The Pistons don’t need Ebuka Okorie to be a star right away. They just need him to make life a little awkward.
That’s the real intrigue around Detroit’s rookie guard heading into his first NBA season. On paper, the path is crowded. He’s listed as the third point guard going into training camp, but there are still at least four veteran guards ahead of him, and Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Joe, Daniss Jenkins, Kevin Huerter and even Gary Harris are all expected to get minutes before Okorie unless he forces the issue.
That’s why the early read on him has leaned cautious. In Summer League, Okorie showed flashes, but he also looked like a player still adjusting to the speed and strength of NBA competition.
And yet, the door hasn’t shut. Recent videos of him getting run against Donovan Mitchell this summer have kicked the conversation back into gear. If Okorie really can help during his rookie year, Detroit would be happy to have the kind of problem that comes with too much backcourt depth.
The question is simple: what if Ebuka Okorie is better than expected?
It’s easy for coaches to talk themselves out of playing rookies, especially when there are veterans in the mix during camp battles. JB Bickerstaff already knows more about what his older guards can bring, and those players also come with bigger paychecks and the expectation of rotation minutes.
That makes it easier, at least early on, to lean toward Jenkins or Huerter over Okorie.
But Okorie doesn’t need to win every job in the room. He just needs to beat out one guy.
And he may be able to do that without being asked to run the whole offense from day one. He can score.
He can be a change-of-pace option off the bench. That alone could give the Pistons a look they don’t already have.
If that happens, Bickerstaff would face the uncomfortable but useful choice of sitting a veteran. The front office would also get a clearer picture that one of its guards could become expendable.
That matters because if Okorie can handle some creation and bring a different scoring style, Detroit could feel better about moving one of its other guards before the trade deadline.
For the Pistons, any real contribution from Okorie next season would be a bonus. They are not counting on him to carry a big load. But if he carves out even a small role, that would be a big development for a team that needs cheap talent to keep coming in as the payroll rises.
It would also give Detroit more flexibility in the trade market, with a veteran on a favorable contract becoming easier to consider as a moveable piece.
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