The Filipino basketball prodigy, Kai Sotto, publicly announced last month his commitment to the upcoming 2022 NBA draft. The 20-year-old big man from Las Pinas, Philippines played professional basketball in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia.
He had a pretty decent stint with the Adelaide 36ers in his first attempt at pro-ball. As of the moment, Kai is training in Atlanta and is preparing to meet more than 12 teams in the NBA for a workout schedule. This now leads us to the question – Which teams would pick Kai Sotto in the upcoming draft?
Related: Kai Sotto Meets with NBA Teams Prior to Rookie Draft 2022
Teams That Would Potentially Pick Kai Sotto
New York Knicks
- Kai Sotto will be showing his skills and talent to the GMs and scouting agents of the New York Knicks through an upcoming workout. The Knicks are obviously interested in Kai’s basketball prowess as they are the first to reach out to Kai before the draft combine.
- Although the Knicks are already a solid team (except this season, they really sucked), Sotto can exceed his potential under the care of head coach Tom Thibodeau.
New York’s 2022 Pick Order: 11th and 42nd
Atlanta Hawks
- It wouldn’t be surprising if the Hawks are inclined to draft Kai this year. Currently, Kai Sotto is training in a facility in Atlanta while preparing before meeting with NBA teams.
- Could this be a coincidence? I think not. With a superstar point guard, Kai’s talents could be of extreme use with how Trae Young and the Hawks play.
Atlanta’s 2022 Pick Order: 16th and 44th
Golden State Warriors
- Admit it or not, the Warriors organization has a keen eye for talent. Because of that, they are more than capable of turning their homegrown talents into legit superstars.
- Just look at what they have done to Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Not to mention, their most recent drafts like Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, Moses Moody, and Juan Toscano-Anderson are already showing signs of greatness.
- In addition to that, Kai’s style of play complements the Warriors’ playbook so well. He is a versatile big man who can score down below, knock down threes, and drive hard to the basket, while also being a tenacious rim protector and shot blocker.
Golden State’s 2022 Pick Order: 28th, 51st, and 55th
Oklahoma City Thunder
- OKC seems to be building an empire with all of their secured future draft picks. Sam Presti’s genius basketball mind turned Westbrook, Carmelo, George, and Paul into a total of 38 future picks in the next 6 years. How crazy is that!
- Why OKC should take Kai Sotto? Well, the Thunder roster is the youngest in the league but they lack a reliable center who can defend the paint. As a result, if they pick Kai this year, they will not only get a defensive anchor.
- However, OKC will also be getting another offensive weapon to add alongside Lu Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Although it’s still very early, the Filipino phenom is already getting comparisons to the Indiana Pacers legend Rik Smits.
Oklahoma City’s 2022 Pick Order: 2nd, 12th, 30th, 34th
Toronto Raptors
- Do you know that the Raptors has probably the best medical facility in all of the NBA? They also have a knack for developing undrafted players and late-round draftees into all-stars.
- Take Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam as examples. Perhaps the Raptors could be the perfect training and development for Kai Sotto in the league.
Toronto’s 2022 Pick Order: 33rd
Dallas Mavericks
- Luka Doncic and the Mavericks did a great job this year. Surprisingly, they defied all odds as they finally reached the Conference Finals once again after 11 years.
- Dallas indeed misses the presence of Kristaps Porzingis on the floor. We knew how the Porzingis and Doncic experiment went in Dallas – it didn’t work out.
- Although they were mostly fun and exciting to watch, the duo didn’t necessarily pan out. But, guess who is also a 7-foot-3 big man who can score both inside and outside and has emphatic defense (which Porzingis didn’t have)? Yes, it’s KAI SOTTO.
Dallas’ 2022 Pick Order: 26th
Will we ever see Kai Sotto in the NBA? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
OTHER NEWS: Kai Sotto V.S. Chet Holmgren, Player Comparison
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I bet kai sotto to GSW he is possible main man center so, looney is a substitute of kai because kai is much better than looney no question about it.
Hello there! Although Kai has a great upside, saying that he is better than Looney is an overstatement. Yes, he has his moments and he has the potential to be a great athlete. As a fan, we also would love to see him get to his full strength. We’d also love to see him in a Warriors jersey!