2018 Orlando Magic NBA Draft Preview: Who is Elie Okobo?
The Good
You do not have to look very far to see the strengths of Elie Okobo’s game. They were out in full force against AS Monaco (see the highlight video above).
He has arguably the most pull-up shooting range of anyone in this class not named Trae Young. Combine the threat of his jumper with his quickness, burst, finishing above and below the rim and continued improvement with hesitation moves and craftiness, and you have a pretty devastating offensive package.
On and off the ball, he forces defenders to either stick close to him or to close out hard. That allows him to get to the middle of the floor, opening up his driving game and providing passing angles to the perimeter.
It is worth stressing his relative well-roundedness as a scorer. Many guard prospects, especially in this draft, have struggled considerably finishing at the rim. Trae Young, Devonte’ Graham, Collin Sexton, Jevon Carter, Aaron Holiday and Carsen Edwards are just a few with poor efficiency in that area, per Synergy.
While we do not have similar statistics for Okobo readily available, his leaping ability, wingspan, strength and touch make it significantly easier for him to finish among the trees, through contact, below the rim and above it.
He has also demonstrated the ability to make shots in the midrange off the bounce and fading away. His floater game needs some work. But there is not an area on the court from which he is not a respectable scoring threat.
His awareness working out of the pick-and-roll bodes well for his NBA translation. He knows how to find and execute pocket passes to roll men. But he is also cognizant of cutters and open shooters beyond the arc.
There is no clear way to defend him in these situations, especially if he is paired with decent shooters and a lob threat.
Drop coverage and he can pull-up. Switch and he can blow by a mismatch with ease. Hedge, trap or show and he can find his dive man or a shooter. That dynamism is exactly what you look for in a modern point guard.
Defensively he leaves something to be desired for someone with his tools. But he has clearly demonstrated that he knows how to use his length, strength and quickness in an effective way. It is just a matter of applying those things more consistently.
Even if he does not, and his execution remains inconsistent, he is still a better defensive point guard prospect than many of his peers in this class.