DESPITE just playing a grand total of 14 minutes through three games in the ongoing 2022-23 NBL season, Kai Sotto is showing considerable development with the Adelaide 36ers.
Coach CJ Bruton gave that assurance as he continued to heap praises on the Filipino center, calling him a "special kid."
But he implored everyone to stay patient with the 7-foot-3 center, saying that while he is looking after the development of Sotto he is also trying to win games for the franchise and the city.
"His skillset helps us, and while you haven't seen it a whole lot, I'm also playing to win games. I need to be successful; I want this city to be successful, I want Kai to keep improving."
[READ: Kai to play for Gilas in November window: source]
In the interview with News Corp’s The Basketball Show, Bruton shared the juggling act he's had to make.
"I'm not here to hurt the kid, I care for this kid and getting better and getting to his goal, which is ultimately playing in the NBA," he said.
"Yes, you do need to take the floor a little bit more, I need him to keep impacting the 36ers the right way that I need for us to be successful. For him to keep growing, I have more coaching staff with me this year to impact his development and growth, and when he does touch the floor, bit by bit he keeps improving."
Sotto has only logged four points, 10 rebounds and three blocks through three games for the 36ers in this campaign. Yet Bruton likened it to what happened to the Gilas Pilipinas slotman last season where he had to pay his dues before finally breaking out midway through the season.
"Hopefully, he plays a little more minutes than he played last year," the mentor said, eyeing better numbers from the 20-year-old big man than the 7.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, and 0.5 assists he posted in 15 minutes of play last season.
Bruton said Sotto can expect to go through the ringer in Adelaide's brutal schedule this November where it plays three back-to-back weekend games and tough road games against the Melbourne United, New Zealand Breakers, and Perth Wildcats.
"Everyone thought he was going to come back and be a starter, I didn't see the guy for six months of the off-season until he came back a few weeks beforehand," he said.
"The improvement of my team to the improvement of Kai wasn't on the same par, but I didn't go air that to all of everybody, but he is developing in the right way. I think he's really going to help us over the next month or so."
"He's doing everything, I mentioned in video, just his impact, and while it was a very short impact, they were winning plays for us. He's getting better each and every day."
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