KAI Sotto has been compared to the likes of Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis in the past. But the Filipino has a lot of work to do to get to that level.
Lucky for him, he has a 14-year NBA veteran to mentor him.
Amir Johnson has been a willing teacher to the 7-foot-2 center, taking him under his wings as the pioneering Team Ignite prepare for the next NBA G League season.
"I catch myself working with Kai on the weight room a lot. Kai has so much skill," he said on Friday (Manila time).
Johnson only had great things to say about Sotto, believing that if he continues to work on his game, the Filipino teen will realize his full potential.
And the focal point he wants the 18-year-old prodigy to focus on?
His footwork and strength.
"I feel like he has to work on a little bit of footwork and he can be better at strength. I feel like that those are the two things that lack in him," said Johnson, who had stints at Detroit, Toronto, Boston, and Philadelphia in his NBA career.
"But for skill work, as a 7-foot guy? He is amazing. He has it all,” he added.
Sotto may be working on extend his range and learn to play from the wings, as modern bigs go, yet Johnson believes that the kid still can benefit from learning to play from the post.
Johnson said Sotto will need strength to be a post threat and will need footwork and quickness to be able to switch to any man on the floor once he gets to the NBA.
“Back when I was playing in 2005, you have to bulk up. Now you have to guard wings. For him, if you can be that dominant post player, that will definitely keep you on the floor. To add to that, if you can switch one to five which Golden State does a lot and other teams are starting to do, that will keep you in the game more."
That's certainly something Johnson wants Sotto to accomplish in their time together at Ignite.
“That’s why we are here in the G League – to work on every spot on the floor," he said. "That is the NBA, you want to be able to guard one to five and, at the same time, be that dominant post man. We haven’t had one since Shaq (O’Neal). But, you want to be able to do that. He’s working on it and he’s getting there."
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