Josh Okogie is Doing More that Just Okay
Phoenix Suns fans are beginning to have something to smile about again after a disastrous five-game slide that saw the Suns lose the No. 1 seed in the West.
After trailing by as many as 24 points Saturday night Phoenix was resilient and was able to muscle out a 118-114 victory against their newest rival, the New Orleans Pelicans. There was a lot to be excited about from Booker’s 58-point night to Chris Paul shooting 5-7 from three.
Not to be lost is Josh Okogie, who finished with seven points all from the charity line and six rebounds to match, the last coming crucially in the final minutes of the game against Zion Williamson.
It capped off what was a very strong week from the Suns’ defensive anchor.
Against the Houston Rockets in a losing effort, Okogie finished with 10 points on 4-8 shooting and had six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal in 20 minutes played.
He followed that up with 11 points on 5-9 shooting and 11 rebounds with two assists, two steals, and a block in 25 minutes against the Clippers.
Okogie is originally from Nigeria before attending high school in Snellville, Georgia before attending Georgia Tech. He was drafted No. 20 by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2018 and spent his first four seasons there before he signed with the Suns on July 5th this past offseason.
Suns star Devin Booker talked about what he noticed from Okogie early on:
“I had a short training camp with him, but he was doing the same thing with me during training camp, just making it tough every day.” Booker elaborated, “He’s that caliber player where he can go out there and slow down any top primary scorer in the league and I truly believe that. What he does on the offensive end, people aren’t doing that either.”
Okogie averaged under 10 minutes in October and November. His minutes proceeded to skyrocket in December to 20.5 with Cam Johnson out since November and a carousel of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Cameron Payne, Torrey Craig, and Duane Washington Jr all being sidelined throughout the month with some type of ailment.
Head coach Monty Williams talked about Okogie’s overall value in his game on Saturday and offered, “Josh is just one of those guys who has a huge impact on the game on both ends. I thought the offensive rebounds he got were just about as impressive as any play that happened tonight.” Williams continued, “He just kept going, and you could see him spring off the ground. Go above everybody to get it.”
He had a difficult task against the Pelicans with being responsible for shutting down Zion Williamson in the final minutes. Okogie explained how he kept the MVP candidate in check in the final minutes, “he is one of the best players in the league at drawing fouls. So one, show my hands. Not try to put my hands on him and guard him with my body. To stay in front and just trust that the other four guys on the court with me are in their respective spots where they can help and dig.”
Okogie is the latest bench “surprise” this season after Damion Lee as many expected, and still expect, Phoenix to make a bigger move with Jae Crowder sitting out the season and the questions surrounding the Suns' offense coming into the season.
Needless to say, the admiration of Okogie to fans is mutual.
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