THE FLATS – Never too early to think about the start of the NBA season, a Phoenix Suns fan site has begun a series of player previews, starting with our own Josh Okogie … Chris Bosh recalls a difficult pre-draft workout … Moses Wright may play for Cyprus … more in this week’s #ProJackets Report.
JOSH OKOGIE 2024-25 PREVIEW
Bright Side of the Suns embarks on a series of previews in each member of the Phoenix Suns…
Josh Okogie (Shooting Guard/Small Forward, 6’4”, 213 pounds, 26 years old, 6 years of NBA experience). You love him. You’re frustrated by him. When things go wrong, you wish he was in the game. When he’s in the game, you see why he shouldn’t be.
Every team needs high-energy players, and JO certainly brings that. What he lacks in physical deliverables, he makes up for with hustle and grit. Players like Okogie will always have a place on a team, and will always be beloved by the fan base for the traits they display on the hardwood.
His nickname is “Call Me Non-Stop”, and he lives up to that moniker in every sense of the word. If only he could hit the three-ball.
Okogie played plenty last season, posting minutes in 54 of the Suns’ first 60 games. But his averages and contributions were mundane, scoring 4.9 points on 41.7/29.7/74.0 splits. As the season progressed, head coach Frank Vogel slowly moved away from Okogie. And once the trade for Royce O’Neale occurred, his minutes were all but gone.
JO signed a two-year deal this offseason after declining his player option. The contract is for $16 million, and he’s slated to make $8.3 million of that this year.
Player Preview: Josh Okogie returns with a higher salary. What does that mean for his future with Phoenix?
(by @DarthVoita)https://t.co/p8qTPEtNt5
— Bright Side of the Sun (@BrightSideSun) September 16, 2024
CHRIS BOSH RECALLS ROUGH PRE-DRAFT WORKOUT
The entire NBA Draft process is hectic and meticulous, with players subjected to every possible test and evaluation. One moment can make or break a player’s future in the league, and Chris Bosh knows this all too well.
In 2003, Bosh was a highly-touted prospect from Georgia Tech. While many experts pegged him to be taken early in the draft, thanks to his stellar performance in his one-and-done season in the NCAA, where he averaged 15.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, the 6-foot-11 was skeptical after doing poorly in a pre-draft workout for the Chicago Bulls.
Expectations were high for the crafty lefty from Texas, and Bosh was eager to prove himself to NBA teams that he was worthy of an early selection in a draft class teeming with talent. However, in a workout for the Bulls—they held the seventh pick in that draft—Chris folded against the best big men of that class.
June 26, 2003: With the fourth pick in the NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors select Chris Bosh from Georgia Tech. pic.twitter.com/sLLmccj96F
— NBA Cobwebs (@NBACobwebs) June 26, 2024
MOSES WRIGHT MIGHT PLAY FOR CYPRUS
Olympiacos Piraeus might soon have another European citizen on their roster.
According to SDNA’s Magic EuroLeague, Moses Wright is in discussions with Cyprus about becoming the country’s citizen and playing for their national team.
As such, Wright would become recognized as a European player, which would open up more pathways for him in the future, as some leagues, such as the Spanish Liga Endesa, have much more relaxed rules for European Union passport holders.
Wright’s debut could come on November 24th against the same opponent – France.
In his first season in the EuroLeague, the 25-year-old big man averaged 8.1 points and 2.9 rebounds for 10.2 PIR for Olympiacos last year
Moses Wright is in advanced talks to become a Cypriot citizen😳
Source: @IONIKOS1972 #basketballmaniacs #basketball #cyprus #wright #greece #olympiacosbc pic.twitter.com/YGA4Jf6FJO
— Basketballmaniacs_ (@bballmaniacs_) September 14, 2024
