Sotto managed to carve out a niche in the NBL, albeit in a limited role, because of his unusual blend of size and mobility. Scouts will be closely analyzing whether or not Moore takes a back seat in important moments or takes ownership as one of the lone upperclassmen during a Blue Devils NCAA tournament run. If not, is he a skilled enough shooter, passer and ball handler to be an asset on the perimeter? In the first of our two-part series on 2022 NBA Draft hopeful Kai Sotto, ESPN talked to scouts and experts who cover Australia's National Basketball League about his decision to declare for the draft, . I can recall Sam Froling absolutely dominating him when they played against Australia (in 2019 at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup)," Purnell recalled. NBA draft scouts. The U19 FIBA World Cup MVP is more than able to space the . 2 Duke vs. No. Caine Purnell, who works for scouting agency ID Prospects, says strength is still a valid concern heading into the draft. Murray leads the nation in win shares, ranks fourth in scoring and has been a driving force in Iowa's March run, making timely shots with the type of unwavering confidence and focus we've seen from stars such as Kawhi Leonard and Tim Duncan. "Seeing him at practices and games reinforce the projection he's achieving. In honor of March Madness, ESPN's NBA draft experts Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz have complied a mock draft with just players participating in the NCAA tournament. At the end of the day, the NBL is a highly-regarded league that is able to help ease prospects into the professionalism of next-level basketball. Pelicans-Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. Nets-Celtics, 7:30 p.m. Memphis freshman sensation Jalen Duren comes flying out of nowhere for the spike on Houston. 10 San Francisco | Thursday | 9:40 p.m. | CBS. "[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.". Gilas Pilipinas fall short against Jordan on road to FIBA World Cup, PBA Governors' Cup Import Rankings: Kevin Murphy powers NorthPort's surge. KAI Sotto 's name was noticeably absent from the early entry candidates list for the 2022 NBA Draft that the league released on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time). 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. Can the Lions fix their defense? Listen, What to watch for: A junior college transfer who played a minor role last season, Ellis has emerged as a draftable option as a senior at Alabama, converting 36% of his 3-pointers while guarding everyone from point guards to power forwards. Sotto posted up a lot -- about 19.3 percent of his offense came from the block, per InStat, which was the second-highest figure from his portfolio -- but Adelaide only scored 0.68 PPP during those trips, well below the league average of 0.89. NBA Draft News Best Available Teams Get the App 2022 NBA Mock Draft Commentary The Bucks are forced to forfeit their 2022 2nd round pick due to improper free agent contact (Bogdanovic) The Heat are forced to forfeit their 2022 2nd round pick due to improper free agent contact 2022 1st Round NBA MOCK DRAFTS: Older Mocks - 2019 - 2020 - 2021 - 2022 - 2023 - 2024 - 2025 - 2026 Twitter Facebook Andrew Gaze and Nat Edwards breakdown 218cm Kai Sotto's impact on the Adelaide 36ers, areas of improvement and future prospects. Sotto was eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft because he is a 19-year-old talent one year removed from playing high school basketball. "I think he's very unique compared to all overseas and American prospects. ", Scouting Report: Kai Sotto | The Jump (2:08), Grading Sotto: How the Philippines' prospect's offense stacks up in the 2022 NBA draft. A deep NCAA tournament run could earn him looks in the late lottery, similar to what we saw from Joshua Primo last year. He left for the United States as a junior in high school to advance his basketball career. -- Schmitz. Kai Sotto's hope of realizing a nation's NBA dreams depends on whether the league will favor potential over results. "There's no reason Sotto would not have the potential to be a productive contributor on the offensive end of the floor," Houben said. You have come to the Philippines Edition, for other ESPN editions, click here. Sotto drew nothing but compliments about his work ethic and demeanor during his year in the NBL, where experts and colleagues took note of his energy and poise throughout the season. "More minutes, along with another year of skill development and physical training, could only help his stock in the eyes of NBA evaluators.". ESPN talked to some of these scouts and regional experts working and covering the NBL and asked them to weigh in on the prospect of Sotto becoming the first full-blooded Filipino to make it to the NBA. Grading Kai Sotto: How the Philippines' prospect's offense stacks up in the 2022 NBA draft Skip to main content Skip to navigation Full Scoreboard > ESPN Search You have come to the Philippines Edition, for other ESPN editions, click here. Scouts will be evaluating Branham's ballhandling and passing to discern whether they think he can play more of an on-ball role in the future, as that would greatly boost his value given that he's most impactful defending 1s and 2s. 2019 NBA champion Jeremy Lin believes all is not lost for Kai Sotto after the Philippine prospect missed out on being picked up in the 2022 NBA draft. In general, catch-and-shoot shots (8.5 percent) and pick and pops (4.5 percent) comprised a small percentage of his shots, and Adelaide was below average in possessions that involved Sotto in those plays, per InStat. The defensive end is where the junior will be studied most closely, as well as his ability to get to his spots off the dribble and get his shot off effectively despite his low, unorthodox release. Mike Schmitz is an NBA Draft expert and a contributor to DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams. "Outside of being a drop-off/lob option, he seems most successful in getting his offense in the pick and roll. In the first of our two-part series on 2022 NBA Draft hopeful Kai Sotto, ESPN talked to scouts and experts who cover Australia's . 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 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. However, he still remained ineligible to play NCAA basketball, so he moved on to the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League. Even. The 2022 NBA Draft is coming up on Thursday, June 23. A total of 36 international . Sotto also made junior national team and senior national team appearances for the Philippines. The 32 teams are set: Who's in and who's out for FIBA World Cup 2023? -- Givony, Trevion Williams | Senior | Purdue | 6'10" | C | Age: 21.4. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; Kai Sotto will be hoping to make it in the big time after declaring for the NBA draft on Thursday.. As the NBA draft draws closer, some teams have shown an increasing interest in Sotto's potential. -- Givony, 13. With legitimate guard skills that allow him to initiate Duke's offense in transition and function as a pick-and-roll ball handler in the half court, Banchero is a true mismatch nightmare, comparing favorably to post-injury Blake Griffin with his combination of power, agility and court vision. However, he toggles between brilliant moments and head-scratching ones, not always quite as consistently aggressive as you'd hope in big moments given his experience. The NCAA tournament officially starts on Tuesday, signaling the most exciting three weeks in college basketball. Understandably, NBL21 has been a year dominated by talks of Adelaide 36ers star Josh Giddey as an NBA draft prospect. 1 Kansas vs. No. MANILA, Philippines - Kai Sotto has a huge uphill climb ahead of him after he declared for the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday, April 28. 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. 16 Bryant/Wright State | Friday | 7:27 p.m. | truTV, What to watch for: The Pac-12 player of the year, Mathurin made a big jump as a sophomore while leading Arizona in scoring. In the eyes of these experts, Sotto lags behind his fellow international draft prospects and might have to wait a bit before being able to get a shot at playing in the NBA. People will realize how special Kai is," Chan said when asked about Sotto's draft stock. Scouts will surely be hoping for a deep run from Duke and Gonzaga, as that would set up a Banchero-Holmgren rematch in the Elite 8. A day after Sotto declared for. His fluidity and mobility is an intriguing aspect of his game and really stands out when rolling to the basket, where he had some vicious dunks," Smith said. "Kai had a more productive NBL season statistically than I think many were expecting him to, but as it remains, there is still room for improvement," Smith said. MANILA, Philippines - Kai Sotto will get a shot at impressing NBA teams ahead of . Smith, meanwhile, says the NBL is a great avenue for Kai to continue growing as a professional at this stage in his young career. "While his late season performances certainly helped, it felt like only a glimpse of his potential, and with those flashes, it felt like another season in the NBL would have seen him play a bigger role that could've highlighted his game even more," Houben said. NBA teams will be intrigued by his physical profile, age and long-term upside, but avoiding some of the lapses defensively that have plagued him at times and finishing the season on a good note will certainly help his cause.-- Givony, 16. 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. "There's no doubt that Sotto is a skilled big man -- his touch, particularly on short floaters, stood out as a skill he can use to get points around the rim, and he had some fun moments as a lob threat as well. ESPN's Draft Analyst Jonathan Givony has him slated at pick #14 in his 2021 NBA mock draft.. If Sotto goes undrafted in June, a couple of alternative routes await. He is a steady offensive presence with his ability to catch difficult passes, hammer home lobs, finish with touch around the basket and make good decisions out of short rolls. He's also shooting just 40% at the rim in the half-court, converting 16 shots at the rim in 33 games. Sotto posted up a lot -- about 19.3 percent of his offense came from the block, per InStat, which was the second-highest figure from his portfolio -- but Adelaide only scored 0.68 PPP during those trips, well below the league average of 0.89. 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.". He can be a playmaker defensively when engaged, thanks to his huge wingspan and impressive lateral quickness, but he loses his focus frequently and has too many bad moments falling asleep off the ball. Andrew Gaze and Nat Edwards breakdown 218cm Kai Sotto's impact on the Adelaide 36ers, areas of improvement and future prospects. Last week, the Orlando Magic were handed the No. -- Givony, TyTy Washington Jr. | Freshman | Kentucky | 6'4" | PG/SG | Age: 20.3, When: No. What to watch for: Agbaji has been one of the NCAA's most consistent players, reaching double figures in scoring and knocking down at least one 3-pointer in 32 of 33 games while also converting a remarkable 75% of his shots at the rim. Not always the most vocal leader, scouts will be studying how Chandler takes command of the team in key moments throughout the NCAA tournament. 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. SNEAK PEAK OF THE TOP CENTER OF NBA DRAFT CLASS OF 2022 WERE OUR HOPE KAI SOTTO WILL SEAL HIS SPOT TO ENTER THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA)#adelai. 2022 NBA Draft Profile Kai Sotto Position C Height/Weight 7-1 / 227 lbs School/Club Adelaide 36ers (Australia) Country Philippines Status International Birthday 05/11/2002 Prospect. May 27, 2022 1.6K Dislike Share NBA Ranking 22.5K subscribers NBA Mock Draft 2022. Kai Sotto is projected to land in the second round of the NBA rookie draft, according to the recent mock draft of US-based outlet Sports Illustrated. 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. "I feel like the next year or so is going to give us a better idea of the extent of his perceivable upside. 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