Georgia Tech #ProJackets Basketball Report – Men’s Basketball — Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

THE FLATS – Josh Okogie has been identified as the best-kept secret for the Phoenix Suns … Jose Alvarado to sit out the next FIBA window for the Puerto Rico national team … Alvarado’s best attribute may not be his defense … more in this week’s #ProJackets Report.

*****

OKOGIE BEST-KEPT SECRET FOR SUNS

When it comes to having a “best-kept secret” on their roster in terms of talent, B/R believes free-agent signing Josh Okogie might be the man for that title.

“There aren’t a ton of options in Phoenix, as teams that follow an NBA Finals trip by pacing the Association in wins don’t exactly keep any cards up their sleeve. Even this selection is a little iffy, since Josh Okogie’s lack of offensive skill threatens to derail his career.

However, there is still time for the 23-year-old to turn things around, and the fact the Suns still deemed him worthy of a guaranteed deal shows just how effective he is on defense.

This past season, Jackson graded out with a plus-6.1 Defensive RAPTOR, per FiveThirtyEight. The only player in the entire league to grade out better in that metric was three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

Okogie’s on-ball defense is the equivalent of an NFL shutdown corner, and he can be just as disruptive as a helper. If the Suns find the right offensive niche for him—off-ball cutter, spot-up shooter, transition finisher—his career could still take off.”

More from SI.com

Josh Okogie continues to be valued as an underrated part of the new Suns roster this season: https://t.co/qxDNtig0g0

— InsideTheSuns.com (@InsideTheSunsSI) August 18, 2022

*****

ALVARADO TO SIT OUT NEXT FIBA WINDOW FOR PUERTO RICO

Jose Alvaradowho had been training and playing with the Puerto Rican national team in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, decided to take some time off to focus on the upcoming NBA season.

Here is the statement he published on Twitter:

Alvarado has decided to forgo this portion of the World Cup qualifiers in a show of commitment to his teammates and the Pelicans’ organization.

This had to be a tough decision for Alvarado, who was playing well for Puerto Rico and bringing a lot of excitement to their national team.

This shows the type of chemistry the New Orleans Pelicans are building, as Jose felt compelled to be there with his teammates every step of the way, which may have been somewhat compromised had he continued playing for Puerto Rico.

More from Pelican Debrief

I PROMISE I WOULD MAKE IT UP!💯🇵🇷 pic.twitter.com/GBxjF9C1zf

— Jose Alvarado (@AlvaradoJose15) August 23, 2022

*****

ALVARADO’S BEST ATTRIBUTE?

Jose Alvarado may be known for his stifling defense, but his shooting is coming along and he was already one of the best playmakers in the league for a rookie.

Bball Index recently put together a chart that illustrated who the best rookie passers in the league were last season.

The chart shows who created shots for their teammates at a high rate and which players created the easiest shots. Some of the names you’d expect, like rookies Cade Cunningham and Josh Giddey, who both started, played huge roles and had high usage rates on bad teams.

One face you might not expect to see on the chart is Jose Alvarado, who didn’t secure a spot in the rotation until later in the season and was coming off the bench:

More from Pelican Debrief

*****

GLEN RICE, JR. NAMED BIG3 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Rice was the first pick in the 2022 Draft and he did not disappoint. For the season: Rice averaged 17.5 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, and 3.3 assists per game.

More from Big3.com

GLEN RICE JR FOR 3!

The #1 pick of this year’s draft sends @big3_power to the 2022 BIG3 Championship and they are HYPE!!! pic.twitter.com/xD0OHcYaMq

— BIG3 (@thebig3) August 14, 2022

*****

#ProJackets on Social Media

Playtime over, this the big league! pic.twitter.com/SWdb7iJT8l

— Josh Okogie (@CallMe_NonStop) August 22, 2022

A look at the full schedule ⤵️#Pelicans | @SeatGeek pic.twitter.com/B8X0wAdUZR

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) August 17, 2022

🔥 @Callmeush #Potani’sEagles 🦅 pic.twitter.com/CoA68j3PNN

— Beşiktaş Basketball (@BJK_Basketbol) July 28, 2022

Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez, 2015. #NETSTALGIA pic.twitter.com/Xo8ETtNuLA

— The Nets Vault (@NetsVault) August 22, 2022

The big 10 🥰😍😘🤝🏾💯🔥 love you https://t.co/B4Zf9vHh7H

— Thad Young (@yungsmoove21) August 18, 2022

Rare picture of Thad without basketball shorts/sweats on. @yungsmoove21 pic.twitter.com/Qgek2UF1kl

— Shekinah Young (@Mrs___Young21) August 15, 2022

Happy Bornday! #MrNumbers 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/d0n6vbIR59

— Dennis 3D Scott (@Dennis3DScott) August 21, 2022

Georgia Tech’s Lethal Weapon 3 (1990)
👀 @chibbs_1 @Dennis3DScott @ BrianOliver1313 pic.twitter.com/z79EMyOPQj

— College Basketball Classics (@ClassicsCBB) August 21, 2022

After retiring in 2006, Kenny Anderson (@chibbs_1) made his way into coaching and is the current head coach at @fiskuniversity in Nashville, TN. In Ep. 40 of “In The Front Row” he shares his thoughts on his coaching career.

📺 https://t.co/pnQVSPaUWt
🎙 https://t.co/kh32CKHKK3 pic.twitter.com/j25ZQyqVzb

— Mike Vaccaro (@RadioMikeV) August 24, 2022