Cavs should use Isaac Okoro as roller at times

I’m not saying they should a ton, but the Cleveland Cavaliers should use Isaac Okoro at times as a roller.

The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ draft selection of Isaac Okoro was a good one, in large part due to Okoro’s defensive capabilities on-ball, and his switchability 1-4.

Okoro, who placed in the 90th percentile in one-on-one defensive situations in his lone collegiate season at Auburn, per Synergy Sports as h/t NBA.com, should be starting over Cedi Osman I’d think pretty early on next season for Cleveland.

Granted, on the offensive end, I know that Okoro has a ways to go as a shooter, and only hit 28.6 percent of his three-point attempts in 2019-20.

But even while he didn’t have nearly the opportunities you’d have liked to have seen in relation to volume, Okoro was a solid secondary playmaker for Auburn, particularly in pick-and-roll. And him as a driver for Cleveland in those situations some should pay dividends.

Albeit for the Cavaliers next season, him as a roller in the PnR/screener off the ball would be a smart move at times, as a counter.

At times, the Cavs should use Okoro as a roller, which should help lead to quality looks.

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Again, I’m not suggesting that the Cavs should do it a bunch of the time, but having Okoro as a roller at times in the PnR for the likes of Darius Garland or Kevin Porter Jr., or Dylan Windler some would be a smart move.

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Okoro is a very good screener for a wing, and he could help open up some separation for Cleveland’s guards in that way in those instances. But the Cavs should look to feed Okoro as a roller at times as well via pocket passes/perhaps some looks over-the-top when he can get seals.

Okoro has nice timing with his slips after setting ball screens, and following getting passes after that, with how polished he is as a finisher, it should lead to high percentage looks.

Okoro in instances as a roller at times could get great shots near the rim after he peels off after setting screens for Garland/KPJ and from there, he’d be more than capable of finishing with either hand with touch and/or through contact.

That sort of look could get Okoro into a rhythm at times throughout games and could lead to some more free throw opportunities aside of him having to initiate more so just as a driver/PnR ball handler, as again, a counter.

And considering Okoro placed in the 89th percentile on shots around the rim in the halfcourt, per Synergy, that added wrinkle as a roller on occasion would utilize him as a cutter/mover more, too.

Along with that, somewhat along those lines as a finisher, after peeling off screens, if Okoro gets cross-matched at times, the Cavs could involve him as a post-up threat, where he is able to convert when he has smaller defenders on him even more so.

To reiterate, it won’t be a high-volume part of his game, but Okoro, although it was a 7.3 percent frequency, did at least place in the 88th percentile, per Synergy and as h/t The Stepien’s Spencer Pearlman.

Plus, if those opportunities arise, it could lead to some perimeter shots to counter that from there for Collin Sexton, Kevin Love, Windler/Cedi Osman and/or Damyean Dotson. That could be either from Okoro kickouts or from Garland/KPJ spraying out to shooters if Okoro’s had success rolling.

Moreover, I wouldn’t expect Okoro to be used a ton as a roller, and he has the makings, feasibly, of a quality PnR ball handling option, anyhow.

But aside from the likes of clearly Andre Drummond, JaVale McGee and/or Larry Nance Jr., similarly to Windler in some respects I believe, given that he’s a good cutter/finisher/ball-mover and with Okoro setting crisp screens, he should get some rolling chances.

That’d be an added wrinkle defenses would have to account for, and could very well lead to high percentage, in-rhythm looks for Okoro and feature him some actively off of movement.

And again, him as a passer in some of those instances could lead to quality halfcourt offense for the Wine and Gold.