<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-josh-okogie-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'What to expect from Josh Okogie in Suns’ 2023-24 season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/okogie.jpg"></figure><h1>What to expect from Josh Okogie in Suns’ 2023-24 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-08-11T12:13:46-07:00">August 11th, 12:13pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-08-11T12:13:46-07:00">August 11th, 12:13pm</time><address><a>Trevor Booth</a>Trevor Booth is a beat writer covering the Phoenix Suns, in addition to working as an associate editor. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports journalism from Arizona State University in 2021. Booth is passionate about his faith, video games, sports with friends and making the most of his time with his girlfriend when he's not working.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the Phoenix Suns’ biggest questions toward the end of the 2022-23 season was their fifth starter next to Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton. The Suns never had a consistent player at the position and ended up paying for it in their Western Conference semifinal series versus the Denver Nuggets.</p><p>Wing Josh Okogie, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-josh-okogie-sign-free-agency" rel="noopener">re-signed</a> with the Suns this offseason on a two-year minimum deal, started the team’s final 25 games of the regular season. However, then-coach Monty Williams benched him in favor of wing Torrey Craig, who he felt matched up better against the Los Angeles Clippers’ forwards. Okogie returned to the starting lineup against Denver but then was surprisingly benched altogether for Game 6.</p><p>Okogie and Phoenix have a new coach, Frank Vogel, who is considered an elite defensive teacher. Vogel has led teams to a top defensive rating three times since 2012, the most of any coach in that span. Okogie, who is considered a pesky on-ball defender, is sure to thrive in the scheme.</p><p>The question for Okogie, the reigning Dan Majerle Hustle Award winner, is if he will be included as a fifth starter next to Booker, Durant, Ayton and Bradley Beal, who the team acquired from the Washington Wizards in June.</p><p>His expectations for 2023-24, from ClutchPoints:</p><h2>Year in Review</h2><p>Okogie played his first four NBA seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He signed with the Suns and was viewed then as a competitive defender with great lower body strength and a wingspan reported to be greater than 7 feet. Unfortunately for him, he was viewed as a reserve who did not have a lot of room for growth since his offensive game was limited.</p><p>Okogie was one of the breakout stars for the Suns last season. He earned the Dan Majerle Hustle Award for his defensive energy and competitive spirit. And now, he will be back in the Valley as the Suns chase their first-ever NBA championship.</p><h2>Statistics</h2><p>PPG: 7.3</p><p>RPG: 3.5</p><p>APG: 1.5</p><p>SPG: 0.8</p><p>BPG: 0.5</p><p>FG%: 39.1</p><p>3P%: 33.5</p><p><i>Playoffs </i></p><p>PPG: 4.1</p><p>RPG: 2.1</p><p>APG: 1.3</p><p>SPG: 0.6</p><p>BPG: 0.2</p><p>FG%: 37.8</p><p>3FG%: 14.3</p><h2>Strengths</h2><p>Okogie was rated a three-star prospect in high school but was later an All-ACC pick at Georgia Tech. His defensive ability earned him a first-round selection in the 2018 NBA Draft (No 20 overall) and pitted him with the Timberwolves for his four first seasons.</p><p>It was apparent Okogie was worthy of an NBA role. He received top defensive assignments and is a physical player at a listed 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds. For his career, he is yet to have a defensive rating below 112.2.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Because of his quadricep strength, Okogie has no issue staying in a defensive stance for an entire game and competing at a high level. He is an excellent one-on-one defender against guards, which is why he earned the trust of Williams and the Suns at the midway point of last season.</p><p>Once the Suns traded for Durant, Okogie’s role grew offensively since Phoenix had fewer bench options. In eight games from Feb. 9 to March 3, he averaged 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals. He shot 50 percent from the field and 46.9 percent from 3-point range, an impressive sign of his growth.</p><p>Booker told ClutchPoints the team quickly embraced Okogie because of his work ethic. The Suns have been a tight-knit group the last three seasons, which is why they advanced to the 2021 NBA Finals and had a franchise-best 64 wins during the 2021-22 regular season. Okogie meshed as a regular contributor for Phoenix by the end of the year and earned favor of the fans thanks to his work ethic and development.</p><h2>Development</h2><p>Okogie can solidify himself as the Suns’ fifth starter if he continues to improve as a shooter. He will have value in Vogel’s defensive scheme because of his activity and commitment to defense. However, the Suns struggled to find scoring options outside of Booker and Durant in the conference semifinals. Beal will undoubtedly help those issues, but the Suns overhauled their bench with shooting and high-potential defensive players, and Okogie needs to step out from that crowd.</p><p>Okogie is at a disadvantage to start compared to Keita Bates-Diop, a 6-foot-8 player who has a listed 7-foot-3 wingspan. Okogie may be the better on-ball defender but Baites-Diop has greater potential on that end and shot 39 percent from 3-point range this past season.</p><h2>Expectations</h2><p>The Suns have plenty of questions to answer this season. They have the NBA’s best scoring trio, but they will be led by a defensive coach who has built his previous teams on ruggedness and a commitment to dirty work.</p><p>Okogie fits that mold and should be a player Vogel likes. But to improve from last season, the Suns will have to be a better all-around scoring team. They shot terribly from 3-point range against the Nuggets (33.1 percent) and Okogie struggled in particular from distance during the playoffs.</p><p>Phoenix has a whole season to figure out its identity, so it’s possible Okogie could be in and out of the starting lineup. If he wants to be the fifth starter, he has to shoot well off catch-and-shoot attempts from the Suns’ big three, stand out in Vogel’s defensive scheme and be consistent.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

What to expect from Josh Okogie in Suns’ 2023-24 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-devin-booker-will-love-josh-okogies-message-after-game-sealing-block-on-paolo-banchero');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Devin Booker will love Josh Okogie’s message after game-sealing block on Paolo Banchero');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Devin-Booker-will-love-Josh-Okogie_s-message-after-game-sealing-block-on-Paolo-Banchero.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Devin Booker will love Josh Okogie’s message after game-sealing block on Paolo Banchero</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-16T23:38:36-07:00">March 16th, 11:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-16T23:39:22-07:00">March 16th, 11:39pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Every NBA Championship contender needs at least one player who can do the dirty work. A guy who will embrace the challenge of defending the star player on the opposing team. There is no room for timidity and hesitation in this role. Despite the recent <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-kevin-durant-injury-timetable-revealed-after-rolling-ankle-before-phoenix-home-debut" rel="noopener">Kevin Durant</a> setbacks, the Phoenix Suns can take solace knowing that Josh Okogie is committed to being a defensive force for this team.</p><p>Thursday, Phoenix avoided a scare against the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-fans-stunned-after-markelle-fultz-shockingly-unties-terrence-ross-shoes-before-clutch-fts" rel="noopener">Orlando Magic in a game</a> that included plenty of highlight plays and even some shenanigans. Okogie was all business, though, recording the game-clinching block on Rookie of the Year favorite Paolo Banchero en route the 116-113 victory. Although he was the game’s hero (also had 15 points and four assists), it was <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1636598801078124544" rel="noopener">just another day</a> at the office for the fifth-year guard.</p><p>“I’ve been doing this since I got to the league. It’s nothing new to me,” Okogie said postgame via NBA on Twitter. “I love the challenge. I love the opportunity to go out there and guard Stephen Curry, go out there and guard Giannis {Antetokounmpo}, Banchero, Franz Wagner. I think it’s fun, and I’m always up to the challenge.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I'm always up to the challenge."</p><p>Josh Okogie on guarding the league's best after his game-sealing block Thursday night 🗣️ <a href="https://t.co/JmRW1nKj4Y">pic.twitter.com/JmRW1nKj4Y</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1636598801078124544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>No one should be happier to hear those comments than teammate and franchise star Devin Booker, who led the team with 19 points. With or without Durant, the 2022 All-NBA First Team selection will need to take over games in the playoffs. He will be able to completely focus on that objective with Okogie willingly diving into the trenches to take on the best offensive talents in the NBA. Those are teammates who build chemistry and contribute to title runs.</p><p>Okogie’s defensive prowess is why the Suns signed him last offseason. It has been a great union for both parties thus far. The 24-year-old is averaging seven points in 17 minutes and has been a pivotal bench player due to his smothering pressure. Defense tends to ramp up in the postseason, so his value and role could further increase.</p><p>That is great news for Durant, Booker and Chris Paul. Okogie is determined to prove that depth is not an issue for this team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Devin Booker will love Josh Okogie’s message after game-sealing block on Paolo Banchero

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kevin-durants-suns-arrival-brings-hilarious-nsfw-assessment-from-josh-okogie');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kevin Durant’s Suns arrival brings hilarious NSFW assessment from Josh Okogie');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Suns-news-Kevin-Durant_s-Phoenix-arrival-brings-hilarious-NSFW-assessment-from-Josh-Okogie.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant’s Suns arrival brings hilarious NSFW assessment from Josh Okogie</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-08T13:00:37-08:00">March 8th, 1:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-09T10:07:02-08:00">March 9th, 10:07am</time><address><a>Abhinav Kini</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-kevin-durant-drops-major-legacy-truth-bomb-after-efficient-phoenix-debut" rel="noopener">Trading for Kevin Durant</a> was a game-changing move for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/web-stories/phoenix-suns-have-plans-of-a-super-team-similar-to-the-brooklyn-nets" rel="noopener">Phoenix Suns</a>. They not only acquired a two-time champion and a bonafide All-Star, but arguably the best player in the NBA today who could potentially fire them towards a first-ever championship.</p><p>What makes Durant so great is his efficiency when it comes to shooting the basketball. This season alone, he is scoring 29.5 points per game with a field goal percentage of 56.6% and three-point percentage of 38.6% over 42 games.</p><p>While everyone associated with the Suns will be pleased with that, there’s always a downside to any trade and for Phoenix forward Josh Okogie, there’s a <a href="https://youtu.be/dgnH4zKkgJk?t=5968" rel="noopener">hilarious one in particular</a> now that Durant is his teammate.</p><p>“Ain’t no more offensive rebounds,” Okogie said in a recent appearance on the Run Your Race podcast on the Tidal League network. “Them motherf*****s just be going in.”</p><p>Of course, it should be noted that Okogie was saying that tongue-in-cheek and went on to add that it wasn’t like he wanted Durant to miss either. However, it’s still a funny statement nonetheless.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>So far, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-booker-sounds-off-kevin-durant-impact-phoenix" rel="noopener">Durant has played three games</a> with the Suns and is 3-0. His field goal percentage in those three games was at least 66% while his three-point percentage is 50%.</p><p>For what it’s worth, Okogie is averaging a career-high 1.5 offensive rebounds per game for the Suns this season. He can probably expect that figure to decrease for the rest of the season while KD is on the floor.</p><p>The Suns host the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday night in what will be Durant’s home debut.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant’s Suns arrival brings hilarious NSFW assessment from Josh Okogie

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Isaiah Thomas gets into heated exchange with Josh Okogie in first game back');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Lakers-newsIsaiah-Thomas-gets-into-heated-exchange-with-Josh-Okogie-in-first-game-back.jpeg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ Isaiah Thomas gets into heated exchange with Josh Okogie in first game back</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-17T21:40:48-08:00">December 17th, 9:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-17T21:40:48-08:00">December 17th, 9:40pm</time><address><a>Justin Bell</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Isaiah Thomas has had an eventful return to the court after a nearly eight-month-long absence from the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-isaiah-thomas-gets-heartwarming-welcome-in-return-to-nba/">NBA</a> as a free agent. Now that he is off of his couch and onto the Los Angeles Lakers, he is making use of the time away from home and is trying to help the Lakers win games. The first chance he had to help them in that category was on Friday night on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the Lakers <a href="https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=iba&amp;hsimp=yhs-syn&amp;type=asbw_8923_CHW_US_tid30044&amp;p=lakers&amp;param1=qaoF8GQK62dYbx8cOtUV2oYiiS4%2F2x5cm7zVP4Vk%2FHEBUZ5oupmy%2FY6Yg%2BCyWuWx&amp;param2=9dUI1n2R0BLDxNuWfiP4aWyjOZc2NBa%2Bx2opBYQCDMSB7nBAfwbAzkkglZNKi5o21u72Jm8TatlnU7NDGbP7F8Lft0aXvravgWuUt1wLTDRGoZDy1s38eFH2mqhQf7J35YCbQdFh0U0Q40PE25%2BEeG%2Bt%2By660cfFWnTypqgOdcDjrQOcdIhh%2BgPSFPZWJGUiWYUZ6k%2BPDsRD5ZB1Jd%2FrvFaF5j%2BQJMzGoRJFYAx1vqBEUFtFsNEgd2T7F2a8nUkswcF78Q6jXNJUn%2Bq3bH4ALXJqfzTEm0Efo5JfWqeZZRs%3D&amp;param3=NwVEMR%2FzKcG52XsVBYEh2zk2Yklq85vdfspZPoqz2M1qypHRDDTed5vIiOf0QJloIYNIhURx5ygk43IbuWBmnSO6VJi0Lg%2BHXK15j4L%2FFbvkuxLLp1QlA5pMADj%2BLwB0BhtG6pbSexLW9C2%2BT3W%2FmsVl8rBdMWvR5CDT8qAV3D0mKjdrSPpimqXgDwNjkJSNvQ4K9PhjlXOC%2BA2A2GlMBwbcwe0Jmmd8S8St2SFOubCpjgeSNSnykPg1Dszqpa3uJDkYUxw3NCfWrPrYB8Sjr%2F13j63ajFoW3NE0fDGmRzJeo2UtY5S8UxIXomn%2FUsyDb3BQSTXC3t2tj%2BS8cNLTh94uWLk%2B3z2f0D9Y2dAU7Zk%3D&amp;param4=gd%2FhXYKXVULTE6aGXkBCVrJU0AcCby95xtyiWsL8rIk%3D">shorthanded,</a> especially at the guard spots, Thomas seamlessly fit into the flow of the Lakers team, and in his first seventeen minutes of playing time he had 12 points. That was only a part of the story, however, as Thomas was also involved in a little skirmish with Timberwolves forward Josh Okogie.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Pu**y a**…"</p><p>Isaiah Thomas was HEATED at Josh Okogie after he hit him in the face on a loose ball rebound.<a href="https://t.co/8GDDb0O1LS" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/8GDDb0O1LS</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1472072590072053762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>As you can see, Thomas is the much smaller man in the fight, but that does not deter him one bit. It is that grit and determination that he can beat anyone, regardless of his or their size that has endeared him to fans for many years. He is simply a grinder who will give you his all every night. Okogie just happened to be the one who had to bear the brunt of Thomas’ passion on Friday night, but he also lent himself to the situation by being careless during the loose ball. Not to say that he hit Thomas on purpose, it’s just that Okogie did not necessarily care about Isaiah’s well-being when he went into the play so recklessly. Thomas let him know that with his NSFW comments in the video above.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Isaiah Thomas gets into heated exchange with Josh Okogie in first game back

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Precious Achiuwa, Josh Okogie rip Stephen A. Smith over disrespectful Nigeria comments');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/heat-news-precious-achiuwas-1-word-message-to-stephen-a-smith-over-disrespectful-nigeria-comments.jpg"></figure><h1>Precious Achiuwa, Josh Okogie rip Stephen A. Smith over disrespectful Nigeria comments</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-12T18:53:06-07:00">July 12th, 6:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-12T18:53:06-07:00">July 12th, 6:53pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Stephen A. Smith <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/twitter-is-going-off-on-stephen-a-smith-after-atrocious-shohei-ohtani-nigeria-rants/" rel="noopener">has found himself in hot waters</a> for his latest comments about Team USA losing to Nigeria in their pre-Olympic exhibition, and sure enough, Nigerian NBA players like Precious Achiuwa and Josh Okogie didn’t like what the veteran broadcaster said about them.</p><p>The ESPN sports analyst recently went on a huge tirade to criticize Team USA for their 90-7 defeat to the Nigerian national team. While it was typical Smith ripping NBA players, his rant came off as harsh and disrespectful to a team that has worked hard and did everything right to take down the best basketball squad in the world.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is exactly what needed to said about TEAM USA!!! <a href="https://t.co/duH385AlwR" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/duH385AlwR</a></p><p>— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/stephenasmith/status/1414620449250725893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 12, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>After hearing the poor comments made by Stephen A. Smith, Miami Heat rookie Precious Achiuwa and Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Josh Okogie couldn’t help but call out the commentator, who should have known better.</p><p>Achiuwa called the tirade “<a href="https://twitter.com/PreciousAchiuwa/status/1414743217103269903" rel="noopener">unprofessional</a>,” while Okogie emphasized to put “some respect on the flag and the mother land.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Unprofessional 🤦🏾‍♂️ <a href="https://t.co/e9ypb0ffqU" target="_blank">https://t.co/e9ypb0ffqU</a></p><p>— Precious Achiuwa (@PreciousAchiuwa) <a href="https://twitter.com/PreciousAchiuwa/status/1414743217103269903?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">You can critique the other team without disrespecting us. Put some respect on the flag and the mother land! Don’t forget where your ancestors came from !!!! 🇳🇬😁 <a href="https://t.co/d7B1lK0nLW" target="_blank">https://t.co/d7B1lK0nLW</a></p><p>— Josh Okogie (@CallMe_NonStop) <a href="https://twitter.com/CallMe_NonStop/status/1414721200358518786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 12, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Stephen A. Smith is known for his hot takes, but it is true that he went below the belt with his criticisms. After all, as Okogie said it, he is free to criticize as long as there is no disrespect–there is just a huge difference from a constructive criticism to just being plain harsh.</p><p>Hopefully with the backlash he has received from NBA players and fans alike, Smith has learned his lesson.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Precious Achiuwa, Josh Okogie rip Stephen A. Smith over disrespectful Nigeria comments

Kevin Huerter

Bismack Biyombo

Malcolm Brogdon

Derrick White

Josh Okogie

Alex Poythress

Thomas Bryant

Amile Jefferson

Daniel Theis

Boban Marjanović

https://twitter.com/CallMe_NonStop/status/1644926017663045632/

https://twitter.com/CallMe_NonStop/status/1641327604572778496/

https://twitter.com/CallMe_NonStop/status/1639872816899305474/

https://twitter.com/CallMe_NonStop/status/1632501591638003713/

There was some elite shot making 😮‍💨😮‍💨

https://twitter.com/CallMe_NonStop/status/1627333781957877762/

God is good! Blessed to see another week. 🙏🏽

https://twitter.com/CallMe_NonStop/status/1624965009259524097/

https://twitter.com/CallMe_NonStop/status/1624957341560090626/

https://twitter.com/CallMe_NonStop/status/1617309840505966592/

Thank God for another week, stay blessed 🙏🏽

Josh
Okogie

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