With Kai Sotto's NBA Summer League stint with the Orlando Magic drawing to a close, Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes expects the 7-foot-3 slotman to join the team's practice by Tuesday, July 18.
Sotto's camp has been in constant communication with Reyes, who confirmed to the Manila Times that the 21-year-old Sotto is set to join the national team after his stint in Las Vegas.
The left-handed center's arrival will be a timely boost for Gilas Pilipinas, which is already heading to the final stretch of its preparations for the 2023 FIBA World Cup slated next month.
Sotto is coming off a decent debut game in the NBA Summer League on Friday following three games where he did not play (DNP). He contributed six points, four rebounds, and three blocked shots in 13 minutes of playing time for Orlando which suffered an 88-71 setback to Portland on Friday.
Sotto hopes to conclude his Summer League stint with another time on the court when the Magic take on the Boston Celtics on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
However, there is still no certainty that Sotto can sign with a team in the NBA at this point.
The lanky center, who played two seasons for the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian NBL, suited up for Gilas during the fourth window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, where the Filipinos split their two games.
Sotto teamed up with NBA star Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz for the first time in that window in August 2022, but Gilas fell short, 85-81, against Lebanon in Beirut.
Three days later, Gilas Pilipinas came back with a vengeance as it blasted Saudi Arabia, 84-46, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Sotto returned for the fifth window in November, helping Gilas defeat Jordan, 74-66, before dumping Saudi Arabia anew, 76-63, in Jeddah.
The former Ateneo Blue Eaglet averaged 13.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in the two FIBA windows he played.
Gilas is scheduled to fly to China to play in a mini-pocket tournament on August 2-5 as the team finalizes its World Cup preparations.
Sotto's camp has been in constant communication with Reyes, who confirmed to the Manila Times that the 21-year-old Sotto is set to join the national team after his stint in Las Vegas.
The left-handed center's arrival will be a timely boost for Gilas Pilipinas, which is already heading to the final stretch of its preparations for the 2023 FIBA World Cup slated next month.
Sotto is coming off a decent debut game in the NBA Summer League on Friday following three games where he did not play (DNP). He contributed six points, four rebounds, and three blocked shots in 13 minutes of playing time for Orlando which suffered an 88-71 setback to Portland on Friday.
Sotto hopes to conclude his Summer League stint with another time on the court when the Magic take on the Boston Celtics on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
However, there is still no certainty that Sotto can sign with a team in the NBA at this point.
The lanky center, who played two seasons for the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian NBL, suited up for Gilas during the fourth window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, where the Filipinos split their two games.
Sotto teamed up with NBA star Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz for the first time in that window in August 2022, but Gilas fell short, 85-81, against Lebanon in Beirut.
Three days later, Gilas Pilipinas came back with a vengeance as it blasted Saudi Arabia, 84-46, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Sotto returned for the fifth window in November, helping Gilas defeat Jordan, 74-66, before dumping Saudi Arabia anew, 76-63, in Jeddah.
The former Ateneo Blue Eaglet averaged 13.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in the two FIBA windows he played.
Gilas is scheduled to fly to China to play in a mini-pocket tournament on August 2-5 as the team finalizes its World Cup preparations.