The Phoenix Suns drafted French point guard Elie Okobo with the first pick of the second round. What does that mean for current Suns backup point Tyler Ulis?
By all accounts, Tyler Ulis had an up and down season last year. After a promising second half last year, the Suns seemed to have found a solid back up point guard. The hope was Ulis would come in and give starting guard Eric Bledsoe a rest. Then, the soap opera started.
Three games in, Bledsoe took an ill fated trip to a place he did not want to be…a hair salon. Bledsoe was sent home from the team, and instead of handing the reigns to Ulis, the Suns started basketball journeymen Mike James.
It took ten games with James as the starter before the Suns finally gave Ulis the starting spot. It took another 34 games before Ulis was no longer the starting point.
The Suns would go on to start Devin Booker, Isaiah Canaan, and Elfrid Payton at the point over the rest of the season. During that same span, Ulis would go on to tally 10 did not plays coaches decision.
With seven games left and Payton struggling, Ulis was called upon once again to lead the floundering Suns. He fared better in the 6 games he started, looking like the Ulis we remembered from last year. But that effort may have been too little too late.
Enter Elie Okobo
Okobo already has an advantage over Ulis simply based on size. Okobo is 6’3” with a 6’8” wingspan and weighs 180 pounds. Ulis comes in at 5’10” and 155 pounds, with a whopping 6’1” wingspan. Per Bleacher Report, who compares Okobo to D’Angelo Russell, he averaged 13.8 points at 48.9 percent shooting. He hit 41.8 percent of his three point attempts and has the potential to be a decent facilitator, averaging 4.7 assists per game.
Although he sometimes struggles on defense, Okobo has the size and quickness to be a good defender. His issue is a lack of full effort on defense which, hopefully, can be fixed. Okobo could become the point guard the Suns need. He may never become the full time starter, but he can be a valuable backup that has the ability to start when called upon.
Next: Roundtable: Phoenix Suns 2018 draft review
Ulis showed flashes of this ability but has never fully taken advantage of his opportunities. His team option is due this coming Sunday, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Suns didn’t pick it up. If they do, I don’t see him on the roster when the season starts. Hopefully moving on from Ulis wouldn’t drive Booker to make his own hair salon trip.