Kai Sotto’s NBA Summer League journey cut short by lower back injury

Kai Sotto’s participation in the NBA Summer League with the Orlando Magic came to an abrupt end on Saturday night (Sunday, Manila time) when he sustained a lower back injury during the first half.

The 7-foot-3 Filipino center left the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas during the second quarter, with three minutes remaining, and did not return to the Magic bench for the second half.

The Magic concluded their week-long stint in the tournament with a 94-77 defeat to the Boston Celtics, marking their fifth consecutive loss.

In his final game, Sotto failed to score, missing all three of his field goal attempts. However, he contributed with two rebounds, one assist, and one block, along with two turnovers and two personal fouls, in eight minutes of play.

The sudden end to his stint was disappointing for Gilas Pilipinas’ big man, as he was expected to receive significant playing time, especially since Magic head coach Dylan Murphy chose to rest starting center DJ Wilson for the game.

At the 3:44 mark of the first quarter, Sotto entered the game as a substitute for Robert Baker II. He initially committed a turnover, but quickly recovered by securing two rebounds and blocking a layup attempt by Boston’s Jay Scrubb.

Despite his efforts, the Filipino big man was unable to score from close range due to the tight defense of the Celtics. Instead, he was compelled to make two unsuccessful three-point attempts.

In the Magic’s 88-71 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last Thursday, Sotto delivered an impressive performance with six points, four rebounds, three blocks, and an assist in just 13 minutes of play.

Having concluded his NBA Summer League stint, Sotto will now redirect his focus to representing Gilas Pilipinas in the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup, unless he receives a training camp invitation from the Magic or other NBA teams.

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Source: Fast Break