Cleveland Cavaliers: This should pay off for Isaac Okoro in Year 2

Last season, it took a while for Isaac Okoro in his rookie year to look sure of himself on the offensive end of the floor for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It wasn’t a surprise, particularly in the COVID-19-affected season, that he had issues as a catch-and-shoot threat, as evidenced by a three-point shooting clip of 29.0 percent. He hit only 28.6 percent of his threes in his lone collegiate season at Auburn, for further context.

Okoro didn’t appear to assert himself nearly enough pre-All-Star break on-ball either, but with guys such as Darius Garland and Collin Sexton in mind, I understood that. He was a rookie wing that had the toughest defensive workload game-to-game on the team, too, so I’m not going to grill for that.

Now, Okoro looking onward does need to show more viability as a shooter though, and him reportedly working on his shot a ton over this offseason to this point with Cleveland’s player development staff is a positive.

But whether that pays off early on into next season remains to be seen; I would like to see Okoro show some pull-up capability at times as well, even if that’s just when bigs drop on him in pick-and-roll.

Generally, though, one thing that was very encouraging from Okoro at times last season was when he was assertive and was getting downhill with his strength as a driver, it was leading to success for him. His cutting feel improved as the season wore on, too.

And while I’m not going to read a ton into Las Vegas Summer League action for him, his finishing jumped out in his two games, and I’d expect that to be a crucial aspect of his game from here.

Okoro’s physicality as a finisher for the Cavs should pay off for him a bunch in Year 2.

Okoro was more aggressive as a driver post-All-Star break for Cleveland, and even with injuries to Darius Garland playing into it to some degree, that was showcased more in the closing batch of games last season.

In Okoro’s last 12 games of Year 1, he had a promising stretch with 16.2 points per contest, and from seemingly April-onward, his driving impact was felt more with him looking to get downhill more frequently. That was in settled situations and in the transition game, where his 225-pound frame is difficult to account for, especially when he has momentum going toward the paint/rim.

His finishing through contact and power has paid off for him in Summer League, too, which was nice to see. I know it’s Summer League, but Okoro looking to take advantage on the break and utilizing his strength and body control has led to good shots before defenses have been set a number of times, and we’ll see that more frequently next season.

Along with the transition/secondary transition element, with the Cavs reportedly wanting to involve Okoro more in pick-and-roll next season as a ball handler, I’d like to see him shoot gaps more to force opposing bigs to engage him.

He’s quick enough to capitalize in those instances fairly regularly, and from there, he’s more than capable of finishing with power above the rim, or at least can generate his share of free throws after getting a half step in front. Houston Rockets rookie Alperen Sengun, even with him being a rim protector, had no chance here on #6 on this countdown with a big in Mfiondu Kabengele rolling hard, putting him in no man’s land.

With Jarrett Allen/Evan Mobley in that roller spot, Okoro could be even more aggressive in games in those scenarios, too, with there being a simple drop off feed if need be to counter.

Additionally, I’d imagine that Okoro’s physicality and ability to finish through contact should pay off for him from a cutting standpoint more next season.

He made strides in that regard as last season progressed, as we hit on, and with passers such as Darius Garland, Ricky Rubio and Evan Mobley with him, we could see more of these jams from him. And I could foresee him finishing over bigs at times in-season also.

With Okoro appearing to have actually put on some more muscle over the offseason, it’s evident that he should be taking on/finishing through contact more regularly in Year 2.

Hopefully the offseason perimeter shooting materializes in-game next season to further aid him as a driver/slasher, but overall, if Okoro is more aggressive in getting downhill and in more pick-and-roll in 2021-22, he should be very impactful at/above the rim.