Sports columnist Homer Sayson revealed on Sunday that NBA prospect Kai Sotto will not join Gilas Pilipinas’ pocket tournament stint in China next week.
“Kai Sotto will not be joining Gilas Pilipinas when the national team travels to China for a pocket tournament starting this August 2, a source from the player just told me,” Sayson posted on Twitter.
Sotto’s stint with Gilas for the upcoming World Cup has taken a dramatic turn over the past few days, as coach Chot Reyes said in one interview that he wants the 7’3 center to join the team’s practice as soon as possible. However, Sotto’s camp insisted on giving the NBA prospect a few more days to rest his injury.
Reyes went on to say that their team doctor checked on Sotto but did not find anything wrong with his body. The Gilas coach added that he wants to give Sotto a lot of playing time in the China Pocket Tournament.
“We are planning to play him a lot in the China pocket tournament, but he has to earn those minutes. If he is not in practice, he might not even play in China,” Reyes said in an interview with CNN on Thursday.
“Sayang naman. The entire saga of Kai Sotto is about the lack of playing time. He has always been sitting. He sat in Australia, and he is not even getting much playing time in Japan. He didn’t get much playing time in the Summer League. This is his opportunity to get major minutes,” Reyes added.
The only players in the Gilas pool who have yet to join the team’s practice are Sotto and Jordan Clarkson. But unlike Sotto, Clarkson is already a shoo-in for the final roster. (MJD)
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