It appears Kai Sotto is settling in quite nicely with the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the Japan B.League.
Again given more playing time in his second game for Hiroshima, the Kaiju responded with aplomb, netting 20 points on an efficient 9-for-14 shooting from the field as the Dragonflies outlasted the Kyoto Hannaryz, 102-95. Sotto also added 8 rebounds and 1 steal in 22:45 minutes of floor time—or four minutes more than he played in his debut for Hiroshima, who scored its first win with the Filipino big in tow.
Kyoto was led by Sotto’s compatriot and fellow Gilas member Matthew Wright, who scored a game-high 26 points on 7-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc. He added 2 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals in a losing cause.
The star of this game, though, was definitely Sotto. The 7-foot 2 beanpole put every bit of his length to good use against the Hannaryz, finishing in traffic a handful of times, including on a reverse one-handed jam off his own miss. Sotto also turned defense to offense at one point—intercepting a pass, starting the break, and then throwing down a smooth, effortless two-handed alley-oop from Hiroshima point guard Ryo Terashima.
Sotto’s 20-point, 8-rebound effort fittingly netted him “Man of the Match” honors, and he was asked to take center court and speak to the fans, whom he thanked profusely.
“I’m very happy that I got my first home win tonight, and I’m happy for the team,” Sotto started out. “I wanna thank everybody that came out.... As I said, I was very excited coming into this game and I wasn’t shocked that the fans were great. You guys really helped us, [you] gave us a boost tonight and helped us with this win.”
The Kaiju’s home debut is a fitting follow-up to his formal Japan B.League introduction last Wednesday, March 8, when he scored 10 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots. And if this trend of getting more minutes continues, Sotto might just find himself getting better and better as the season progresses.