DAYS after the National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft snub of Kai Sotto, it is still a hot topic. As I shared on Facebook as well, it is easy to second guess a decision and missed opportunities.
People forget that a draft like even an All-Star voting process—is a crap shoot. Some will be drafted, some deserving ones missed.
It isn’t like that is exclusive to the NBA. Even the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is not immune to that.
Furthermore, like in any other league and any other sport, being drafted doesn’t automatically mean one will be signed. The league is replete with undrafted players who went on to become stars in their own right.
So, the NBA dream of Kai Sotto is still alive. It might be a more challenging route though. But it is still there for him to take.
Nevertheless, I saw a good heaping of comments made online. Many were horrendous. Some were outright stupid.
You cannot say that it is your opinion. The comebacker is—is it an informed opinion? Do not hide behind that faux saying about “respect my opinion” because that does not hold any water at all.
And race has nothing to do with this as one idiot ventured. Or even politics and an old-boy network.
Err, the sons of NBA legends Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal and Ron Harper were not drafted at all.
Pippen’s son was thought to have limited athleticism and suspect in his impact in big games. Nevertheless, he was signed to the Los Angeles Lakers’ Summer League team. It was the same for Shaquille O’Neal’s son, Shareef, who will be the younger Pippen’s teammate on the Summer League squad.
Ron Harper Jr. was snapped up in a two-way deal to play for the Toronto Raptors’ Summer League squad.
And, I saw some comments that the best way to the NBA is to play in the United States or go through the D or G-League.
Well, we saw Japeth Aguilar and Kobe Paras unsuccessfully try the former while Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena were in the latter.
There is no exact formula save perhaps for one sports truism—you have to stand out against elite competition.
You cannot win awards playing against smaller foes. One is expected to dominate after all. One needs to boogie with the big boys. You have to remember that the pros are the best of the best. While there are some considered as projects. At the least, you are close to a finished product.
Let me repeat that…close to the finished product.
Yes, because there are players who were great in college but got even 10x better in the NBA.
Does Michael Jordan ring a bell? And he isn’t alone.
But again, he was top player.
If one goes to play college ball in the US, you have to dominate. You need to put up great stats and have scouts, basketball observers, and media people gushing about you. The path for international players to the NBA is a circuitous path—you need to dominate at home and abroad.
Luka Doncic dominated in all his age groups—including older ones—in his native Slovenia. At age 15, he played for Real Madrid in Spain. Three years later, he led Real Madrid to a Euroleague championship.
Along the way, he won everything.
If you look at China’s first NBA player—Wang Zhizhi who I saw play, he dominated the Chinese Basketball Association, led China to a FIBA Asia title, and played very well in the 2000 Sydney Olympics prior to being drafted by the Dallas Mavericks.
New Zealand’s Steven Adams played for the Wellington Saints of his country’s National Basketball League where he was not paid in order to keep his American college eligibility open. He helped the Saints win the title then transferred to the University of Pittsburgh where he was named the Big East’s Rookie of the Year and won All-Rookie honors.
He declared for the NBA Draft the next season and was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The common denominator here is—dominate. Not just in your immediate environment but go out of your comfort zone to play abroad.
But wait… did every player selected in the draft…dominate?
If you look at the Golden State Warriors’ third and last pick, Gui Santos with the 55th pick…the only thing on his resume was helping Brazil win a gold medal in the Fiba South American U17 championship. They selected him because they are intrigued by his height and athleticism. They like the fact that for someone who stands 6-foot-8, he loves to attack the basket. Take note…athleticism.
While Sotto had flashes of potential while playing professional ball in Australia, they were more flashes than anything. He needs to put up stellar stats. He needs to win and dominate. He needs to bulk up and prove to be strong.
One of the people in his corner told me hours after the draft that Kai knows now what he needs to do and he is determined to pursue it.
I can only wish him the best.