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

[Nphan]

Double post

 

[Nphan]

I don't understand, why JB had him spotting up at the three-point line for most of the season. He should be moving around getting easy shots. And,he should have been playing a little point much earlier too. While,his ball-handling is average at the moment, he should have been gotten experience much earlier because having an extra ball-handler helps,especially for Collin.

Yes he should be playing to his strength. Which is inside then out. We learned this already with young LeBron but for some reason JBB didn't know how to use him.

 

[Ozone]

One thing I have noticed in past stretch is he is a much more effective offensive player with the ball in his hands and without Garland or Cedi Osman eating up usage as main ball handlers.
i think the org needs to make a decision and if Okoro can be that effective maybe he comes off the bench as a the lead ball handler but they better draft an equally as effective defender that has a more complete off ball offensive game to be the starter in his place.
I think it will be easier to let Garland take over the 2nd unit with Love coming off the bench with him.

 

[kidduck]

Cavaliers rookie Isaac Okoro still 'thirsty to learn' as disappointing season winds down​

Marla Ridenour
Akron Beacon Journal

Russell Westbrook embraced Cavaliers rookie Isaac Okoro and offered a few encouraging words in a season of disappointment.

The message couldn’t have been more on point.

“He said just keep going, attacking, just keep playing the way I’m playing,” Okoro said.

Spoken by one who can flash past opponents in a blur, Okoro needed little else from the league’s new career triple-doubles record-holder, except for an admission that Westbrook fouled him in the post. Okoro vowed to send the nine-time All-Star the video.

With a 120-105 victory Friday night in Capital One Arena, the Wizards secured a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, the Cavs’ goal as recently as a month ago.

With the Cavs losing 12 of their past 13 games, all that is left to be salvaged as the season ends Sunday in Brooklyn is personal and team growth. Okoro’s dramatic strides on offense in the past three weeks have been the most striking.
In the past 12 games, Okoro is averaging 15.5 points and shooting 42% from the field. He’s scored in double figures in 11 of those 12. He's had two 20-point games and a career-high 32-point performance in a May 4 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns.

His durability and recent offensive surge prompted the Cavs to email a publicity flyer on Thursday pushing Okoro for the NBA’s All-Rookie Team.

Okoro's evolution continues, even as the Cavs’ season grinds to a welcome halt.

Against the Wizards, Okoro finished with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, one shy of his career-high. He spent some time at point guard, which he’s done while Darius Garland was sidelined for seven games with a sprained ankle.

When it was suggested that there’s nothing Okoro can’t do, he responded, “If that’s what you want to say.”

“I’ve always felt like I could do that,” Okoro said of playing point guard. “But now I feel like they are starting to have the confidence in me to be able to put me in those positions to be the playmaker and find my teammates. So, that’s good.”

It wasn’t that long ago that coach J.B. Bickerstaff put Okoro in the pick and roll, a move the fifth overall pick from Auburn loved because he could attack more.

“He’s been phenomenal. He’s been improving, he’s been thirsty to learn,” Bickerstaff said after Friday’s game. “But my thing is his ability to go out and do it, to try it, things that may be uncomfortable, to be more aggressive. And he plays at a tempo where he can keep his eyes up and he can make the right read. So those are things that Isaac continues to work on and it will only help him get better.”

That’s not to say it’s been easy for Okoro. By the middle of the season, he realized he had to start taking better care of his body.

“All these illegal screens that they set, never gets called. Just getting banged up every single game and I had to focus on that,” Okoro said after shootaround.

Okoro, 20, showed he could push through the pounding. Tasked with guarding the opponents’ best player on a nightly basis, Okoro has played the most minutes (2,139 in 66 games) of any Cav. His 32.4 average ranks third on the team behind Collin Sexton (35.5) and Garland (33.1).

Center Jarrett Allen said Friday he was surprised at Okoro’s workload — he led all NBA rookies in minutes per game as of Thursday.

“It’s awesome to see. It’s been a great rookie season for him,” Allen said of Okoro’s progress. “He’s been through a lot, just seeing trades, how much he’s been playing.

“I saw he’s played the most minutes out of every single rookie. That’s a tough job coming in at how old he is and he’s handled it like a real professional. Just going down the line, I think that’s going to help him in the long run, make him have a good and lasting career.”

Okoro’s performance against the Suns typified his rugged perseverance. He suffered from cramps and reportedly needed intravenous fluids after the game. In Wednesday’s victory over the Boston Celtics, Okoro sprained his left ankle in the waning seconds of the first half and still lasted a team-high 36 minutes.

“He wants to play,” Bickerstaff said after shootaround. “I’ve got a huge admiration for that kid, his emotional stability, his emotional maturity, his thirst for wanting to get better and that hunger to take on challenges. He’s going to be special because of that.”

Not surprisingly, Bickerstaff supports the public relations push for Okoro.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he should be on the All-Rookie Team. I don’t know of any other rookie that accepted the challenges that he had to accept and come out on the other side unscathed,” Bickerstaff said.

“Physically and emotionally, he had some daunting tasks and not one time did he balk at the opportunity. He kept going back, he kept showing up and you even look at the improvement he’s made. You think about the things that he’s added to his game on the offensive end of the floor while not slowing down on [the defensive] end of the floor.”

Okoro willingly touted his All-Rookie candidacy after shootaround.

“Feel like I had a big impact on this team. … I feel like I’m good at both ends of the floor, contributing and doing anything to help this team win,” he said.

Okoro not letting cramps end his night against the Suns was the perfect example of his determination and character, Bickerstaff said.

“He doesn’t hang onto things that have happened, whether they’re good or they’re bad, he just keeps moving. He just wants to help and he wants to compete and that’s what drives him,” Bickerstaff said.

“Those cramps, they would have shut most people down. But he just figured out a way to go gut it out. I give his parents all the credit in the world because they raised a helluva human being.”

 

[cliffdawg]

If he has the work ethic everyone said s I can’t wait see his improvement next year, I expect that jump shot to be better along with his ball handling , Dam the boy is only 20....

 

[ansatsusha80]

Yes he should be playing to his strength. Which is inside then out. We learned this already with young LeBron but for some reason JBB didn't know how to use him.

I would love to see him and Collin cut to the basket more next season

Cavaliers rookie Isaac Okoro still 'thirsty to learn' as disappointing season winds down​

Marla Ridenour
Akron Beacon Journal

Russell Westbrook embraced Cavaliers rookie Isaac Okoro and offered a few encouraging words in a season of disappointment.

The message couldn’t have been more on point.

“He said just keep going, attacking, just keep playing the way I’m playing,” Okoro said.

Spoken by one who can flash past opponents in a blur, Okoro needed little else from the league’s new career triple-doubles record-holder, except for an admission that Westbrook fouled him in the post. Okoro vowed to send the nine-time All-Star the video.

With a 120-105 victory Friday night in Capital One Arena, the Wizards secured a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, the Cavs’ goal as recently as a month ago.

With the Cavs losing 12 of their past 13 games, all that is left to be salvaged as the season ends Sunday in Brooklyn is personal and team growth. Okoro’s dramatic strides on offense in the past three weeks have been the most striking.
In the past 12 games, Okoro is averaging 15.5 points and shooting 42% from the field. He’s scored in double figures in 11 of those 12. He's had two 20-point games and a career-high 32-point performance in a May 4 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns.

His durability and recent offensive surge prompted the Cavs to email a publicity flyer on Thursday pushing Okoro for the NBA’s All-Rookie Team.

Okoro's evolution continues, even as the Cavs’ season grinds to a welcome halt.

Against the Wizards, Okoro finished with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, one shy of his career-high. He spent some time at point guard, which he’s done while Darius Garland was sidelined for seven games with a sprained ankle.

When it was suggested that there’s nothing Okoro can’t do, he responded, “If that’s what you want to say.”

“I’ve always felt like I could do that,” Okoro said of playing point guard. “But now I feel like they are starting to have the confidence in me to be able to put me in those positions to be the playmaker and find my teammates. So, that’s good.”

It wasn’t that long ago that coach J.B. Bickerstaff put Okoro in the pick and roll, a move the fifth overall pick from Auburn loved because he could attack more.

“He’s been phenomenal. He’s been improving, he’s been thirsty to learn,” Bickerstaff said after Friday’s game. “But my thing is his ability to go out and do it, to try it, things that may be uncomfortable, to be more aggressive. And he plays at a tempo where he can keep his eyes up and he can make the right read. So those are things that Isaac continues to work on and it will only help him get better.”

That’s not to say it’s been easy for Okoro. By the middle of the season, he realized he had to start taking better care of his body.

“All these illegal screens that they set, never gets called. Just getting banged up every single game and I had to focus on that,” Okoro said after shootaround.

Okoro, 20, showed he could push through the pounding. Tasked with guarding the opponents’ best player on a nightly basis, Okoro has played the most minutes (2,139 in 66 games) of any Cav. His 32.4 average ranks third on the team behind Collin Sexton (35.5) and Garland (33.1).

Center Jarrett Allen said Friday he was surprised at Okoro’s workload — he led all NBA rookies in minutes per game as of Thursday.

“It’s awesome to see. It’s been a great rookie season for him,” Allen said of Okoro’s progress. “He’s been through a lot, just seeing trades, how much he’s been playing.

“I saw he’s played the most minutes out of every single rookie. That’s a tough job coming in at how old he is and he’s handled it like a real professional. Just going down the line, I think that’s going to help him in the long run, make him have a good and lasting career.”

Okoro’s performance against the Suns typified his rugged perseverance. He suffered from cramps and reportedly needed intravenous fluids after the game. In Wednesday’s victory over the Boston Celtics, Okoro sprained his left ankle in the waning seconds of the first half and still lasted a team-high 36 minutes.

“He wants to play,” Bickerstaff said after shootaround. “I’ve got a huge admiration for that kid, his emotional stability, his emotional maturity, his thirst for wanting to get better and that hunger to take on challenges. He’s going to be special because of that.”

Not surprisingly, Bickerstaff supports the public relations push for Okoro.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he should be on the All-Rookie Team. I don’t know of any other rookie that accepted the challenges that he had to accept and come out on the other side unscathed,” Bickerstaff said.

“Physically and emotionally, he had some daunting tasks and not one time did he balk at the opportunity. He kept going back, he kept showing up and you even look at the improvement he’s made. You think about the things that he’s added to his game on the offensive end of the floor while not slowing down on [the defensive] end of the floor.”

Okoro willingly touted his All-Rookie candidacy after shootaround.

“Feel like I had a big impact on this team. … I feel like I’m good at both ends of the floor, contributing and doing anything to help this team win,” he said.

Okoro not letting cramps end his night against the Suns was the perfect example of his determination and character, Bickerstaff said.

“He doesn’t hang onto things that have happened, whether they’re good or they’re bad, he just keeps moving. He just wants to help and he wants to compete and that’s what drives him,” Bickerstaff said.

“Those cramps, they would have shut most people down. But he just figured out a way to go gut it out. I give his parents all the credit in the world because they raised a helluva human being.”

It will be criminal, if he doesn't make it....

 

[Ozone]

Aside from personal accolades and work ethic he was struggling offensively all season off ball & I support the idea of transforming Okoro into a true point forward.

 

[Futuredome]

I don't see "point forward potential for him. He is a undersized wing that needs to shoot better.

 

[Ozone]

I don't see "point forward potential for him. He is a undersized wing that needs to shoot better.

he looked better controlling the ball than he did all season playing off it lol but ok

 

[Dr No]

We need him to improve. His numbers are better, but other teams still aren’t guarding him like a threat. If he can improve to the point that he makes opponents play him honestly, it helps everyone else’s game as well as his own.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

I'd like to see him getting passes curling off a screen and taking it to the rim. He's getting pretty good at getting layups high off the glass with either hand to avoid the block and also draw contact in some cases.

He also had a nice little pull-up 15-foot baseline jumper he swished in the last game. I know they don't want to see very many mid-range jumpers, but sometimes with the shot clock expiring it's either an open 15-footer or plow into a crowd and hope you get fouled rather than stripped or have the shot blocked.

It goes without saying his 3-point accuracy needs to improve.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

It

We need him to improve. His numbers are better, but other teams still aren’t guarding him like a threat. If he can improve to the point that he makes opponents play him honestly, it helps everyone else’s game as well as his own.

It's going to years before he's fully developed offensively. He just needs to keep improving.

 

[daddywags]

I think mostly this year was him learning the speed of the pro game and what it's like playing against grown men who do this for a living. I'm not a Bickerstaff fan but I give him a bit of a pass because we have a lot of guys still learning the pro game.

 

[Ozone]

I think mostly this year was him learning the speed of the pro game and what it's like playing against grown men who do this for a living. I'm not a Bickerstaff fan but I give him a bit of a pass because we have a lot of guys still learning the pro game.

Yeah but he needs the ball in his hands more I don't care what it takes to make that happen and if they are not interested in doing that, they not only do him a disservice, they waive a red flag that they are clueless about getting the most out of the players they are developing.
I don't love any of the players that we call core members of this roster right now and tbh don't care if any of them are traded for positional upgrades but outside of the smart move of investing long term in a unrelenting learner and versatile starter or 6th man in Sexton before he hits the FA market, I am putting the rest of my chips in the center on Okoro and everyone else can stay or go I dont care

 

[weepinwillow]

I'd like to see him getting passes curling off a screen and taking it to the rim. He's getting pretty good at getting layups high off the glass with either hand to avoid the block and also draw contact in some cases.

That's what I want Sexton to be doing with Okoro or Garland making the decision when to get him the ball.

Loved the late season push to let Okoro be initiator and decision maker for the offense. He had a great grasp of when to pass and who to pass it to and when the play would open up. For Isaac I just want him to work on that handle and get his jumper from distance respectable. Neither task is all that tall. Because he makes the right basketball play when he attacks and he's already able to create great separation with his body and using angles his handles don't need to be Kyrie Irving-level.

Very bullish on a big uptick from Okoro next year.