Former Suns point guard Elie Okobo, who was the No. 31 overall pick in the 2018 draft, has been out of the NBA since the 2019/20 season and is playing in France this year. However, the 24-year-old tells Dionysis Aravantinos of HoopsHype that he envisions himself returning stateside at some point — he’s just not sure when.
“I didn’t really set goals about a return timetable, a deadline, or whatever,” Okobo said.” I want to improve, be ready, and I want to make sure I’m not going back to the NBA as a rookie, I want to set a certain standard, I want to come back with a status of a great EuroLeague player. I obviously want to have a long NBA career, but right now I’m focusing on the team and myself.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Veteran guard Isaiah Thomas, who continues to seek an NBA comeback, is changing representation, according to Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com (Twitter link). Thomas is in the process of finding a new agent after previously being represented by Bernie Lee.
- USA Basketball has officially added big man Will Davis II to its roster for the upcoming qualifying games for the 2023 World Cup. Since initially announcing the 12-man squad for the event, Team USA has replaced Jordan Bell, Frank Mason, Orlando Johnson, and DaQuan Jeffries with Justin Anderson, Haywood Highsmith, Davis, and Thomas.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tries his luck at predicting which teams could be most active in trade talks leading up to the February deadline. Lottery teams like the Kings, Thunder, Magic, and Pistons are among those Pincus views as the best candidates to make moves.