TIM Cone believes Kai Sotto will soon be a dominant force in Asia after getting the opportunity to coach the big man for Gilas Pilipinas in the Fiba Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers.
“He is going to absolutely dominate Asia. I’ve always felt that,” said Cone on Sunday after Gilas routed Chinese Taipei, 106-53, to complete a sweep of its two games in window 1 of thew qualifiers.
READ Gilas caps Fiba Asia window 1 sweep with 53-point rout of Taipei
The Japan B.League import had one of his best games in a Gilas uniform against Chinese Taipei, collecting 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks to the delight of Filipino fans at the Philsports Arena.
The more he sees Sotto up close as Gilas coach, the more Cone is convinced that Sotto is already one of the best players in Asia, and the next phase for him is to get to the next level until he makes it to the NBA.
Cone hopes Sotto's stint with Gilas in the next windows would help make it happen.
“If you get him into the right spots, he can absolutely dominate Asia. For him, the next spot is to get up to the European level and the NBA level and we are hoping that we can help him get into that level,” said Cone.
Cone is no stranger to seeing NBA talent up close, having been part of the Miami Heat’s Summer League coaching staff last year.
Cone is confident Sotto’s NBA dream would soon turn into a reality.
“There may be a time where we might lose Kai. He may not be able to join windows because he might be in the NBA and we will be very, very proud of that,” said the PBA's most successful coach.
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