Isaac Okoro is a player that has had some ups and downs this season, in what is his third year with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Okoro has had a role reduction this year, and his overall production has been down as a result. On the campaign, he’s had 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest, and his minutes-share has been trimmed to 19.7 per game for the season thus far.
Okoro has been playing more regularly as a starter for the Cavaliers lately, as an aside, but generally, one has to acknowledge that Okoro is not necessarily going to be receiving considerable minutes because of offense. He’s shown continual progress as a perimeter defender this season, and while having such a diverse set of matchups, he’s taken positive strides on that end, and has seemingly improved his screen nagivation, both on and off-ball.
All of that being said, recently, Okoro has shown some tangible offensive growth, as he’s cashed in corner threes off kickouts, has made plays in transition, and has shown further improvement as a finisher.
To reiterate, Okoro has his limitations, and with those out there offensively, it’s reasonable to question what his role should be as the season wears on here, especially as Dean Wade gets back into the fold and if Cleveland potentially acquires a wing via trade.
But, Okoro has been playing well, and after a rough beginning of the season, has really started to pick things up.
Along those lines, there’s been a few areas where Okoro has shown real growth, and is excelling, offensively and defensively.
The first relates to offensive development in the team scope from the third-year wing.
Where Okoro’s excelling offensively: Off-ball movement/attacking closeouts
On offense, Okoro has received some praise for his catch-and-shoot progression, and rightfully so.
In his last 18 games, 14 of which have been starts, he’s connected on 44.7 percent of his deep attempts. But, in fairness, we’re a ways from Okoro being a legit volume threat from three, as in that span, his deep attempts have been 2.6 per appearance; so there’s going to be a question mark there for a while, seemingly.
Objectively, though, what’s resonated more has been Okoro’s movement in off-ball situations, particularly as a cutter, and with what he’s displayed in terms of attacking closeouts and making the right plays far more than earlier in the season.
Okoro isn’t going to be a high usage player for the Cavaliers, to clarify. However, especially this in these past few weeks and/or the last month, he’s found ways to get looks at the rim from well-timed cuts to aid Darius Garland and others.
Whether it’s been generating catch-and-go situations out of the corner to utilize spacing, filling lanes in transition, or just cutting aggressively to make rotators honor him, therein leading to opportunities for others, Okoro has leveled up with his movement feel. For a player of his ilk, that’s meaningful, whether he starts or comes off the bench regularly.
Also, Okoro has made better decisions when he’s attacked closeouts in recent weeks.
He still isn’t going to be taking pull-ups to counter those, which is something long-term, he’ll need to add, but he has shown that he can make plays in gaps, leading to finishes with either hand at the basket, or he’s found dump-offs to bigs at times. Even if the assist totals don’t necessarily indicate that from those, his vision and timing has improved in drawing defenders in those situations, which has indicated growth and better feel on the move.
With both of these offensive aspects in mind on and off-ball, Okoro having hit 65.6 percent of his restricted area shot attempts this season, per NBA.com’s shooting data, has been solid.
Where Okoro’s excelling defensively: Team defense/playmaking
As we alluded to previously, Okoro has made a name for himself for his on-ball defensive work. Sure, given the matchups he’s tasked with for some extended stretches, there’s going to be some production from opponents.
Despite that, typically, he’s done an admirable job, and he’s forced his share of difficult shots throughout the season in primary coverage of opposing wings and guards.
However, as the season has progressed, while the offense is still a relative question mark, Okoro has shown progression as a defensive playmaker. He’s had 1.4 steals per-36 minutes this season, and his steal and block rates have been a more robust 1.9 percent apiece, respectively.
He’s had six multiple-steal games so far in January in an 11-game span, and that’s included the past pair of contests. Okoro’s anticipation as a team defender has improved in making plays in passing lanes, and he’s made multiple-effort plays of late in recovering to block shots on drivers, and his effort in defensive transition has led to deflections in some sequences.
As he’s gotten more experience and his chemistry with other key defenders such as Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen has been further established, it’s enabled Okoro to accumulate more steals/deflections and blocks as a rotator.
Hopefully, that trend continues as the soon-to-be 22-year-old rounds more into form as a perimeter defender. Work with vets such as Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto can help Okoro in the defensive playmaking realm, too, and one would imagine has behind the scenes in film study.