Cleveland Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro’s been putting the shooting work in

Last season, Cleveland Cavaliers rookie wing Isaac Okoro was tasked with being the primary defender on a nightly basis against opponent’s best wings/primary scorers often.

There were rookie moments for him, as was to be expected, but Okoro more than held his own in what was such a difficult task. I firmly believe he’s more than equipped to often handle that role moving forward too, and the likes of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen will be able to aid him and others.

On the offensive end of the floor though, Okoro does need to show more consistency next season, as fans would attest to. He had 9.6 points in 32.4 minutes per outing, and knocked in just 29.0 percent of his three-point attempts.

Okoro will need to knock down more catch-and-shoot looks from three to help fully unlock himself offensively as an on-ball player from here, and next season, hopefully he can make tangible strides to do so.

On the plus side, Okoro did demonstrate offensive growth in the later stages of his first season, and he was more assertive on that end. Injuries to the likes of Darius Garland and others, to some degree, did play into it, but Okoro did have 16.2 points per contest in his last 12 games, and next season, I’d anticipate him to have a bigger role.

But it was apparent heading into the offseason that he needed to get plenty of shooting work in, and in recent media availability with the Cavs set to begin Las Vegas Summer League soon, Okoro expressed how that’s been a major point of emphasis for him. This was via Evan Dammarell of Fear The Sword and WKYC.

This is good news involving Okoro regarding next season for the Cavs.

It was abundantly clear that with a full offseason ahead for Okoro with the Cavs player development staff, which was not the case heading into his rookie year because of the COVID-19 affected season, that he needed to work a bunch on his shot.

Isaac didn’t have Las Vegas Summer League opportunities heading into his rookie year, either, for what it’s worth. He should be able to get some meaningful Summer League reps this go-round with it back in action though, and he should have chances to put that work to good use in exhibitions.

It’s uncertain as to how many of those games he’ll be in action, but even with Okoro playmaking reps being a storyline to watch, him getting some additional shooting work in those outings will be to an extent, too. I’d foresee that being in two or so games, of which the Cavaliers and other clubs are guaranteed to have five.

In any case, it’s good to know that Okoro has spent a ton of the offseason working on his shot, as him becoming at least more effective on catch-and-shoots could do wonders for him as a driving/slashing threat. Him reportedly adding muscle over the summer is not something I’m glossing over either, however, it’s reassuring that he’s gotten a bunch of shooting work in since his rookie season ended.

Okoro seems to be cut from a similar cloth as Collin Sexton in relation to his work ethic and desire to improve.

Granted, it still would be nice to see the Cavs add a shooting bench wing in free agency, such as Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, whose qualifying offer was recently rescinded by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Overall though, it’s a plus that Ice has gotten a ton of shooting work in over the offseason with Cleveland’s player development staff. That has paid off for the likes of Sexton himself and Larry Nance Jr. in recent seasons, for example, so I’d imagine with his work ethic, it could for Okoro as well.