By REYNALD MAGALLON
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes assured that 7-foot-3 big man Kai Sotto will see more action in the team’s next few games after seeing limited minutes in the 87-81 loss to the Dominican Republic on Friday, Aug. 25.
“The next game and the game after you should be able to see more of him,” said Reyes when asked about the Sotto’s benching in Gilas’ 2023 FIBA World Cup debut.
Sotto barely hit the floor, playing for only 73 seconds after picking up two quick fouls while trying to put a body on NBA All-Star and Dominican center Karl-Anthony Towns.
That foul-plagued stint on the floor forced Reyes to sit him down immediately and was ultimately lost in the shuffle with AJ Edu and June Mar Fajardo playing superb basketball against Dominican Republic.
“Kai picked up two quick fouls, so we had to get him out right away,” Reyes recalled.
“We couldn’t put him back in because (AJ Edu) was playing a great game, and that’s the reason why he’s here (in the post-match press conference), right? He was playing really, really ,” he added.
Although Towns still managed to get his usual numbers, the Minnesota Timberwolves center was obviously bothered by the defense of Edu.
