Overtime Elite: Darrion Sutton's Potential as Playmaking Wing
As part of a showcase ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Overtime Elite put on four games over the course of two days this week. One of the players who really showcased his upside during this event — just as he has for the majority of this season — was Georgia Tech commit Darrion Sutton.
The 6-foot-8 combo forward has always been a remarkable prospect, but has really turned a corner this season in the OTE system. His performance in Indianapolis this week showcased how much more polished he is as a player relative to the start of the season. His development is abundantly clear with another season in a professional setting.
A key member of the RWE roster, Sutton is one of the pieces that acts as a catalyst for the team's success. He has a dynamic skillset on both ends and is a legitimate playmaker.
Sutton's ability to find himself as a player this season has been one of the primary reasons he's been so impactful. Corey Frazier — head coach of RWE and Head of Player Development at OTE — spoke highly of the Georgia Tech commit and his ability to learn how to lean into his skillset this season.
“He’s been able to figure out who he is. I'm saying this lightly because I don't know all the history of him as a player, but he has been maybe playing the wrong position," Frazier told Draft Digest. "We can play him as a hybrid four or sometimes we can play him as backup point guard. In the open court at 6-foot-8 some of the stuff he does is unreal.”
Frazier would go on to reminisce on a sequence of events in October when he kept seeing flashes of another familiar player when working with Sutton on the court. He came to the realization that his game had shades of former NBA wing Jalen Rose. From there, Frazier and Sutton began watching old film of Rose.
“That's what you can be. This guy made a lot of money, doing those little things [that you can do]," Frazier told Sutton in those initial film sessions.
It will be fascinating to see how Damon Stoudamire and the rest of the Georgia Tech staff leverage Sutton as a freshman in their system. He's the size of a college forward, which is a position he has experience playing with RWE. However, the playmaking and facilitation upside is what really makes him unique. If he can play a point forward role once he's integrated into the system, we will see the best version of Sutton at the next level.
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