Front page photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images | Top photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images
THE FLATS – Josh Okogie has elevated his stock with the Suns and in a potential trade market … Jose Alvarado remains sidelined, to be re-evaluated in early December … Moses Wright expands to international level … more in this week’s #ProJackets Report.
OKOGIE ELEVATES HIS STOCK WITH THE SUNS
There’s a reason that most people said the organization had a strong offseason, and that is because they got deeper across the rotation. Talk of trading center Jusuf Nurkic might begin to heat up as we enter December – but for now at least – there are zero indications he is going anywhere. The Suns need to give minutes increases to these three players, and hope it leads to better results.
No player on this roster has seen their fortunes change more this season than Josh Okogie. Brought back on a two-year, $16 million deal during the offseason, everybody assumed that it would be to give the Suns – a second apron team – access to players they couldn’t have traded for before inking Okogie to that number.
That might still end up being the case, but Okogie has done a great job recently of rehabbing not only his trade value, but his worth to the franchise. On the ugly 1-3 road trip he scored more points than Booker on two occasions – and although that is partly why the team lost those games – it was still an unexpected output from the player.
Josh Okogie tells @BurnsAndGambo Coach Bud has given the Suns the green light to get up as many 3s as possible.
Comin’ Off The Court is presented by America Roofing. pic.twitter.com/Dgi9wtB4gg
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) November 25, 2024
Just your average Josh Okogie sequence 😤 pic.twitter.com/Yp1YmGStFi
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 13, 2024
ALVARADO INJURY JUST ONE OF MANY FOR PELICANS
New Orleans announced on Tuesday, November 12 that Jose Alvarado underwent an MRI to diagnose his injury. The scan confirmed that he suffered a left hamstring strain. The Pelicans also stated that he’d be re-evaluated in three weeks’ time. Shams Charania then tweeted that Alvarado was expected to miss six weeks, but his timetable won’t be clear until his re-evaluation. The average absence for a hamstring strain in the NBA is typically 4-6 weeks, though.
Another injury blow to New Orleans: Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado is expected to miss six weeks due to a hamstring injury, sources told ESPN.
New Orleans is now without Alvarado, Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum and Jordan Hawkins. pic.twitter.com/8BLBGBTM3W
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 12, 2024
WRIGHT EXPANDS TO INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
Olympiacos center Moses Wright will soon become a citizen of Cyprus.
The necessary process is underway, as confirmed by Eurohoops sources.
Wright, 25, is slated to play for the senior national team of Cyprus in the 2025 EuroBasket. He will take the single available spot for naturalized players allowed by FIBA rules. In addition, the Cypriot passport will allow Olympiacos to use him in Greece’s Stoiximan GBL without dealing with league restrictions on foreign players in the game squad.
Awarded an automatic berth as one of the four EuroBasket hosts, Cyprus is currently competing in Group E of the Qualifiers. Following an 0-2 start, a home-and-away series versus France is part of the approaching international window of FIBA, from Nicosia on November 21 to Poitiers on November 24. The next window in March will complete the schedule with matchups against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.
Following the Qualifiers, the draw to set up the final stage of the EuroBasket will be held in March. Similar to the remaining hosts, Finland, Latvia, and Poland, Cyprus will be granted the right to select a partner federation to be automatically placed in the same group of the preliminary round. In September, Cyprus will welcome a total of five more national teams in Group C, in Limassol.
In the 2024-25 campaign with the Reds, the former Georgia Tech standout has averaged 5.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, and 11.2 points per game in the Stoiximan GBL.
Moses Wright confirmed he will play for Cyprus in the 2025 EuroBasket Qualifiers 🇨🇾 pic.twitter.com/Pw1Yv9LYRZ
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) November 11, 2024
#PROJACKETS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
EuroBasket #ProJackets Weekly Update
Courtesy of Eurobasket LLC
- Moses Wright (6’10”-C-1998, played in 2017-21, plays pro in Greece)
- Jordan Usher (6’7”-SF-1998, played in 2019-22, plays in France)
- Josh Okogie (6’4”-G-1998, played in 2016-18, currently in the NBA Phoenix Suns)
- Michael Devoe (6’5”-G-1999, played in 2018-22, plays pro in Germany)
- Khalid Moore (6’7”-F-2000, played in 2018-22, plays in France)
- Josh Heath (6’1”-PG-1994, played in 2014-17, currently in Belgium)
- Abdoulaye Gueye (6’9”-C-1994, played in 2014-15, plays pro in Turkey)
- Brandon Alston (6’5”-G-1995, played in 2017-19, plays in Portugal)
- James Banks III (6’10”-F/C-1998, played in 2018-20, currently in Greece)
- Ben Lammers (6’10”-C-1995, played in 2014-18, plays pro in Spain)
Other former Georgia Tech players who play in pro basketball:
- Jose Alvarado (6’0”-PG-1998, played in 2017-21) plays for New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA
- Trae Golden (6’3”-PG-1991, played in 2013-14) signed for Fujian Sturgeons in Chinese CBA
- Ja’von Franklin (6’7”-F/C-1998, played in 2023-23) signed for Windrose Giants Antwerp in Belgian Pro Basketball League
- Avi Schafer (6’9”-F/C-1998, played in 2017-19) plays for SeaHorses Mikawa in Japanese B1 League
- Glen Rice Jr. (6’6”-F-1991, played in 2009-12) plays for Cocodrilos in Venezuelan SPB
- Marcus Georges-Hunt (6’5”-F-1994, played in 2012-16) plays for Sichuan Blue Whales in Chinese CBA
- Rodney Howard (6’11”-F, played in 2020-23) plays for Craiova in Romanian Liga Nationala
- Evan Jester (6’7”-F-1999, played in 2017-19) plays for Atlanta Aliens in the ABA
- Charles Mitchell (6’8”-F/C-1993, played in 2014-16) plays for Dorados de Chihuahua in Mexican LNBP
- Gani Lawal (6’9”-F/C-1988, played in 2007-10) plays for Toros Del Valle in Colombian Liga WPlay
Notice: The list above includes only some of alumni playing currently in pro basketball. Check complete list of Georgia Tech basketball alumni.
