Kai breakout coming soon?
Filipino center Kai Sotto continues to make strides in the Australian National Basketball League or NBL. He has been inserted into the Adelaide 36ers starting lineup, and they have won three games in a row in the process. After beating South East Melbourne Phoenix on Christmas eve for their third straight victory, 36ers head coach CJ Bruton spoke of his squad’s recent success.
“Very happy for the 36ers, for our players, for our organization.”
With the mini win streak, Bruton was clearly enthralled with what his team has been able to achieve. Coming into competition, this type of winning environment has always been what he had envisioned for the team.
“I’ve been excited since we have started our new season. Going into training camp bringing that to the boys every single day, so they see that and understand that . . . my passion and love for this game, I want to see them be successful and I want to see this club be successful,” Bruton said.
The Adelaide coach is all about helping his players reach their individual and collective goals. And clearly, a part of that dynamic is building a rapport with Kai Sotto. The 36ers currently stand at 9-8 on the season, with Sotto as a starter in the past three games. The welcome development didn’t come out on a whim or a lineup experiment. Instead, it resulted from a direct collaboration between the coach and the player.
“As the season has gone on, clearly I have made the adjustment and Kai has made the adjustments as well in all the areas I asked him to do,” Bruton divulged.
“We are where we are now and the players are playing well and the competition is healthy at practice.”
Some die-hard Kai Sotto fans have been bashing Bruton for not giving their idol not enough playing time. But obviously, they don’t see the whole picture. The coach has a firm grasp of what his players’ capabilities are, their preparedness, and what they need to do to succeed. Now, Bruton and Kai are on the same page, trying to collect more Ws for Adelaide. Coach CJ says things are now looking up.
“We are playing better, I think the momentum is coming.”