CHICAGO - Pending the results of an MRI taken at a Tokyo hospital, the extent of the non-contact injury Kai Sotto sustained last Sunday remains unknown some 48 hours after the scare.
Sotto got hurt at the 6:20 mark of the first quarter of the Koshigaya-Mikawa game where his left knee buckled while trying to maneuver a post move just a couple of feet away from the basket.
READ Kai Sotto's impressive season dampened by knee injury scare
As of posting time, the 7-foot-3 center's handlers at East-West Private and Wasserman Sports did not respond to text messages asking for an update.
But sources told SPIN.ph that there is a "strong likelihood" that the former Ateneo high school star will miss the upcoming Fiba window where Gilas Piilpinas will play on the road in Taiwan on February 20 and in New Zealand on February 23.
The mishap comes at an ill-opportuned time when Sotto is in the midst of a breakout season in the Japan B.League, averaging 13.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
His vastly-improved play has resulted in an uptick in playing time (27.7 minutes an outing) which Sotto has taken advantage of by hitting 53.3 percent of his field goals and 50 percent of his 3-point bombs.
Sotto rose to international prominence in Group A action of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament where he dazzled with 18 points and eight rebounds to lead Gilas' historic 89-80 upset over host Latvia.
Under coach Tim Cone, Sotto's game has matured and he appears to have melded well under a new system.
But his potential absence next month suddenly leaves a giant hole in the middle that the national team will be hard-pressed to fill.
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