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One thing each member of Cavs’ young core should look to improve

By Amadou Sow

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 15: Collin Sexton #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball down the court during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 15, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lauren Bacho/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 15: Collin Sexton #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball down the court during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 15, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lauren Bacho/Getty Images) /
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Isaac Okoro, Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff talks with Cleveland wing Isaac Okoro in-game. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

This now-past season for the Cleveland Cavaliers was filled with a lot of growth. Through all the losses and drama, the Cavaliers were able to establish a core set of players to build around for the future. Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro and Jarrett Allen are the members of this young core, having playstyles that fit seamlessly with each other.

With an important offseason looming, it’s up to the Cavs to surround this core with the right players to further enhance their play on their quest to becoming competitive once again.

The “core-4” as they’ve been seemingly deemed, has things to work on as well and an article written by Spencer Davies of Basketballnews.com discusses what the Cavs reportedly would like the core players to focus on during the offseason.

With that said, here, I’ll talk about what I would like each member of the Cavaliers’ young core to focus on improving during the offseason.

We’ll begin with Okoro.

Where Okoro needs to improve for the Cavs: Mid-range shooting

With the fifth pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Cavaliers decided to take a chance on Isaac Okoro, a 6-foot-5 wing with high defensive upside. The fit alongside Sexton and Garland looked seamless and as the season progressed, Okoro looked to showcase a skill set that warranted his comparisons of Andre Iguodala and Jimmy Butler.

With his rookie season now over, Okoro has exceeded the expectations set for him in his first year, being Cleveland’s best perimeter defender and having a jumper that was better than advertised. Looking deeper into his jump shot, this was the biggest question mark for him coming out of Auburn. First looks at it during the Cavs’ preseason games showed that it seemed serviceable and as he became more and more comfortable, he attempted more and more three-point shots.

Over his last 12 games, Okoro attempted 5 threes per game which were more than Collin Sexton over that same span. With continued improvements in this area, the hope is that Okoro can take this end-of-season run and have that type of aggression as a shooter next year.

With the progression we’ve seen from Okoro on the offensive end, the biggest gripe has been the lack of mid-range attempts and for him to take the next step as a scorer, this is an area he must improve. This season, Okoro was just four-of-24 on shots between 10 feet and inside the three-point line.

Looking towards the offseason, working on this area will be essential for him to improve as an on-ball player. A potential jump in the mid-range game does not have to be exponential but having this area be one that he’s comfortable in would help to open up his offensive ability.