A PICTURE, they say, is worth a thousand words. That is certainly the case with the photo of Kai Sotto taken just today, July 13 (Manila time), while he listens to coach Dylan Murphy draw a play at a timeout in Orlando Magic’s third game in the NBA Summer League.

Head bowed, body slightly bent, hands clasped behind his back, Kai seems to be trying to catch what Coach is saying, but it’s likely he’s not hearing much of it. He’s a little outside the huddle, almost looking like he’s not part of the team, his figure looking forlorn.
It's not clear if it was in overtime when Coach Murphy called for the timeout. In the end, the Orlando Magic lost to the New York Knicks in overtime, 82-80, its third straight loss in the series against no win.
READ: Kai Sotto a DNP in Magic vs Knicks
There’s no telling if Kai could have made a difference in the outcome if he was called in. But Kai rode the bench again. In all three matches, he did not log a single second of game time.
It’s hard to say what could be going on in Kai’s mind. Perhaps a psychologist will have an idea. But three games in a row with no action is not good for morale or confidence, even if Kai himself says that he’s happy with just being in an NBA team and that he’s ready when he’s called.
It may be argued that his services were not needed. Because, for the first time in the series, the Magic had a golden opportunity to win. They had lost two earlier games, both blowouts, 89-78 against the Detroit Pistons, and 108-86, against the Indiana Pacers.
In the game against the Knicks, the Magic led most of the way and were up by as many as 11 points at the start of the fourth quarter. But crippling miscues causing 20 turnovers in all did them in.
Under circumstances when Orlando was playing to stop a losing streak, it was obvious that Kai’s chances of playing for the first time had become nil. The team wanted to win, the coach wanted to win, and Kai, even if he had it in him to play to win, was not going to be the person called in to change Orlando’s fortunes.
Filipinos here and over there believe the Magic’s coaching staff is making a mistake ignoring Kai. He was picked to join the team for the Summer League, and it was not unreasonable to expect him to be given some minutes on the court.

Kai, however, was not alone in this. Many players in the team had not seen action following the coach’s insistence on a 10-man rotation. Like Kai, these benched players must be gritting their teeth, frustrated but silent, about not getting a chance to show their stuff.
After all, the Summer League is discovery time. It is when recently signed draftees and those just hoping to be signed, like Kai, are sent to hardcourt battle to assess their talent and ability for the real war ahead. If they’re good, they get a contract. But how does this happen, how are they even assessed, when they don’t get a minute on the floor?
Kai has honed himself for battle. Although just 21 years old, he’s had experience playing locally and abroad. Overseas, he’s had stints in Australia and Japan; locally, he’s played for the national team.
But it is the NBA that resides in his brain. He wants to be there, perhaps even against the wishes of some friends and mentors. But who’s to deny a young man his dreams?
He is 7-foot-3, a natural prospect for a game that requires height. But the game, especially in the NBA, also demands that the player be versatile, strong, able to defend like a lion, run like a gazelle, and shoot treys as needed.
Unfortunately, experts say he is short in these departments. He’s young, still lacking in experience, still slow, and not strong enough to go up against NBA’s big and powerful centers.
But these weaknesses don’t seem to discourage Kai and his legions of followers locally and internationally. There remain two more games for the Orlando Magic in the Summer League. His supporters pray that the guy just be given a chance to play. In the second game, they were heard chanting, “We want Sotto!”
It went unheeded. But the fourth and fifth games are still to come. Who knows? Maybe it will finally happen for Kai.
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