Kai’s continued benching baffles Filipino supporters

By Randy Caluag

WHAT’S the plan for Kai Sotto?

This was the common question of many Filipino fans as Kai Sotto again did not see action in Orlando Magic’s game against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday (Manila Time) in the NBA Summer League 2023 at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.

As expected, Filipino basketball fans were disappointed, frustrated, and perplexed about what Orlando is planning for Sotto as they again flooded social media with their views.

Others have questioned Magic’s Summer League coach Dylan Murphy’s rationality. The fans at the venue event called out Kai’s name and chanted “We want Sotto!” repeatedly, but were ignored by the coach.

Is Sotto not showing enough during

LIONS Nation MMA members and former ONE World Champions Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and Honorio “The Rock” Banario shed light on the possibility of competing against their former Team Lakay brethren, and they revealed that they have no issues with the idea.

Their former squad has always presented itself as this ideal, tight-knit stable that values loyalty and respect above all things.

But with several ex-Team Lakay guys on Folayang’s squad now, the two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion said it’s inevitable that one day the two camps will meet in the ring.

“The way I see it, I don’t have anyone on that side who’s in my weight class. [But] that’s just the nature of the sport. Sometimes, you can’t avoid that,” he said.

“It’s a different team now, a different setting, so we always respect the main law of fighting: you really can’t avoid that possibility. We are always happy to accept challenges.”

Unlike Folayang, Banario could meet someone from his former camp should he continue fighting in the featherweight division.

One of Team Lakay’s young rising stars is Carlos Alvarez, who made a victorious ONE debut at Friday Fights 13 over Reza practice? Does he need to do more to polish his moves and enhance his speed and strength to be able to match up with the big boys in the NBA. Is that the reason why the Orlando coaching staff thinks Sotto does not merit even a few minutes on the court?

Is Orlando planning to sign the Filipino center and the team is not inclined on showing off Sotto’s ability on the court to prevent others from seeing his full potential?

Remember that Sotto has already played against a regular NBA team and proven himself when his Adelaide squad defeated the Phoenix Suns in a pre-season tournament, where he scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. That was against legit NBA players and not just a bunch of Gleaguers or rookies and sophomore in the Summer League.

Or there’s really no plan for Sotto after all and the Orlando just used him for publicity because of Sotto’s large following, especially from the Filipino-American community.

Abasi, and he’s competing in the featherweight division.

While Banario has no animosity over his former team, he understands that this is part of their chosen sport.

“We can’t avoid it because if I have someone from our former side who’s in my division, we have to fight. That’s my job. I am hoping for any challenge to come my way. We’re just fighting,” he said.

While the move certainly raised a lot of eyebrows, Folayang believes that starting a team of his own is for the best and will only make him and his teammates better moving forward.

“I’ve been thinking about creating my own gym [for quite some time] actually – a place for us to have our own facilities. You have free reign to implement what training program you want to use and see what weaknesses you need to work on,” he said.

“It’s easier than joining another stable where you have to have that adjustment period instead of being able to change things immediately because you’re still just an athlete and a member of that team.”

Some netizens even say Sotto’s character and patience are being tested at Orlando.

“11 players on DNP, including 1st game top scorer K Harris. There’s a plan. Relax and wait,” a netizen commented. Or worse, someone at Orlando is just playing hardball and power-tripping?

Nevertheless, Sotto is thankful for the support of the fans and said he’s ready whenever the coach calls him for the game.

“I’m happy to have a lot of people believe in me,” said Sotto to fans and supporters in an NBA video as he talked about his experience of not having played in the two Summer League 2023 games. Orlando has at least two games left in the Summer League as they face the New York Knicks on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time) and on July 14 versus Portland Trailblazers.

The Summer League is a short tournament, where top draft picks, free agents, and other aspirants get to show what they could offer for an NBA team that needs beefing up.