IT'S no longer new for Kai Sotto to hear advice telling him to bulk up, all the more as he aims to become the first homegrown Filipino player to be drafted in the NBA.
But there's actually someone the Filipino prodigy can look up to, one who has the same slender frame and is now in the NBA: Aleksej Pokuševski.
The 19-year-old Serbian forward, who stands 7-foot, is the 17th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and is now one of the most intriguing talents in the young Oklahoma City Thunder squad.
And make no mistake about it, Sotto is taking notes.
"I’ve seen some of his videos and that player’s really talented and very smart," he said.
Sotto pointed out that Pokusevski is no different from the mold of the other Serbian players in their youth team, some of whom he played against in the 2019 Fiba Under-19 World Cup in Greece.
"Based off from my experience nung nakalaban ko yung Serbian national team, almost all of them play that way, na they're very smart all-around players," remarked the newest signee of the Adelaide 36ers.
"Marami rin akong matututunan from a player like him, especially dahil 7-footer din siya, pero all-around player, so I’ll try my best to watch and study all the players na naglalaro sa NBA, and tina-try kong i-apply yun sa sarili kong game."
Sotto is still a work in progress, but his beaming potential was intriguing enough for a number of NBA teams had he joined the 2021 NBA Draft.
His agent Joel Bell even admitted that some teams had the 7-foot-3 center on their radar and were willing to invest on his development had he been eligible for this year's draft exercise.
"Some NBA teams were really interested because of the skill level. He's an unbelievably underrated passer," said the veteran agent. "I had multiple teams who said they’re drafting him and it wasn’t even a question. It was too early of course to figure out exactly where, but he was definitely going to get drafted."
"When people see him play, they’re often familiar with the skills they see on video. He has basketball IQ, he has a knack for being in the right place, and his passing acumen is really terrific, and this really bodes well for the future. The NBA teams almost universally were like, 'He’s got a great future. Sure, like every 7-foot-3 18-year-old, he needs to get stronger, but he’s got a terrific future.' And they were very excited."
Unfortunately, the NBA can wait for now as Sotto is set to see action in Australia in the National Basketball League (NBL).
And for Bell, it only gives more time for Sotto to hone his talents more before he ultimately tries his luck in the NBA.
"He’s in great hands," Bell said. "He’s going to develop his body and his skill level. He’s just going in the right direction and he’s going to skyrocket."
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Kai Sotto studying Pokusevski's game as thin NBA rookie thriving - Sports Interactive Network Philippines
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