Towering Sotto gets solid chance

For being the tallest player in the roster, Kai Sotto will have a handsome chance of playing good minutes when the Orlando Magic play in the National Basketball Association Summer League.

Standing at 7-foot-3, Sotto could provide a solid interior presence for the Magic, who are looking to test its rookies and young free agents in the annual summer spectacle set from 7 to 17 July at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The Magic will be facing the Detroit Pistons on 8 July, the Indiana Pacers on 10 July, the New York Knicks on 12 July and the Portland Trail Blazers on 13 July.

Sotto will be playing alongside rookies Anthony Black and Jet Howard, who were selected at No. 6 and No. 11, respectively, in the 2023 NBA Draft while sharing the center spot with 6-foot-11 Robert Baker II, a 25-year-old veteran of the NBA G League.

Should he make a good impression, Sotto will be the first full-blooded Filipino to play in the NBA. He, however, has to prove his worth as the Magic acquired veteran big man Goga Bitadze from the Indiana Pacers while bringing back Mo Wagner.

The 6-foot-11 Bitadze was signed for $2.06 million while Wagner struck a two-year $16 million deal.

Australian Joe Ingles, who teamed up with Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson in Utah from 2019 to 2022, also signed with the Magic for a two-year, $22 million contract.

Orlando currently has a pair of two-way contracts, allowing it to sign undrafted players like Sotto for a maximum of 50 games per season.