2018 Orlando Magic NBA Draft Preview: Who is Elie Okobo?
Elie Okobo has flown under the radar in most NBA draft analysis. But his combination of size, pull-up shooting from deep range and passing acumen makes him ideal.
The Orlando Magic have a pronounced need at point guard. They have a pronounced need for shooting. They have a pronounced need for offensive creation in general. The team has a pronounced interest in positional size and wingspan.
Elie Okobo, averaging 18.8 points and 6.5 assists per 36 minutes while shooting 41.5 percent from three for Pau-Orthez in the French LNB Pro A, is an intuitive fit.
Outside of Trae Young, he might be this draft’s best point guard prospect (sorry, Collin Sexton). He has demonstrated a penchant for explosive offensive performances, dropping 44 points on 70 percent shooting against AS Monaco on May 23 and 30 on 70 percent shooting against Chalon-Sur-Saone, including 15 points in the last five minutes to lead his team to a victory.
He fits the modern point guard archetype: He is an efficient and technically sound pull-up shooter. Okobo is capable of elevating in space to block shots and finish above the rim. He has a quick first step and good measurements for his position at 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan.
Like Young, Okobo is an adept pick-and-roll operator, capable of pulling up from multiple levels and making reads all over the floor.
Holding him back is mostly consistency on both ends. For stretches, he looks like an elite defensive guard prospect, leveraging his frame and athleticism to lock down and make plays on and off the ball. Other times, he looks disengaged and spacey, making ill-advised gambles. And on offense, he can be prone to puzzling decisions on drives.
That lack of consistent quick and intelligent read-making is what holds him back from cracking the top tier of point guard prospects in this draft.
But for the Magic, it is difficult not to be attracted to his shot-making ability as a potential draft-and-stash candidate with the 35th or 41st pick.