"Improved Defense will Aid Kai Sotto in NBA Chase"- Mark Dickel

At the age of just 18 years old, Kai Sotto has already achieved success in the early stage of his already-decorated basketball career. He is one of the best players to come out of the Ateneo high school basketball program as he led the Blue Eaglets to a championship in Season 80 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and won the Most Valuable Player award in Season 81 after averaging 25 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks per game. He also led the national youth team to a gold medal finish in the 2017 Southeast Asia Basketball Association (SEABA). In short, he's already making it big in the local basketball scene before he took off for the United States to follow his dream to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). And with his decision to play in the NBA G-League instead of having a highlight-filled collegiate career, that puts Kai Sotto a step closer to realizing his NBA dream. Just a step closer. 

While everyone is hyped by the prospect of seeing Kai Sotto making it to the grandest basketball league on the planet, pundits in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) remained fans that Philippine basketball is very much different from the brand of basketball that is being played in the NBA. That is according to Talk N Text KaTropa Consultant Mark Dickel who is also serving as the interim head coach of Gilas Pilipinas. Dickel, who already saw Sotto on multiple occasions during the latter's practices in Ateneo, said that the one thing that will dictate whether or not Sotto's dream will be a reality is how improved the basketball prodigy will be once his G-League stint is over. Dickel was one of those who were invited in the "Filipino Basketball in the Eyes of a Foreigner" webinar that was hosted by the Blackwater Elite. 

According to Dickel, one of the primary aspects of the defensive end that Kai Sotto needs to improve on is guarding the screen and roll and as a big man who stands seven-foot-two, learning to guard the screen and roll is perhaps one of the hardest things he will have to learn if he wants to succeed in the big stage. For those who are familiar with the screen and roll play that is also called as the pick and roll, it's an offensive player where a player will set a screen or a pick for his teammate handling the ball who will then be given a clearer path towards the basket. And if you don't give enough defensive coverage on the screen and roll situations,  it can generate a lot of offense. Fortunately, even Kai Sotto himself admitted that one of the things he hopes to improve on is his defense. 

Dickel also added that if Sotto, the first international project to join the G-League's Select Team, can stretch his shooting touch to the three-point line, work on his agility, gain more strength, and improve on his defense,  the NBA would have another problem once Sotto hits the stage.

As they say it, "Defense wins championships" and if Kai Sotto can improve on his defense, it will bring him to the NBA.

Photo is from SPIN.ph