Cone: Kai Sotto should play in the NBA

(UPDATE) HAVING coached youngster Kai Sotto in FIBA ​​tournaments this year, Gilas coach Tim Cone firmly believes the 22-year-old Filipino should now play in the NBA.

“We continue to think collectively, as a group, talking about the players and the coaching staff, that he needs and should be in the NBA, that’s just one of our concerns,” Cone said during his recent appearance on the sports program “Power and Play”. program of former commissioner Noli Eala.

“A lot of times it’s an opportunity. A lot of times it’s the system and how he’s used, where he can fit in, but skill-wise, there’s no doubt he can play in the NBA .”

Having the rare opportunity to coach Sotto in the flesh, Cone, 66, shared that on offense, given Sotto’s length and long-range shooting ability, the young 7-foot big man 3inch played the winger position skillfully. .

“His ability to play on the perimeter, imagine we play him as a wing in our offense. He’s a 7-foot-3 wing because June Mar is our 5, so we play him as a wing since we don’t necessarily play two postal workers,” he explained.

Cone added that with his proven system, Sotto can find a place in attack, and given the Filipino slot man’s improved passing skills, Sotto has become more powerful, as evidenced in the recent second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers.

“In this system, we have ways to get there,” he said. “He can get into the position in transition. But he mainly plays winger. I mean, how many 7-foot-3 wingers are there in the world? That shows how good he is , playing on the wing and he got seven assists!

Cone sure was, referring to Gilas’ 93-89 triumph over world 22-ranked New Zealand in the first game of the second window.

Sotto had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a near triple-double performance against the Tall Blacks, who dominated the Filipinos in their first four FIBA-sanctioned games dating back to the FIBA ​​Olympic Qualifying Tournament ​​2016.

“It’s only a 40-minute match and he gets seven assists. It’s not even a match against Hong Kong, but against New Zealand, a top 20 team in the world,” he added .

Cone said Sotto’s marked improvement over the recent window was no surprise, given how the current Koshigaya Alphas big man has performed for Gilas under his watch this year.

“I think he came on the scene pretty quickly for everyone. But for us, having seen him every day in training and how dominant he’s been, it’s no surprise for his teammates and the coaching staff the way he played,” shared the PBA’s all-time winning coach.

“It meets immediate expectations, but it’s only scratching the surface of what it can do.”

Coming through both windows of the FIBA ​​Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers, Sotto compiled averages of 15.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in four games.

The Philippines has already secured a berth for the FIBA ​​Asia Cup scheduled for next August in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as they remain unscathed in the qualifiers with a 4-0 record.

Cone and Gilas will regroup in February when the Philippines face Taiwan and New Zealand in the third window.