Ebuka Okorie scores 20 points in SL debut

Okorie was hardly efficient in this one as his 16 points came on 17 attempts from the field. The 19-year-old point guard had an impressive drive late in the fourth quarter and he was able to finish at the rim. While the rookie is young and inexperienced, there’s a path to backup point guard minutes with the Pistons trading Marcus Sasser to the Mavericks this offseason.

While Monday’s defeat was the second consecutive game in which Okorie shot poorly, he was unable to compensate for those issues as he did in Sunday’s win over the Cavaliers. The first-round pick out of Stanford finished the loss to the Knicks with as many turnovers as assists, four. By comparison, Okorie compensated for a 5-of-17 Sunday by tallying six assists and seven steals. Even with his struggles against the Knicks, the rookie guard displayed good poise throughout and may be approaching the point where Pistons decision-makers decide they’ve seen enough from him this summer.

Okorie’s lone season at Stanford was an excellent one, as he led the ACC in scoring and was one of the conference’s best freshmen. Averaging 23.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.0 three-pointers, the 6-foot-1 guard shot 46.5 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from three and 83.2 percent from the foul line. Okorie does have room to grow as a perimeter shooter, but his playmaking instincts are excellent. The Pistons sent the Grizzlies three second-round picks to move from 21 to 17 to add Okorie, which came after the Thunder traded two second-round picks to move from 17 to 16. Detroit desperately needed to add another ball handler, and Okorie should fill that void flawlessly. He may not see the volume of minutes that he would need to be a fantasy star, but he’ll be very helpful for the Pistons in the non-Cade Cunningham minutes.