Analyzing 3 Newly Acquired Phoenix Suns in 2022 Offseason

What can Josh Okogie do for the Phoenix Suns?

Josh Okogie comes to the Suns ready to play a scrappy, hard-nosed, swiss army knife of role. He remains a versatile prospect at just 23 years old and someone able to generate plenty of energy on the less-glamorous end of the floor.

Being the 20th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Okogie has yet to live up to his selection mainly due to his limits at the offensive end. However, he can certainly excel in a system where his lacking skills are covered by surrounding parts, in-turn enabling him to play solely to his strengths.

Offensively, those include his opportunistic cutting and rim-attacking tendencies. Okogie possesses an underrated feel for making plays that surfaces from time to time. He also excels playing in the open floor.

Defensively, Okogie remains most stout in on-ball containment. He can sometimes be overzealous (which can lead to inopportune fouls), but it naturally plays into his favor as he excels in trailing and recovering, even playing defense from behind. In that specific scenario, he’s adept at contesting and blocking shots on-ball.

Over his first three seasons, Okogie tallied 33, 26, and 28 blocks. Last season he registered 12 rejections in by-far his lowest minutes total, still displaying his activity even with limited burn.

Okogie also knows how to pick a guy’s pocket with the proper body positioning to dislodge the ball. His top tier athleticism adds to his defensive arsenal as well, often displayed with his lateral mobility and the fluidity with which he changes directions.

Last season, Okogie ranked in the 84th percentile for forwards both in block percentage and steal percentage. Even more, Timberwolves lineups including him last season ranked 98th percentile in points allowed per 100 possessions, at 102.8.