Isaac 3 & D Okoro - A Two Way Playing Basketball Savant

[Lee]

Okoro is also the youngest guy on that list followed by Dort and Lonzo.

1. Dort - 21
2. O'Neale - 27
3. Lonzo - 23
4. Holiday - 30
5. Brooks - 25
6. Jones Jr - 24
7. DFS - 27
8. Mikal Bridges - 24
9. Okoro - 20
10. Payton - 27
11. Richardson - 27
12. Oubre - 25
13. Brogdon - 28
14. Simmons - 24
15. Schröder - 27

Ironically, Dort is a 6'3 sf who has basically doubled his numbers from his rookie year and shown improvement in every aspect. Okoro has a similar game as Dort with a higher ceiling as he has more length and athletic ability and an incredible work ethic.

I get Dort was a UDFA not a 5th overall, but for those hating Okoro, he will get better and proof he has taken the hardest assignment every night.

 

[cabs]

Ironically, Dort is a 6'3 sf who has basically doubled his numbers from his rookie year and shown improvement in every aspect. Okoro has a similar game as Dort with a higher ceiling as he has more length and athletic ability and an incredible work ethic.

I get Dort was a late 1st rounder not a 5th overall, but for those hating Okoro, he will get better and proof he has taken the hardest assignment every night.

Dort was undrafted

 

[I'mWithDan]

Seeing Okoro be more active throughout the box score is what is far more encouraging than anything else.

I would buy in to his scoring / shooting would take time but it was dually concerning to see him throw up nights where he was like 2/1 in the rebound assist columns.

7/5/3/2/1 with quality play in 30 minutes is what I want to continue to see more of. If he can give the Cavs 10 or more REB+AST+STL+BLK that is what they need. The scoring is just a bonus and something that will hopefully improve with time.

I'm more focused on that as a measure of improvement down the stretch.......how he can use his energy and athleticism to produce hustle stats.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

JBB started Okoro with Allen, Love, and Wade last night, meaning Okoro was playing the off-guard with Sexton out. I wonder if they're considering making that his permanent position next year, especially if they draft a big wing to play the 3.

Allen and Hartenstein at the 5, Love and Wade at the 4, Nance, Prince, and the draft pick at the 3 - where does that leave Okoro? Shooting guard?

In the first few games of this season the Cavs did very well with Dante Exum at the 2. The Cavs were a +14.4 per 100 possessions with Exum on the floor. That's third highest on the team behind Delly (+20.0) and Hartenstein (+15.4). The difference was almost all on the defensive end; the Cavs allowed 13.6 fewer points and scored 0.9 points more with Exum.

I see a lot of similarities between Okoro and Exum, both physically (6'5") and in terms of their game (mostly defense, can attack the rim, not much of an outside shooter). Their shooting percentages are almost identical both overall and on 3's. I was actually hoping the Cavs might sign Exum to a minimum contract next year but the guy is injured every season so it probably would not pay off. But what about moving Okoro to the 2 and developing him as a better shooting Dante Exum?

 

[CavsFan07]

But what about moving Okoro to the 2 and developing him as a better shooting Dante Exum?

He absolutely should be a 2 (and is a 2). Playing him as a 3 has him clearly out of position.

The question remains though.... if we're going to do that, who goes to the bench - Garland or Sexton?

Okoro makes more sense as a starter since he's so good defensively and can take the opposing teams best guard every night. Playing Garland/Okoro/Sexton all 3 together for long stretches at a time is going to be a nightmare defensively for us.

 

[weepinwillow]

He absolutely should be a 2 (and is a 2). Playing him as a 3 has him clearly out of position.

The question remains though.... if we're going to do that, who goes to the bench - Garland or Sexton?

Okoro makes more sense as a starter since he's so good defensively and can take the opposing teams best guard every night. Playing Garland/Okoro/Sexton all 3 together for long stretches at a time is going to be a nightmare defensively for us.

Sexton.

I'd like to see them start Prince at the 3, Okoro at the 2 with Allen/Love/Garland the rest of the way. Then bring Collin off the bench w/Delly, Wade and Isiah. Eventually you will need to upgrade Prince (via the draft), but in the meantime he provides some floor spacing and perimeter defense. This also makes the second unit have a place to go for buckets, which has been a struggle.

 

[Kiddo]

If Okoro is our 2 for the future then we should absolute look at trading Sexton to a team that he fits much better with, think OKC. Sexton and SGA would make a great back court combination. We get their pick this year and use it along with our pick to move up or select 2 guys in hopefully the top 10. Maybe we could get 2 of Kuminga, Barnes, Moody or Giddey.

 

["MVP"]

Ironically, Dort is a 6'3 sf who has basically doubled his numbers from his rookie year and shown improvement in every aspect. Okoro has a similar game as Dort with a higher ceiling as he has more length and athletic ability and an incredible work ethic.

I get Dort was a late 1st rounder not a 5th overall, but for those hating Okoro, he will get better and proof he has taken the hardest assignment every night.

People seem to get irritated at the Dort comparison. Like, "how could the Cavs take a defense-only, undersized wing in the top 5 when Dort went undrafted the year before?" I firmly believe that Dort would be a late lottery guy in a redraft. You can't tell me that there's a single playoff team that wouldn't love to have him playing crunch time for them in big games.

I like the "Dort with higher offensive upside" comparison. These guys have very similar, strong builds, but Okoro is even bigger / longer. Then add in the flashes that we've seen from Okoro offensively, and to me, that player is definitely a worth selection at 5 in a relatively weak draft.

 

[narbar32]

Totally.

Makes absolute sense to move Sexton to the bench or even outright trade him in order to make room for our real SG of the future, Okoro.

What world am I living in??

 

[Ozone]

Totally.

Makes absolute sense to move Sexton to the bench or even outright trade him in order to make room for our real SG of the future, Okoro.

What world am I living in??

Okoro is clearly suited to be a slashing sf not a off ball guard. Sexton is that microwave type so maybe 6th man of the year is in his future. I think you could use Okoro at the 2 if he comes into next season with a mid range game and is dropping 35% or better from range. If not I am leaving him at the 3 and hoping his corner 3 becomes a 40% by this time next season.

 

[Cavatt]

The guys that came in and killed it at the 3 are mostly HOFers. Okoro has a great frame and is strong, but you can see he is not as strong as Stevens because he is significantly younger. Right now Okoro can be moved, not sure that is a good thing to bet on moving forward.

This insane year will pay off for him in experience. He already looks much better even guarding bigger guys.

 

[weepinwillow]

Totally.

Makes absolute sense to move Sexton to the bench or even outright trade him in order to make room for our real SG of the future, Okoro.

What world am I living in??

the world where both go to their best role for a franchise.

 

[Kouki]

I really don't understand this whole "Okoro is a two and is playing out of position" thing, but I also don't understand why/how the debate even matters...

Are people just saying that based on his height? That's pretty short (hah) sighted. You can be a plus defender even with a size disadvantage and Okoro has shown flashes of that potential.

He's regularly guarding the opposing team's best offensive player even if that happens to be a point guard.

I don't think it's because of his offensive prowess or lack thereof. He is clearly right now a system player and that doesn't matter if he's a two or three.

 

[MirORich]

There’s really no substantive correlation or facts that Okoro is a better SG prospect then SF prospect.

When he is currently, as a rookie, playing SG, it’s usually because one or both of SexLand are out for the game. In their absence, he seems to make a conscious effort to assert himself more on offense. When he’s playing with them, as a rookie in the first 50 games, he has seemed to defer more and go out of his way to not shot hunt or force things on offense.

I would expect, and of course I could also be wrong, that in his second and third years in the league he will begin to naturally assert himself more on offense, regardless of whether he’s playing SG or SF.

No “proof” of that opinion yet either, but it’s just as likely as the rush to state that he’s a better SG prospect on this team than SF prospect, a lot of which I think is driven by people’s obsession with having a definitive stance that Sexton and Garland have to be broken up in the next year or two.

With all of these things, more games, experience, and continued roster development is need before we truly know the answers.

 

[foucault87]

Don't get where this obsession with benching Sexton comes from. He is clearly our best player and getting a more complete game by the week. This isn't Jordan Clarkson we are talking about.