Third-year leap might not come for Isaac Okoro, but Cavs can manage

It’s difficult to say at this point if Isaac Okoro can develop into a consistent offensive threat for the Cleveland Cavaliers in coming years. Can he end up being a player that’s a 15-17-point per game guy in this league eventually?

I’m not sure as to the answer for that. Coming into the NBA, it was apparent that Okoro had a ways to go on the offensive end of the floor.

In his lone collegiate season at Auburn, Okoro appeared to have the makings of a quality perimeter defensive wing at the NBA level, with question marks about his offensive game. Okoro showed defensive versatility at Auburn, and did show the ability to get downhill as a driver, with some flashes as a secondary playmaker.

Through two seasons, it’s pretty much been tight to the script for Okoro with the Cavaliers, based on what the book on him was coming in. There’s not a whole lot to complain about to me, with those sort of things in mind.

He’s had 9.6 points and 8.8 points in 32.4 and 29.6 minutes per contest through his first and second seasons, respectively, with the Cavaliers, and the shooting has been spotty as a perimeter player. That was not shocking, and he’s connected on 29.0 and 35.0 percent from deep, as he was clearly going to be a work in progress there.

The 35.0 percent clip this season was a positive, thanks to a nice close to the year from there, but Okoro’s attempts were reduced from 3.2 to 2.3 per game, so he’s got a ways to go as a shooter. Okoro did connect on 43.9 percent in his last 31 games of Year 2, however, that was only on 1.9 attempts per game.

Granted, the dude is just 21 years old, but offensive limitations, and a lack of ability to consistenly separate on-ball in set offense, along with a lack of pull-up leads me to question whether we will see a Year 3 leap for Okoro next season. All of that being said, I do believe the Cavaliers can be fine even if that doesn’t necessarily come, considering there’s other options and that can help hedge against that.

If the Year 3 leap doesn’t come for Okoro, the Cavs can manage with other guys throughout games.

I don’t want to overly ridicule Okoro here. The guy is, as we mentioned, still just 21 years old, and will turn 22 during next season. There could be plenty of offensive potential untapped from him, and perhaps we could see him have a considerable leap in his third season after another full offseason. There’s been some encouraging outings and developmental signs at times, too; we just need to see more consistency.

Nonetheless, it’s reasonable to think that the leap just might not come offensively for him in what will be Year 3 for him, and I don’t believe that scenario would be too gutting for Cleveland.

Based on what he displayed on the defensive end with being able to defend multiple positions, his effectiveness when given chances as a driver last season, having some pull-up ability, and with off-ball growth, Lamar Stevens could cut into Okoro’s minutes some. That’s still with Collin Sexton, for what it’s worth, in lineups this next season with Stevens, I’d think, and/or Darius Garland.

Additionally, a potential wing or combo guard draft selection such as Johnny Davis, Ochai Agbaji, or perhaps even riser Jalen Williams could factor some into Okoro having some of a reduced role. Now, I’d still think Okoro could play in some lineups with those types of players, or with another prospect in Tari Eason, among others, or still with Lauri Markkanen, Dean Wade or Cedi Osman, for context.

The point is, I do question if we’ll see that much tangible offensive growth from Okoro, based on the limitations he currently has had. The guy is still a quality defender, and I’ll never discount that, considering the workload he’s endured, and Okoro is a solidly-built 225 pounds, which enables him to have some defensive versatility, at least relatively.

But in Year 3, if Okoro doesn’t show marketed offensive improvements, to echo our own Amadou Sow’s take, it seems more than likely that he’s set for a middle-rotational role, in regards to Cleveland’s pecking order.

Maybe the Year 3 leap does come still. This next season, however, if pretty early on there aren’t indications of that, the Cavaliers can still manage with other guys throughout games, as we alluded to. And I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to having Osman or Wade as a jumbo 2 here and there, either, matchup-depending.