KAI Sotto certainly has a lot of work left to do in his game before he can put himself in the same conversation with some of his peers at Ignite.
But for a draft expert in the US, the Filipino wunderkind's showing in the two scrimmages the select team had against NBA G League veterans is a good start in his pursuit of his NBA dream.
Mike Schmitz, an NBA draft expert and a contributor to DraftExpress.com, wrote in his scouting report to ESPN the positives and negatives that he saw for all five Ignite prospects based on what he saw in the scrimmages.
"Sotto's scrimmage performances wouldn't suggest he is ready to play in the NBA tomorrow, but the fact that he is learning how to play an NBA style on both ends of the floor while being exposed to the realities of his strengths and weaknesses could play a role in expediting his development," he wrote.

Sotto's role at Ignite is significally different from the ones he played Ateneo in high school, with Gilas Pilipinas Youth in international play, and even for The Skill Factory in Atlanta during the first part of his US training.
Used to being the go-to-guy, Sotto will be utilized more as a role player at Ignite, an adjustment Schmitz noted the 18-year-old must adapt to.
"At the Fiba level, where Sotto has been a force for the Philippines, he is the go-to guy and can play at his own pace, using his excellent touch and footwork on the block while manning the paint defensively without having to guard the perimeter. That probably would have continued to some degree in the slower-paced college game," he said.
"Now playing an NBA style alongside strong perimeter players, Sotto is forced to find ways to impact the game offensively without as many touches, which will ultimately come by way of offensive rebounds, catch-and-shoot jumpers and rolls to the rim.

"Most interior-oriented bigs have to modernize their games eventually, and Sotto is getting a crash course in exactly that while playing with other elite high school prospects in an NBA environment."
Schmitz noted Sotto's need to bulk up to be able to stand toe-to-toe with heftier competition, but also complimented the UAAP Season 80 Juniors MVP's perimeter game and his court vision - one which he felt could make the former Ateneo center stand out from the others.
"Sotto more or less stayed in his lane offensively in the two scrimmages, showing touch in midrange spots when left open yet struggling to finish through contact consistently.
"Mostly operating below the rim in the half court, Sotto does have the shooting stroke to eventually stretch it to three and the vision to add value as a passer in short roll situations, which is his best chance of carving out an NBA role offensively," he wrote.
In those two scrimmages, Sotto averaged 5.5 points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field (25-percent), on top of 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, but also committed 2.5 fouls and 1.5 turnovers in his time on the floor.
After those games, Ignite coach Brian Shaw focused more on Sotto's defensive presence for Ignite, something Schmitz saw as a work in progress.
"The bigger adjustment for Sotto has been on the defensive end. In both scrimmages, he defended more ball screens than some freshman bigs will during all of conference play. Watching him step out and guard further brought to light just how much room he has to grow there.
"While Sotto is agile running the floor, he has never been known for his lateral quickness, and he doesn't project as a big who will step out and switch at the highest level," he said.
"Playing in these situations will force Sotto to learn how to survive in pick-and-roll drop situations as we've seen from Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic. Sotto struggled to keep the ball contained or get back to his own man in the scrimmages, but the hope is that he can use his positional length and instincts to add value playing the cat-and-mouse game, being able to impact the ball yet take away lobs at the rim."
With Sotto's sheer size, Schmitz believes the 7-foot-2 center has the gifts to be a bonafide rim protector in due time.
Still, his strength remains suspect and something that the Gilas Pilipinas stalwart must focus on if he wants to get to the next level, he added.
"Sotto does show some potential in rim-protection situations thanks to his anticipation and timing. Although not a great run-and-jump athlete, given his near 9-foot-3 standing reach and good instincts, he is a factor when he doesn't have to cover ground quickly to put a lid on the rim," he said. "Sotto needs to continue getting tougher on the defensive glass, which hopefully will come as his body matures."
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