Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 x-factors that will determine their success
By Tony Pesta
Cleveland Cavaliers X-Factors: Isaac Okoro’s offensive development
A member of the 2020 All-Rookie Second Team, Isaac Okoro, is entering his sophomore season with some lofty expectations. The biggest question of all, how much can Ice improve on the offensive end?
Okoro wasted no time showing the NBA he was ready to be an elite defender. It is rare for a young player to successfully make the leap from college to the pros at such a quick rate but Okoro took on the challenge of defending the opposing team’s best player each night. Though this resulted in him being burnt plenty of times — Okoro’s growth was rapid and his physical maturity made him an instant impact defender.
Where he was less impactful was on offense. Okoro spent his rookie season as a limited shooter with a loose handle that caused him to mostly take a backseat offensively. He attempted just 8.3 field goals per game despite playing 32.4 minutes each night. If you are wondering, this is where Okoro ranks among the league in shot attempts.
Fewest Shot Attempts While Playing 32+ Minutes (65 Players qualify)
- 62nd – Mikal Bridges (9.3 Per Game)
- 63rd – Isaac Okoro (8.3 Per Game)
- 64th – Dorian Finney-Smith (7.8 Per Game)
- 65th – Robert Covington (7.3 Per Game)
Thankfully, Covington and Bridges provide a decent mold for Okoro to model himself. He’s shown to be a smart cutter off-ball much like Bridges and should be looking to copy the 3-and-D talents of Covington — to the best of his ability, at least. Okoro was a sub-30 percent 3-point shooter as a rookie but has plenty of time to develop into a league-average threat from deep.
More importantly, Okoro needs to grow comfortable handling the ball. This was emphasized towards the end of his rookie year and clearly a priority in the offseason as he played hybrid point guard in the Las Vegas Summer League. Getting reps as a lead playmaker is important for Okoro who will need to be a tertiary creator for Cleveland to reach their ceiling.
We have to take Summer League with a grain of salt but it was a great sight to see Okoro put the ball on the deck and bully his way to the rim. He also made some timely reads as a passer, dishing 2.5 assists per game. Okoro’s journey to being the versatile glue-guy the Cavaliers need begins and ends with his ability to be more of a shot creator for himself and others.