Phoenix Suns summer league - 2018

Atreya Verma | The Republic | azcentral.com

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Elie Okobo recorded nine points, six assists and four rebounds in his NBA Summer League debut, but the highlight that most Suns fans will remember from Friday night was a slick bounce pass he dished late in the 3rd quarter.

He cocked his hand back with the ball inside his palm and delivered a bullet with just enough english to a cutting Shaquille Harrison along the baseline for an easy slam. Suns fans have a unique appreciation for pass-first point guards who still have the ability to create their own shot, and Okobo showed the ability to fill that role on Friday night.

The Bordeaux, France, native didn’t always fit the point guard model, but after breaking his foot last year, he changed his role and hasn’t looked back since. He came off the bench as a shooting guard in the 2016-17 season, playing a limited role.

Okobo’s injury came at the worst time possible, in February of 2017. The three month recovery timeline meant he wasn’t going to be able to participate in the full predraft process, dashing any real chances of a selection on draft night.

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This was hardly Okobo’s first setback. He wasn’t like other European prospects that had been heralded since their early teens. His friend, Frank Ntilikina, was on the radar of NBA teams years before New York took him at No. 8 in last year’s draft.

Ntilikina was one of the people in the NBA that Okobo reached out to during this year’s predraft process. The two are close and still text and FaceTime each other often to talk about life off the court, Ntilikina said.

Okobo took a more jagged, struggle-filled route to Las Vegas. He tried to make the Pau-Lacq-Orthez team when he was 14 and 15 years old and was cut each time. After entering into the professional ranks, he was disappointed again when he tried out for the under-18 national team he was left off the roster.

“The first time, when the coach said (I was being cut), I was mad,” he recalled about the national team tryouts. “I was like ‘f--k man, why?’”

Then he went back to work.

Until he made the under-20 French national team as a 19-year-old and led the team in scoring, Okobo was still fighting for his dream from the shadows.

“I knew he had the talent to be on that team (in the first tryout),” said Ntlikina, who made that under-18 team. “I knew he was going to be a good player.”

When Okobo returned to Pau-Lacq-Orthez from his national team experience, he switched backcourt positions to point guard. He proved that even when he isn’t making shots (he went 0-for-5 from the field on Saturday against the Kings) he can still create chances for this teammates.

The best teams in the league operate behind point guards that can create their own shot. It is no longer good enough to just be the best passer on the roster to see playing time at that position. Okobo’s roots as a scorer were on display against Dallas.

He used his step-back move twice to shake defenders and nail fadeaway jumpers. He was able to get to the rim and use his floater on occasion. But, for Okobo, the highlights of the night were when he able to set up his teammate.

"I want to them make them feel comfortable on the court,” he said.

Suns coach Igor Kokoskov made it clear that Okobo is capable of running the point for this offense.

“He’s a true point guard,” Kokoskov said after Friday night’s win. “We’re not questioning what his role is, what his job description is. We know he’s a point guard. He’s got tools."

But there is still work to do. Okobo didn’t make a significant impact in Phoenix’s second summer-league game but was still given charge of the offense in spurts by Kokoskov.

Okobo admits those slights early in his career made him more mature. His understated performance on Saturday won’t be the last time the rookie struggles on the court this summer or this coming season. But Okobo is battle tested from his time in Europe and has the scars to prove it.