KAI Sotto is making the most of his minutes in his second season with the Adelaide 36ers.
And coach CJ Bruton is taking notice, lauding the Filipino import for holding his own against Asian rival Zhou Qi of China in the handful of minutes he was given on the court in the 36ers' most recent game.
Though Sotto only logged eight minutes in Adelaide's 103-98 overtime defeat to South East Melbourne Phoenix on Sunday, the mentor was happy with the continued development that the 20-year-old is showing.
Case in point: Sotto held his own in his matchup against the Phoenix's reinforcement Zhou Qi, holding him down to just three rebounds and blocking one of his shots.
"Kai did a great job on Qi in keeping him away from the rim and keeping his offensive rebounds down," remarked Bruton.
Sotto's quality minutes were valuable for the 36ers as they were able to match the Phoenix down low before faltering in the endgame.
His numbers may have dipped in this contest, producing only two points, five rebounds, a steal, and a block. Bruton feels that these small gains should be valuable for Adelaide moving forward.
"We got to keep making improvements,” he said, with his team holding a 2-3 win-loss record.
"It’s early in the season and I’d like to think that where our guys are at right now and what we have had to go through, that was a good response from what just happened to us. Our guys did a good job battling, we continued to grind, right now it’s just about being vertical and doing the best possible way for us to get a win."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph