A significant chunk of the Filipino basketball community seems to be running out of patience.
The Orlando Magic once again lost in the NBA Summer League, this time falling to the Indiana Pacers, 108-85. Kai Sotto once again logged zero minutes on the court as Magic coach Dylan Murphy didn’t fancy using the 7-foot-3 Filipino center for the second straight game. Sotto has yet to see action in the NBA preseason showcase, and his avid supporters are straight up exasperated.
That exasperation has been fully expressed on Twitter, with the bulk of it being directed at the Magic franchise. Clearly, there is a demand for Sotto to play, not only from his fans in the Philippines, but also from the live audience.
Check out the “we want Sotto” chants raining down inside the Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday.
The people’s plea, however, fell on deaf ears, which probably prompted one Twitter user to conclude that there’s some sort of beef happening between Sotto and Murphy.
“It’s either the head coach or one of the staff got some personal issue with Sotto,” @holyfreak77 wrote.
Netizen @OrlandoNapoli22 used the caps lock button, and made it obvious that he’s fuming over the second consecutive benching of Sotto.
“YOUR POVERTY FRANCHISE DOESN’T DESERVE KAI SOTTO,” he wrote.
Twitter user @AdipemCerebra simply asked when exactly will the 21-year-old big man get his minutes Vegas. He then got a reply from another frustrated Kai supporter, saying that Orlando is simply using the Filipino hoops star as a marketing tool more than anything else.
Filipino basketball fan Aryel Mangansakan seemed to have put a curse on the Magic due to his frustrations over the team’s coaching decisions.
As for Kai himself, he has no choice but to get back to the drawing board and regroup. The only thing he can do is to remain positive and stay ready at all times, and having family supporting him is indeed a welcome boost.
Come Thursday, Kai might finally get his shot as the Magic take on the Knicks at 8:00 a.m.
(GM)