The anticipation for basketball player Kai Sotto's first NBA Summer League appearance remains unfulfilled.
Despite standing at an impressive 7-foot-3, the Filipino talent was not given the opportunity to step onto the court in Orlando's second preseason showcase game.
From the bench, he witnessed the Orlando Magic suffer a disappointing 108-86 defeat against the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
Amidst the game at Thomas & Mack Arena, passionate chants of "We Want Sotto" reverberated through the air.
However, Coach Dylan Murphy remained resolute in his decision to keep Sotto on the sidelines — adhering to a rotation of 11 players, primarily consisting of draft picks and contracted athletes.
Following the pattern established in the opening loss to the Detroit Pistons, Sotto received the designation of DNP-CD (Did Not Play-Coach's Decision).
Sotto, who was also absent in Orlando's initial encounter against Detroit last Sunday, may finally make his long-awaited debut in the preseason league when the Magic face off against the New York Knicks on Thursday, July 13.
