The pick received positive reviews from many draft experts, who viewed Okorie’s score-first style as a natural fit alongside Cade Cunningham.<\/p>\n
So, why did the Pistons choose Okorie?<\/p>\n
At his end-of-season press conference, Detroit president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon stated that he wanted to add more ball-handling and shooting to the roster. Detroit\u2019s three-point shooting didn\u2019t exactly define them last season<\/a>.<\/p>\n Okorie addresses part of that need, bringing both shot creation and playmaking ability after getting up nearly 11 field-goal attempts per game while at Stanford.<\/p>\n He averaged 23.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He ranked third among all freshmen in scoring and tied for the most 30-point games of any freshman nationally with eight, matching the ACC freshman record previously held by Duke\u2019s Marvin Bagley III. His 719 points last season marked the second-most in Stanford history for a freshman and third-most overall in a single season in program history.<\/p>\n The biggest concern surrounding Okorie is his size. At 6\u20191\u201d, he is likely to be the shortest player on Detroit’s roster next season. <\/p>\n If his scoring translates to the NBA, that may not be a significant issue. However, his lack of size could pose challenges defensively, particularly when matched up against bigger, more experienced guards.<\/p>\n “We wanted to go get the guy that we wanted,” Langdon said. “He is a guy that we targeted throughout this process. I watched a lot of film on him, and throughout the second half of the season, he was a guy we liked. <\/p>\n \u201cHe fits what we are trying to do here, in terms of playing faster, having another guy who can handle the ball not only to score, but create for the guys who are on the floor with him.”<\/p>\n A decent shooter, Okorie thrives on finishes around the rim and his ability to drive downhill; he is a solid attacking downhill guard. <\/p>\n His consistent scoring also gives him the ability to get to the free-throw line, where he shot 83% at Stanford.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been well documented that the Pistons needed a secondary scorer for Cunningham, which was made obvious in the playoffs. In Okorie, they might have their answer.<\/p>\n However, Okorie having an immediate impact might be unlikely, but the Pistons have certainly bagged the best scoring guard in this year\u2019s Draft. <\/p>\n And they will be thanking Memphis for that.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
Add us as a preferred source on Google