NBA Draft: Grading every first-round pick after rookie year
156. . SG. Cleveland Cavaliers. Isaac Okoro. 5. player
NBA Draft: Grading every first-round pick after rookie year: 5. Isaac Okoro
Stats:
- 9.6 points
- 3.1 rebounds
- 42% from the field
Isaac Okoro was always going to have a difficult time getting much attention. Even when he was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, there simply weren’t going to be enough possessions or basketballs to go around.
Point guard Darius Garland isn’t exactly a pass-first player and Collin Sexton has never met a shot he didn’t like. Between them jacking up most of the field goals and Kevin Love still a former All-Star, Okoro did the best he could on the offensive end while being considered the team’s seventh-best offensive player roughly.
His 9.6 points per game were solid but his 42 percent from the field was concerning and his 29 percent from behind the arc makes him a nonthreat. Okoro, at least at this stage, isn’t the sort of player where you can hand him the ball and expect him to create his own shot. He mostly depends on drive-and-kick opportunities.
On the defensive side of the ball is where he made his name. He ranked third on the Cavaliers with 0.069 defensive win shares. He won’t wow anyone with his stats but Okoro had a good rookie year.
Grade: B-