LAS VEGAS - Kai Sotto said he is proud to make his presence felt on the defensive end of the floor in his NBA Summer League debut - an 88-71 Orlando Magic loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday (Friday, Manila time).
READ: Kai starts tentatively, finishes strong in Magic debut
Sotto, 21, scored six points, grabbed four rebounds, blocked three shots and had one turnover in 13:23 minutes off the bench in his first Magic game after being a DNP-CD (Did Not Play-Coach's Decision) in their first three matches.
"I feel like it's a good first game just to go out there and compete," said the 7-3center, who is aspiring to become the first homegrown Filipino player to make it to the NBA stage. "You know, it's not good that we didn't win but we learned a lot from this game. I think we're pretty good defensively."
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"Feels good to finally be out there. It's my first time here in the Summer League, first time getting on the court so it's just a lot of excitement."
Sotto started tentatively, getting called for a three-second defensive violation shortly after entering the game at the start of the second quarter and making one bad pass after his first rebound of the game.
But he looked more relaxed and settled when he was fielded late in the second half, scoring six points and blocking two shots before capping his 13-minute, 23-second performance with a late-game dunk.
Asked at what point did he settle down, Sotto pointed to one sequence in the second quarter when he first swatted away a Blazers shot, saying, "Probably when I got a block. That's like a moment where 'Okay, I'm here now.'"
Sotto, who had stints with the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL and the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the Japan B.League before the Summer League, said he found the action in the NBA Summer League a lot more fast-paced.
"There's a lot of young players who are trying to prove that they can play on an NBA game, NBA environment so it's pretty fast-paced," he said. "Everybody's pretty skilled, everybody's hungry to show that they are worthy of a roster sport so it's competitive.
"It's nice to finally go out there and play. It's a good feeling."
As one of those players dreaming of making an impression in the Summer League and hopefully landing an NBA roster spot, Sotto is well aware that his meal ticket is defense.
"I mean, I didn't really play a lot but I feel like I was just emphasizing on myself, just the inside presence especially defensively," he said. "Obviously, I'm one of the tallest players out there, maybe I am the tallest, so I gotta help my team protect the paint when I'm out there."
"Offensively, you know, it will come to me. I'm a good teammate so I'm really a brilliant passer for a big guy, so I'm just gonna let the game come to me offensively. But defensively, that's where I'm doing my work."
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