NBA Home Scores Schedule Standings Stats Teams Daily Lines All-Star Game More Standing 6-foot-5 with long arms and excellent footwork as a ball handler, Wesley has a lot of juice off the bounce, changing speeds and directions to attack the rim or stop on a dime to pull up. 2 Auburn vs. No. "There's no reason Sotto would not have the potential to be a productive contributor on the offensive end of the floor," Houben said. NBA Draft News Best Available Teams Get the App The biggest draft experts make every pick in the 2022 NBA Draft The Field Of 68 33K views Streamed 1 month ago Top 10 Center Prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft. -- Givony, Johnny Juzang | Junior | UCLA | 6'7" | SF | Age: 20.9, Tevin Brown | Senior | Murray St. | 6'5" | SG | Age: 23.4, When: No. Sochan's upside and draft stock will ultimately be decided by the type of shooter NBA teams think he can become, as he has converted just 29.2% of his 3s and 57.5% of his free throws. Ivey also has improved his perimeter shooting, considered the weaker part of his game earlier in his career, hitting 36% of his 3-pointers this season. "Further growth as a passer as he matures and the games slows down for him will also be extremely helpful, as he has shown a certain level of vision at previous levels of play.". What to watch for: Washington is a highly skilled 6-foot-4 guard with the type of winning pedigree that bodes well for March. But there is belief Sotto can build around those figures in order to raise his ceiling and find a place on offense in the modern NBA. Draft Results: 2022 Draft Results and Instant Analysis, Draft Recap: Thoughts On How The 2022 NBA Draft Played Out, 2023 NBA Mock Draft 2024 NBA Mock Draft, 10 Elite High School Freshmen, Class of 2025. I think it's a valid concern in the NBA if he got a chance. So far, only Siegel has included the Filipino homegrown talent in his mock drafts with Sotto still missing the Top 60 lists for the June 24 proceedings (June 25, Manila time) in other reputable outlets like ESPN . -- Schmitz, JD Davison | Freshman | Alabama | 6'3" | PG | Age: 19.4, When: No. 1 team. Their confidence is not unfounded. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. As the season has gone along, however, Keels' defensive motor has fluctuated wildly. What to watch for: No player offers the same type of size, strength and shot creation that Duke star Banchero brings to the table at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds. "[But] it is generally only justifiable to play a seven-footer on an NBA floor if they're being heavily utilized on the offensive end, and whilst Sotto has shown utility as a finisher and lob threat at the NBL level, a clear cut offensive skill will go a long way into making him a useful NBA player.". Croatia's Roko Prkacin tested the waters as an early entry candidate in the 2021 NBA draft but, presumably due to a lack of interest, opted to return for another year of basketball overseas. Filipino big man Kai Sotto needs to ramp up his on-court work as he still ranks low in several NBA mock drafts. MANILA, Philippines - Kai Sotto has a huge uphill climb ahead of him after he declared for the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday, April 28. Despite facing Duke, UCLA, Alabama and Texas Tech in nonconference play, a heavy dose of Holmgren's true highlights came against West Coast Conference opponents, as he took more of a back seat offensively against the Blue Devils, Crimson Tide and others. -- Schmitz. -- Givony, Max Christie | Freshman | Michigan St. | 6'6" | SG | Age: 19.0, When: No. Caine Purnell, who works for scouting agency ID Prospects, says strength is still a valid concern heading into the draft. Ochai Agbaji | Senior | Kansas | 6'6" | SF | Age: 21.8, When: No. What to watch for: The youngest player projected to be drafted, Duren has played some of his best basketball of the season as of late, helping Memphis surge into the postseason. Cavaliers-Celtics, 7:30 p.m. And Duke's Paolo Banchero is one of the Blue Devils' five first-round prospects who are hoping coach Mike Krzyzewski's legendary career ends by cutting down the net at the Final Four in New Orleans. Data from InStat state that Adelaide hemorrhaged points when Sotto defended the roll man in the pick and roll (16 percent of his defensive possessions, second most) and gave up 1.37 PPP -- way above the league mean. Even. He's easy to get along with, loves joking, and doesn't back away from challenges. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Over time I think he continues to get stronger, and his muscle growth has been very promising, but he isn't strong enough just yet.". In the NBL, Sotto provided glimpses of what could come and averaged 7.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in over 15 minutes. Duke extends its lead over Syracuse thanks to Paolo Banchero's cut inside and big finish. Andrew Gaze and Nat Edwards breakdown 218cm Kai Sotto's impact on the Adelaide 36ers, areas of improvement and future prospects. Six-time PBA champ 'Plastic Man' Saldaa remembered fondly following death at 64, Kai Sotto declares for 2022 NBA draft in hopes of fulfilling "ultimate dream", Kai Sotto claims NBL Fans' Most Valuable Player award. He is a streaky shooter who gets a lot of his offense in the post, on midrange pull-ups, in transition and while using his aggressiveness, physicality and smarts attacking out of the pick-and-roll. Kai Sotto's hope of realizing a nation's NBA dreams depends on whether the league will favor potential over results. 16 Norfolk State | Thursday | 2:00 p.m. | TBS. Asked if this means Sotto might be limited mostly to defending in drop coverage as to being able to defend in more aggressive schemes in the NBA, Houben concurred. 11 Rutgers | Wednesday | 9:10 p.m. | truTV, What to watch for: Wesley is a dynamic shot-creating guard who burst onto the scene as a surprise one-and-done and has piqued the interest of NBA scouts with his ability to go get a bucket off the dribble like few guards, sharing some similarities to a guard such as James Bouknight at the same stage. With rival Asian leagues circling, is the five-year college player a thing of the past in the Philippines? Sotto's size and length has made him a viable rim protector in the NBL, where he averaged 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes, seventh among 84 players who played at least 15 minutes a game, per SpatialJam. Although he is rock solid across the board, Branham doesn't quite have that one elite skill, at least at the level of an NBA starter. Brown's productivity has really fluctuated against better competition, which makes sense considering his limitations in the skill department. Kai Sotto's NBA draft quest falls short as teams pass on the Filipino prospect You have come to the ESPN Africa edition, for other ESPN editions, click above. These recent developments reinforce the optimism previously expressed by a few voices -- including former Philippines men's national team head coach Rajko Toroman and Sotto's agent Joel Bell -- who believe the 20-year-old's combination of youth, physical tools, and intangibles outweigh some of the weaknesses he showed during his first pro season with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia's National Basketball League. As the NBA draft draws closer, some teams have shown an increasing interest in Sotto's potential. He was part of the initial 33-man list of such prospects, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony: This "also-eligible" list (33 players) includes: Dominick Barlow, Marjon Beauchamp, Dyson Daniels, Michael Foster, Jaden Hardy, Jean Montero, Kok Yat and Fanbo Zeng. 5 UConn vs. No. For Kai who played his first pro season in the NBL, with some training with G League Ignite last season, I think he competed pretty well in a physical league," Chan observed. Jonathan Givony is an NBA Draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams. Adelaide (109.9 defensive rating, sixth among 10 teams) held them to just 0.72 PPP during those possessions (league average is 0.86 PPP allowed), per InStat -- an indication that the big man pushed back when smaller attackers targeted him in the two-man game. Kai Sotto. How Oftana and Lastimosa went from Dumaguete dreamers to Gilas, Already a standout walk-on, La Salle's Ben Phillips looks to make his mark on another court, 'It's a fans' game': Tiongson, Ahanmisi move on from All-Star snubs, The seven biggest 2023 PBA All-Star omissions, and the players who took their spots, A night of nostalgia: Toyota Tamaraws celebrate 50th anniversary, Kai Sotto's second season mirrors 36ers' ups and down. The 32 teams are set: Who's in and who's out for FIBA World Cup 2023? He is a capable spot shooter from 3 at 42%, is elite rising up in midrange spots and is slithery downhill to the rim while also showing the ability to make some basic reads. With rival Asian leagues circling, is the five-year college player a thing of the past in the Philippines? 1 Kansas vs. No. In Adelaide, Sotto mostly subsisted on cuts and as a roll man in the pick and roll -- two of four play types where he derived most of his offense. While he's comfortable operating with his back to the basket, he's also a creative ball-handler and outstanding passer who is converting 45% of his 3-pointers on the season, making him a huge mismatch that has lit up mid-major and high-major teams alike. Per tracking data from InStat, the 36ers scored 1.33 points per possession (PPP) with Sotto as a cutter and 1.17 PPP when he was involved as a roller, both marks above the league average (1.09 and 1.02 PPP, respectively). What to watch for: Eason wasn't particularly well-known upon transferring from Cincinnati to LSU, but he made the transition to the most talented conference in college basketball look easy in emerging as a first-team All-SEC player, scoring in bunches and filling up the box score despite coming off the bench. While thin, he's also a competitive defender who rebounds, gets in passing lanes and plays with outstanding energy. Looking the part of an NBA wing physically with his long arms and solid frame, he brings great energy on the glass, gets in passing lanes frequently, fills lanes effectively in transition and is an efficient scorer who does a lot of little things to impact winning. 4 UCLA vs. No. 3 Purdue vs. No. -- Givony. He can push the ball himself in transition or run the floor like a center. With all that said, Christie has picture-perfect shooting mechanics, can rise up off the dribble with ease, and holds some defensive potential as well given his projectable frame and feet, even if he gives up too many straight-line drives to the rim at this stage. He represented the Philippines in the 2018 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship, where he averaged a double-double and was named to the tournament's First Team. Sotto is an intriguing prospect who comes from good basketball bloodlines (father Ervin Sotto) and who has shown marked improvement in his frame over the past couple of seasons. Grading Kai Sotto: Defense and experience may put him behind other international prospects Skip to main content Skip to navigation Full Scoreboard > ESPN Search You have come to the Philippines Edition, for other ESPN editions, click here. Just how high Tshiebwe gets drafted is what scouts are trying to determine, but a deep NCAA tournament run that includes strong showings against physical frontcourts could go a long way in solidifying his standing and potentially emerge as a first-round prospect. He said that some of the Sotto's deficiencies on defense, however, are fixable. "With Kai's progression throughout the season, it was within expectation Kai would declare for the 2022 Draft. N'T back away from challenges agency ID Prospects, says strength is still a valid concern in skill. Nba dreams depends on whether the league will favor potential over results in passing lanes and plays outstanding! 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