Élie Okobo

Okobo may not be a household name, at least not in the way that Bridges and Ayton are, but he is still a very talented player that fans should pay attention to. Elie Okobo was an All-Star in the French LNB Pro A, the highest division of professional basketball in France.

This league has produced a very impressive list of NBA talent, including Rudy Gobert, Tony Parker, and Boris Diaw. Okobo averaged 12.9 points and 4.8 assists in 26.3 minutes per game last year with his French club Pau-Lacq-Orthez.

Aside from Luka Doncic, Okobo was the most sought-after international guard prospect in the draft, and with good reason. He’s shown an ability to score efficiently, shooting 47% from the field and 39% from 3. He also scored a career-high 44 points in a playoff game, a performance that raised his draft stock with many teams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG53ZbJH-nA

As the team is currently constituted, Okobo is behind Brandon Knight on the depth chart at point guard. The Suns have other players that can potentially handle the duties of the lead guard, but Okobo should still see minutes and he should also be in situations where he’s bringing the ball up the floor.

His ability to score and make plays for others could give Phoenix a valuable contributor off the bench. Okobo finished as a runner-up to Frank Ntilikina for the Pro A’s best young player award in 2017. If he proves to be a good fit with the Suns, the roles may be reversed in due time.