Mock drafts from Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Yahoo! Sports have surfaced in the media with no Sotto on the list as a first-round selection.

But, the 7-foot-2 Sotto is unfazed and just laboring through night and day on improving his game.

“I’m not putting too much attention to the rankings because I know what I’m capable of doing. My dad always tells me to don’t think too much of it and focus more on improving as a player and a person,” Sotto averred in a virtual press conference Thursday.

“I’m just focused on getting better and, whatever, it’s their opinion,” he added.

The NBA’s developmental system that consists of Sotto, Green, Nix, and Kuminga are on the list of the most anticipated players even before they play on the hard courts.

For the 18-year-old Sotto, he is spending every bit of his time during the pandemic enhancing his skills.

“I think it’s been good. There’s a lot of adjustments and playing against pros isn’t easy for me and for the other players. Those scrimmages are a completely new experience, but I think we’ll be more prepared and more ready because of that,” Sotto stated.

Sotto also showed confidence and admitted that he had improved throughout the team’s practice facility in Walnut Creek, California.

“I think I got better, got more athletic, got better a lot offensively. I’ve been here in the US for over a year training, playing here, and the competition I played is better, so I think I got better,” he shared assessing his performance.

Sotto also acknowledged his coach, Brian Shaw, together with deputy Rasheed Abdul-Rahman, thanking then for his growth and the work for assessing his weak points.

“Coach Shaw has helped me improve and he’s telling us to be comfortable being uncomfortable. There are things that I’m not really good at, spots that I need to improve on more, and they helped me get used to it,” Sotto said.

“When I go to the next level, those are things that our opponents will try to expose, so for me, it’s a matter of getting better in my weak points and make it to our advantage,” he continued. 

However, Sotto believes that he is far behind from what he wants to be.

“I’m still far behind. My dad always reminds me that I’m not good enough. I have to get better every single day. The NBA is full of the best players in the world so I’m doing my best each day to improve,” the Filipino prodigy commented.

“Everybody wants me to be more aggressive every possession. I have to get stronger and be more athletic because the game is stronger, faster, and players from 1 to 5 now play outside. I have to do my best to adjust to the game today,” he added.