Much has been said about Kai Sotto in recent years, but 2024 was the year he truly let his game do the talking. 

Sotto has bided his time in Japan, having stints with the Hiroshima Dragonflies, the Yokohama B-Corsairs, and the Koshigaya Alphas. Each stop gave him the necessary reps to learn the good and the bad and earn playing time, all of which have come to fruition with Gilas Pilipinas.  

In the Philippines’ assignments against New Zealand and Hong Kong, Sotto was EVERYWHERE  as he was scoring at will in the paint, grabbing and tipping rebounds, dishing out assists, and swatting shots. 

His averages of 15.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.0 blocks during this international window for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers only told part of the story as he looked more assertive on both ends. It was clear that the former UAAP Juniors MVP was not one who could easily be pushed over anymore as he was holding his ground and forcing New Zealand and Hong Kong to reconsider their decisions. 

Against New Zealand, Sotto flirted with a triple-double using his skill and size to get his own points while drawing defenses to give opportunities to his teammates. As a result, the ball was moving and the Philippines got its breakthrough victory over New Zealand. 

Meanwhile, Sotto nearly had a double-double against Hong Kong by halftime and sat out the fourth quarter after imposing his will in a 93-54 Gilas win over Hong Kong.  

Previously, Sotto’s misses would come off point-blank layups that left you wanting given his height advantage over 99 percent of his defenders. But now, Sotto has become more relentless in battling for rebounds and his efforts in tipping in misses eventually paid off after a number of attempts. 

The 22-year old still has tons of room to grow and it’s not something that should hinder him from pursuing his dream of making it to the NBA. Beyond his production, teams should take stock of how he has progressed two years after going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. It speaks to his coachability and willingness to learn, something NBA teams are willing to do with the right players. 

Players in this day and age tend to speed things up and look to make the jump to the NBA quickly. You can’t blame them for maximizing their playing careers, but not everyone can play in the NBA on day one. Some take the longer path and while it may not be what they imagined it to be, it will all be worth it so long as they end up in arguably the best league in the world. 

Kai Sotto learned that the hard way and reassessed himself and his management. So far, he’s still working his way to the NBA, but with his showing in the international stage both in the B.League and in Gilas Pilipinas competitions, it won’t take long before scouts take notice and turn his (and the rest of the Philippines’) dream into a reality.