KAI Sotto will now face a different team in his debut with the Adelaide 36ers following changes on the National Basketball League (NBL) regular season schedule next month.
Instead of testing the mettle of new team Tasmania JackJumpers, Sotto and the 36ers will pay a visit at the RAC Arena in Perth to clash with the stacked Wildcats on Dec. 3 for the main game of the NBL twin-bill opener.
Perth (25-11) finished second to NBL champion Melbourne United last season, making it a tall order for Adelaide that settled for a 13-23 record in seventh place.
After Perth, the 36ers then host the Illawarra Hawks on Dec. 5 at the Adelaide Entertainment Center to cap off their opening week.
The NBL said it opted to tweak the original schedule released last month to prioritize more fans in game venues after restrictions last season.
Adelaide will be under the watch of new mentor CJ Bruton, who replaced Conner Henry in the offseason.
But first, Mr. Sotto will get a taste of NBL action in the Blitz preseason games starting this weekend when Adelaide battles the Cairns Taipans at the MyState Bank Arena in Tasmania.
Mr. Sotto and Adelaide will also collide with Perth, Tasmania and the Brisbane Bullets in the NBL Blitz slated to run until Nov. 28.
The 7-foot-3 Filipino sensation is hoping to impress in his international pro league debut in the NBL for his ultimate goal of making it to the NBA down the road.
