
I believe that Kai should dominate top competition.
In the Australian National Basketball League, he had his moments that flashed his potential, but he needs to dominate. He needs to rack up stats like it is going out of style.
He will need to be more emotionally mature to deal with professional basketball life. Now that he has experienced this major disappointment in life, it is time to reassess what you have and what you can do. That includes the people in his brain trust.
The post-draft interview looked disjointed but we have to cut him slack. It wasn’t too long after the 2022 NBA Draft ended and his disappointment and pain was there for all to see. Having said that, he needs to be on the same court with his agent too.
The dream isn’t over.
It just got harder. But at least, the door has not closed.
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