The Pistons made a big move to trade up for Ebuka Okorie in the draft, but the rookie seems fully ready to handle the weight of Detroit's expectations. In his introductory press conference, Okorie chose number #23 for his jersey, most recently worn in Detroit by Jaden Ivey.
It's been clear since his selection that Okorie is meant to fill the secondary creator and scorer role that Ivey once occupied before his injury and subsequent trade. By boldly taking on the same jersey number, Okorie is embracing the role and showing his confidence to fill it properly.
Ebuka Okorie knows what he has to do
After seeing the Pistons in the playoffs, Okorie must realize how much value he can bring by just playing his usual game. Detroit clearly needed another player next to Cade Cunningham who could reliably break down opposing defenses or extend advantages created by Cade. Without that, they relied too heabily on Cade and wore him down after two consecutive 7-game series.
Unfortunately, Okorie must also know that he could very well be the Pistons' best shot to add another creator and playmaker. Detroit has struggled to find players with significant on-ball juice in recent seasons, either through trade or free agency. For a team that doesn't often make blockbuster trades, hitting on a draft pick could be their only path towards a significant upgrade.
On the bright side, Okorie dominated in that same role during his lone college season. He averaged 23 points per game during his freshman year at Stanford while creating nearly all of his own looks. Okorie was a blur getting by defenders with ease and showing the change-of-pace skill needed to succeed against better athletes too.
The Pistons could have a lot riding on Okorie
This offseason should be the first one when the Pistons are fully in win-now mode and looking to add immediate talent. However, many of their top targets for trades or free agency have already been signed or reportedly rejected the Pistons in private conversations. As more guards get taken off the board, it's looking more and more likely that Detroit will be left without a marquee offseason addition once again.
And yet the Pistons practically need to find considerable playoff success next season. They are coming off a year when they finished as the first seed in the East and went to 7 games in the second round. Obviously anything short of a conference finals apperance next year would be a disappointment.
However, the East will only come back stronger as some stars make their way back from injury. If the Pistons don't improve significantly in shot creation, they could be falling behind. Right now, that could all be resting on Okorie's shoulders.
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