When the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Isaac Okoro with the fifth overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, the wing out of Auburn was known for his defense and length. The knock on him? His offense would take time to develop, especially his jumpshot.
Well it looks like that change is coming sooner rather than later, and, possibly, is already here.
Since February 1st, Okoro has shot 44.4% (20-45) from beyond the arc and averaged 9.4 points per game in that same span. In addition to the uptick in percentages from Okoro, he has also been getting aggressive in moving without the ball and attacking the basket, already tying his season-high for free throw attempts in a month (30) with another five games remaining in March.
In a game where the Lakers sagged off Okoro beyond the arc on multiple occasions, it’s absolutely asinine that he continues to be disrespected offensively, both with and without the ball.
While opponents might be surprised by the hot streak that Okoro has been on, Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his teammates have not been shocked in the slightest by Okoro’s shooting.
“Isaac [Okoro] is a hell of a worker,” Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said following the team’s 131-120 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. “If you put a task in front of him, I’m [going to] bet on him to get it done. He puts the time in every single day. He spends hours and hours in those [corner three-point shots], and he's going to continue to improve at it. I think he did a really good job. He was on the floor, I thought he was really effective. And he continued to make those corner threes. It’s [going to] help him and it’s [going to] help the team as well.”
Bickerstaff is not the only one who has kept an eye on Okoro’s growing confidence as All-Star teammate Darius Garland added more praise onto the young wing after the game on Monday.
“We see [Isaac Okoro] every morning,” Garland said after the loss. “Before anything, he's working on [three-point shots]. I mean we knew it was all gonna come. He just had to have the confidence to shoot it. Even when he's not making shots, just still keep shooting. We trust him. Glad that [his shots] are falling and he has the confidence to shoot.”
Okoro has been putting in the work to improve his jumpshot, even going back to December when veteran Kevin Love told reporters, “I think he's the X-Factor.”
Love continued saying, “We see how he shoots in practice, we should see the work that he puts in. I mentioned that belief system. I haven't seen him waver one bit. And I think the same is true with the rest of the team in Isaac [Okoro].”
For a player like Isaac Okoro, the defense might have been his strength when he entered the league, but if he keeps up this play on the offensive end, the Cavaliers could have one of the better “3-and-D” wings in the NBA.