With the recent emergence of a seven-foot-two unicorn taking his talents to the G-League instead of the NCAA, the Houdini has its eyes locked in on a unique basketball prospect for the Boston Celtics.
One of the best developments of this period of time we exist in is the rise of the NBA G-League. In what will surely benefit the NBA–and of course the Boston Celtics–the developmental league will soon have the premiere draft prospects instead of the NCAA.
College basketball as we know is likely to be thrown on its head in the post-Coronavirus world. If students aren’t going to be in classrooms, you better believe they won’t be on the basketball hardwood.
Enter the G-League. With Jalen Green already the major get for the Gatorade sponsored minor league, Isaiah Todd and now seven-foot-two Kai Sotto have joined him to form the backbone of what will be the G-League select team–essentially a league endorsed superteam of the players who would have represented the Duke’s, Michigan’s and UCLA’s in the NCAA.
Sotto is the name that could be of most interest to Boston Celtics fans. While he has the potential to be the most dominant of the bunch. he comes from a more uncertain background, hoping to be the first Philippines-born NBA player.
If there’s anything that could send him out of the top tier of the lottery, that C’s would be in a position to capitalize with their own draft stock. Why exactly would a team give up a 2021 draft selection during uncertain times?
Well, the Boston Celtics will have rostered five first round picks from the past two years next June…or whenever the 2021 draft will be. Romeo Langford could raise his value with a healthy season and make himself an attractive trade chip, and the team could offer several young pieces for a team looking for more a sure thing than an incoming mid-first round draft pick.
Now, Sotto is an intriguing mix of a lot of different skill-sets. He has good hands for a young giant, he has a fundamentally sound jump shot, and he has back to the basket moves outside of relying on his frame to produce easy looks.
Bleacher Report unveiled a seven minute long feature on a player who seems capable of taking the league by storm not because of overwhelming athleticism, but because of being a student of the game with a natural born passion for it:
A seven-foot-two lefty with Hakeem Olujawon-like footwork and a Tim Duncan-like jumper, Sotto has the modern must-have shooting ability to space the floor. He was seen making several 3-pointers consecutively.
Adding a cheap young prodigy at the center position would be ideal for the Boston Celtics. With Kemba Walker penciled in as the franchise point guard for the next few years, and a combination of Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and (ideally) Romeo Langford at on the wings, the center position could use a long-term cornerstone.
Perhaps Tacko Fall is that, and his development will lead to him buoying the C’s core at the pivot spot. Fall’s ceiling may be that of a reserve if he even sticks long-term. Sotto is a guinea pig of sorts to see what kind of transition young G-League stars will have to the association.
If the transition is easier for graduates of the G-League Select Team, Sotto could be the first big man star of a new era. What better way could he be welcomed to the league than winning titles alongside the one day established Boston Celtics core.