Valley of the Suns
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Elie Okobo impresses in Summer League debut

By Chad Boyles

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 6: Elie Okobo #2 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 6: Elie Okobo #2 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Elie Okobo may not have been the main focus heading into the Phoenix Suns first Summer League game, but he certainly stole the show.

With all eyes on Deandre Ayton for the Suns first summer league game, it was the rest of the Suns that carried the load in a comfortable win over the Mavericks on Friday night. Ayton finished the game with 10 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 4-6 from the field, but he was dragging his feet at certain times and stand-still at others.

Phoenix was statistically highlighted by Davon Reeds 18 point performance on 7-8 shooting, 14 points from Mikal Bridges (4-5 from three), Josh Jackson who finished with 12 points thanks to a solid second half, and Shaq Harrison who finished with 11 points and 9 assists.

Clearly, Suns fans have something to be excited about. Ayton had his highs, Mikal was the three and D guy the Suns drafted him to be, and Davon Reed is making it tough for the Suns front office to let him go. With all that said, one name seemed to steal the show in particular.

31st overall pick Elie Okobo, currently the backup point guard to Brandon Knight, earned the respect of many fans.

Okobo looked like the kind of point guard you want running your team on Friday.  He was coming to the ball, handling pressure, setting things up, and being vocal.  When the offense seemed stagnant, Okobo demanded the ball to direct traffic. It was awesome to watch.

But Okobo showed more than just his ability to be the floor general. He possesses a beautiful stroke from all over the court, and he shot 4-8 from the field including a three as the shot clock ran out, a deep floater, and a step back jumper.

Okobo made it certain that no one should be worried about his passing ability either, at one point throwing a beautiful bounce pass through an unaware defender to hit Josh Jackson on the other side of the court.  Later on, he hooked up with Davon Reed on a beautiful backdoor cut (a pass reminiscent of Steve Nash‘s days) and a nice looking lob from the lane to big man DeAndre Ayton (Nash and Stoudemire-esque). In all, he finished with 6 assists.

The aggressiveness and confidence Okobo displayed helped him secure four rebounds, too. He showed potential to steal the starting job sooner rather than later, assuming the Suns pass on adding another point guard.

While there was some grieving over the pick at the time, Elie made it heard that he was the right player at 31. 33rd overall pick Jalen Brunson, who was an option for the Suns at Okobo’s spot, finished last night with just 6 points on 3-14 shooting.

Next: Five things to take away from the Summer Suns’ victory

Elie Okobo comes off as a smart basketball mind, and Suns fans everywhere will certainly be focused on many more names than DeAndre Ayton tonight when they battle the Kings. It’ll be the summer league equivalent to a Warriors-Rockets regular season game. Hopefully the Suns, and Elie Okobo, can continue to build off their rear start.

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