THE FLATS – Josh Okogie tabbed for the second straight year to participate in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge … Legendary Mark Price to receive Bobby Jones Award by Athletes in Action … Thaddeus Young trade talk continues … That and more in this edition of the Georgia Tech #ProJackets Basketball Report.
Minnesota Timberwolves’ second-year player Josh Okogie has been selected to represent the team in the 2020 NBA Rising Stars Challenge. Okogie will make his second-straight appearance on Team World.
In his second NBA season, Okogie is averaging 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 45 games. In the 2019 MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars, Okogie scored 13 points, on 6-of-10 from the field and added four rebounds and four assists as Team USA defeated Team World 161-144.
Since the format changed to Team USA versus Team World, Okogie joins Andrew Wiggins (2015 & 2016), Gorgui Dieng (2015), Zach Lavine (2015 & 2016), Shabazz Muhammad (2015) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2016 & 2017) as Timberwolves players to participate in the game. With Okogie’s selection, it marks the fifth appearance in the last six contests by at least one Timberwolves player.
For the sixth consecutive year, the league’s annual showcase of premier young talent will pit 10 first- and second-year NBA players from the U.S. against 10 first- and second-year NBA players from around the world. The game will be televised live by TNT on February 14th at 9 p.m. ET and will also be available on the Watch TNT App and on TNT Overtime.
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Okogie has enjoyed a good week with a pair of strong games against Sacramento and Atlanta. The 6-5 guard put up 23 points (8-11 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 7-8 FT), three steals, one assist and one block in 37 minutes during Wednesday’s loss to his hometown Atlanta Hawks. He submitted 12 points (4-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, two steals and one assist across 26 minutes off the bench Monday in the Timberwolves‘ 113-109 loss to the Kings.
Okogie has gone 17-for-18 at the free-throw line over the past three games, a major reason why he’s been able to reach double figures in the scoring column in all three contests.
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Legendary Georgia Tech and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mark Price will receive the Bobby Jones Award from Athletes in Action and the NBA Retired Players Association during the upcoming All-Star Weekend in Chicago. The award is named for former Philadelphia 76ers great Bobby Jones
Price was a four-time NBA All-Star, won the 3-Point Shootout at the All-Star weekend back-to-back years and is a member of the exclusive 50-40-90 club (50% from the floor, 40% from the 3-pt-line, and 90% from the FT line). Only seven others in the history of the NBA are in this club: Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Steph Curry, Steve Nash, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki and Malcolm Brogdon. Price won a gold medal on Team USA in the World Championships in 1994 on Dream Team 2, and was a three=time All-American while at Georgia Tech.
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With the NBA trade deadline coming up on February 6, speculation continues around the league that Bulls forward Thaddeus Young could be headed to a title-contending team. Stephen Noh of The Athletic writes that a trade would be a win-win for both the Bulls and for Young.
Young’s production has steadily improved over the course of the season, and the 6-8 forward has averaged 10.2 points and hit 47.2 percent from the floor in an average 25.2 minutes over 26 games since mid-December.
Young agreed to a three-year contract with the Bulls in the opening hours of free agency last summer and was expected to add veteran experience and dependable two-way production to one of the league’s youngest teams.
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In response to a survey by the Los Angeles Times, Derrick Favors recalled his 20-point, 20-rebound game against the Los Angeles Clippers last November in a game his New Orleans Pelicans won, 132-127. It was the last game his mother, Deandra, saw him play before she died at age 55.
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Team Ehingen Urspring (ProA) inked 24-year old American guard Brandon Alston (196-92kg-95, college: Georgia Tech). In his first game he scored 4 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and 3 assists. However, his new team lost to Schalke 81-90.
He played recently at Charlotte in Eurobasket Summer League in Las Vegas1, which helped him to get the job in pro basketball. In three ESL games he averaged 8.3ppg, 4.0rpg and 2.0spg. Alston graduated from Georgia Tech in 2019 and it is his first season as a pro.
