Ebuka Okorie, through training camp and most of the Detroit Pistons' preseason opener, existed quietly in the background.
But the spotlight unexpectedly shined on him at the end of Monday's 109-107 win over the Phoenix Suns, and the No. 17 pick om June's draft was ready. With the game tied and less than 13 seconds on the clock, Okorie drove left, past opposing guard Haywood Highsmith, gathered in front of rookie forward Koa Peat and finished a scooping up-and-under layup with his left hand.
The score with 5.8 seconds remaining ended up being the winner. On the other end, Okorie contested Jamaree Bouyea's 30-foot attempt to secure the victory on Monday, Oct. 5, clinching a 19-point Pistons comeback to open the preseason at 1-0.
Ebuka Okorie game
winner pic.twitter.com/lZtSSaJjev
— mm (@muhtxm) October 6, 2026
Despite not checking in until the fourth quarter, Okorie showed off the unique aspects of his offensive game – his lightning-quick first step, tight handle and ability to generate a paint touch at will – that put him toward the top of Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon's most-coveted players on draft night. It's his first appearance, but the 19-year-old aced the audition in just 10 minutes, 5 seconds of action.
"JB drew up a play for me to get downhill, but before I came out the screen I saw a lane open on my left," Okorie said of his coach, J.B. Bickerstaff. "I took it, drove. They didn’t help enough, so I just went all the way up to the rim.
"I knew my time was going to come," he continued. "I was just staying ready and on the bench supporting my teammates. When my number was called I was just ready to get in and impact the game. Like I said, coach has a lot of confidence in me. When JB drew up that play for me to get downhill, I wasn’t surprised."
Okorie didn't make his debut until the 10:05 mark of the fourth quarter. It followed an epic rally in which the Pistons went from 81-62 with 7:39 left in the third quarter but closed the period with a 22-3 stretch, capped by a contested 3-pointer by Daniss Jenkins to tie the game at 84. The Pistons benched Jenkins and Cade Cunningham to open the second half, after trailing 68-50 at halftime, and started the third quarter with Ausar Thompson at point guard.
Okorie extended the momentum by knocking down his first attempt – a 3-pointer – with 9:30 remaining to give the Pistons their first lead (90-89) since early in the first quarter. With less than 20 seconds left, the Pistons led the Suns, 107-102, but a Bouyea 3-pointer, followed by a bad entry pass by Chaz Lanier that led to an open dunk for Peat, allowed Phoenix to tie the game with 12.1 seconds left.
On a night the Pistons struggled to hit shots, Okorie finished with seven points, an assist and a steal while hitting three of his four attempts. As a team, they shot 37.2% in the first half. It wasn't until their defensive intensity picked up in the second half that their offense began to follow – they outscored the Suns 34-16 in the third quarter.
Okorie's ability to create his own shots under pressure, dating back to his lone season at Stanford, is a reason Bickerstaff trusted him late. It's also a reason he was a draft priority for the front office. Self-creation from multiple players has become a necessity to contend in today's NBA. Last season, the Pistons didn't have enough of it as they were bounced in the second round of the playoffs despite entering as the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
"He’s patient and he doesn’t get sped up," Bickerstaff said. "He’s not overwhelmed by the moment. That’s something we’ve seen pretty consistently. His demeanor doesn’t waver in those types of moments. He just was so poised. He got his shot. He got to his spot, he got his shot and he’s, like I said before, at that age to have the ability to finish the way that he can finish is unique. Not a lot of guys can do that. That’s a step ahead for him. And to be able to finish over size in traffic with either hand, he’s ahead of the game for sure."
Thompson, who finished with 10 points, three steals, two assists and a block in 18 minutes, compared Okorie's handle to perennial All-Star Kyrie Irving's during the team's shootaround on Monday morning. Ron Holland, who tallied a team-high 14 points, five steals, four rebounds and two blocks, concurred after the game.
Irving – widely considered one of the greatest ball-handlers in the history of the game – is a lofty bar for Okorie to reach. But Monday's winner was a display of coordination, ball-handling and ambidextrous finishing that would make Irving proud.
"We’ve seen Buk this summer, how he plays," Holland said. "I just seen AT compare him to Kyrie Irving, his handles. I agree with that. Ebuka is amazing. He’s about all the right things and I’m super proud of him and can’t wait to see the season he has."
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
Next up: Wizards
Matchup: Pistons (1-0) at Washington (0-0); exhibition.
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10; Capital One Arena, Washington.
TV/radio: TV 20 Detroit; WWJ-AM (950).
Streaming: DaZN Detroit.
Regular-season opener: vs. Celtics; 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20; NBC.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ebuka Okorie ready for spotlight in Detroit Pistons' preseason rally
