Cavs: Isaac Okoro could be poised for Year 2 leap, as team emphasizes
By Dan Gilinsky
Last season, Isaac Okoro had his ups and downs, objectively, in his rookie campaign for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On the year, he didn’t necessarily tear it up game-to-game for Cleveland, but with the COVID-19-affected season and with then being the quickest turnaround from the draft to the start of the year in NBA history, expectations had to have been tempered.
One would’ve liked to have seen him have more than 9.6 points per outing in 32.4 minutes per appearance, sure.
That said, Okoro had the toughest defensive workload on the team on the year, and he showed steady progress on that end, and having guys such as Jarrett Allen again and 2021 #3 overall pick Evan Mobley should aid Okoro. The same should apply with Ricky Rubio, when Rubio is in off the bench for stretches, some with Okoro still, I’d think.
On the offensive end though, while I acknowledge we need to see more there from him from here, regardless of injuries playing some into it, Okoro did close out his rookie year well and was named Second Team All-Rookie, which was a key positive. He had 16.2 points per game in his last 12 contests, and from seemingly April-on, he appeared to be far more assertive, which shouldn’t be discounted.
With the closeout to last season in mind, and with training camp set to begin a week from today for the Cavaliers, a recent preseason spotlight on Okoro from the Cavs was something that stood out to me. The Auburn product could be set for a leap in Year 2.
This recent Cavs post emphasizes how Okoro could be in for a Year 2 leap.
Driving home the defensive workload and close to the season, this from the Cavaliers’ post was what resonated, from my perspective.
"“On the defensive end of the floor, Okoro took the toughest defensive assignment – 1-through-4 – every night without complaint. He definitely took his lumps, but just when it looked like he was hitting the infamous ‘rookie wall,’ Okoro responded with his strongest play of the season, closing the campaign in style.He notched double-figure scoring in 12 of his final 13 games this year – averaging 15.7 points per over that stretch with three games of 20-plus points, including his first career double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds vs. Indiana) and a career-best 32-point outburst in an overtime-thriller against the Suns.In that contest at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, he became the first Cavs rookie to top the 30-point mark since 2016, the first one to go 9-for-9 from the charity stripe since 2012 and the first to reach 32 points in 16 field goal attempts or less.”"
It’s evident that Okoro needs to keep building on that close to last season, but even with it only having been Las Vegas Summer League, as that Cavs post touched on, he was a standout in two games for Cleveland then. That was encouraging to see from him, too, and him showing some playmaking improvement was a plus.
Anyway, though I’m not suggesting he’ll be nearly the offensive player of say, Collin Sexton or Darius Garland game-to-game, if Okoro can show more assertiveness next season, and make strides in catch-and-shoot situations, we could see a notable uptick from him.
The Cavs are reportedly looking to involve him some more in pick-and-roll, which could enable him to get downhill more, and that would help. Cleveland is reportedly looking to get him some mid-post work at times in games, too, which could lead to in-rhythm looks for him in mid-clock, in my opinion.
Along with that, I’d imagine the likes of Garland, Ricky Rubio and Evan Mobley (a gifted passing big) should aid his cutting growth, and in time with him, Lauri Markkanen’s shooting/spacing element should help Okoro on-ball.
In a general sense, coming into this next season with a full offseason, and with how he closed out last season with seemingly a more aggressive mindset, as this Cavs post emphasized, Okoro could be in for a Year 2 leap.
I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility for him to have 4-5 points per outing, and be more efficient overall. Him showing more game-to-game production and demonstrating further growth as a team defender next season with more experience I’d factor in to being an impact player often too, for what it’s worth.
Moreover, as the team stressed here, we could very well see the 20-year-old Okoro really make some things happen in his second season, and more on-ball play could be a crucial reason for that. We’ll have to see of course, however.