Phoenix Suns: 3 goals for Elie Okobo’s rookie season

1. Earn starting PG job

The Suns will continue to monitor trade options throughout the preseason and leading up to the deadline, but for the time being, the starting point guard job is up for grabs. Entering training camp, it’ll be a four-year battle between Okobo, fellow second round rookie De’Anthony Melton, Shaquille Harrison and Isaiah Canaan.

Melton’s length, defensive skill-set and positional versatility make him a great potential fit next to Devin Booker in the backcourt, but general manager Ryan McDonough admitted at Media Day that Phoenix isn’t as familiar with his game yet since he was just recently acquired via trade. Since the Suns could’ve drafted Melton at No. 37 and instead took Okobo, it appears as though he’d have to really stand out in training camp to steal the starting gig.

Shaq Harrison is a dark horse who should be taken seriously in this debate given his bullish defense, penchant for getting into passing lanes and his young age as he approaches his 25th birthday. However, even after tweaking his shot over the summer, he still has to prove he can provide some semblance of offense, particularly from a floor-spacing perspective.

Canaan is on a mission to prove he can come back from that horrific ankle injury, but he hasn’t played meaningful basketball in months. He’s got the advantage of experience after five years in the league, but that’s really the only edge he has on a non-guaranteed deal.

Head coach Igor Kokoskov sees this open battle for minutes playing out in a less traditional manner.

"“We’re conceptually trying to turn what you’d call a weakness into a strength,” he said. “Nobody’s got that much depth at point guard. We don’t have one guy that we’re saying, ‘This is the starting point guard,’ but we have four point guards who can start anytime. So maybe those guys aren’t going to play longer stretches, they’re going to give us shorter stretches, play less minutes but more intense and be solid.”"

However, McDonough noted that Okobo has been a standout during summer workouts, so even though Kokoskov is ready to embrace a point guard-by-committee approach, it’ll be the Frenchman’s job to rise head-and-shoulders above his competition and earn the starting job.

The opportunity is there, but Okobo’s focus is elsewhere at the moment.

"“That’s really cool, but at the same time, I’m not really worried about it,” he said. “I just want to feel myself grow on the court, and feel my teammates like to play with me and feel like, ‘We can have confidence in Elie because he’s a good point guard, he’ll bring something to us.'”"

Many believe Elie Okobo should’ve been a first round pick. This would be his best way to prove those pundits right, and begin to show the fanbase he deserves to be mentioned as part of the core for “The Timeline” moving forward.