Isaac Okoro Is The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Best Chance At Filling Their Biggest Need

What is the biggest difference between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the other elite teams in the Eastern Conference? Their play on the wing.

The three other contenders — the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers — all have multiple catch-and-shoot wings. Boston has Grant Williams, plus Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown offering shooting on top of everything else they do; Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon only add to it from the guard spot. The Bucks have Pat Connaughton, Joe Ingles, Grayson Allen and the recently acquired Jae Crowder to supplement Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton. The 76ers aren’t quite as loaded, but have De’Anthony Melton and Georges Niang in support of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. (PJ Tucker sort of counts, but he’s often unwilling to shoot.)

All three teams are above league average in three-point rate. Boston is second in the league in three-point rate; Milwaukee is fourth and Philadelphia is 12th. Cleveland, meanwhile, is 17th, with 34.1% of its shots coming from three. Only the Bucks are less accurate.

That makes sense considering the Cavs’ roster construction, where resources have been spent elsewhere. Neither Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen shoot threes, although Mobley might some day and has shown a willingness to do so. (That, though, is a question for another day.) Caris LeVert has had a nice three-point shooting year, but that’s not his game — he’s best as a jitterbug playing with the ball in his hands. Ricky Rubio is letting them fly since his return from injury, but that’s not his game either.

Dean Wade can contribute some, but he’s the likelist cut from the rotation at the current moment. Kevin Love, meanwhile, is gone. Danny Green could be an option, but it’s still to be determined how he looks at age 35 coming off of a torn ACL. He almost certainly won’t be able to replace the 30 minutes Isaac Okoro is playing every night.

That puts pressure on Okoro, who has settled in as Cavs’ fifth starter, to get up three-pointers. That, in part, is what separates him from Caris LeVert as the right option from three. Per Cleaning The Glass, Okoro is near league average for wings in three-point rate and in the top one percent of wings in corner three-point rate. He’s at a respectable 34% from three overall and 36% in the corner.Those aren’t elite numbers, but they work for now.

Okoro, though, looks better when you factor out an 0-12 start to the year. From Nov. 13 on, the date of his first made three, Okoro is at 37.9% from three, including 38.3% on catch-and-shoot threes. Those are competent three-and-d wing numbers. Those numbers are a real improvement, a tad up from last season when he shot 36.8% on catch-and-shoot threes on similar volume.

And, at least for this season, means Cleveland’s option at shoring up their biggest need.

Opposing defenses are starting to treat Okoro differently as a result. Some teams still leave him wide open in the corner, but he’s letting his shots fly now. If they leave him open, Okoro shoots. That’s what he needs to do. His shot chart shows as much.

He’s also improved when teams close out on him — he doesn’t just force a shot or give up the ball to the guard on the wing. Forty-three percent of his shots coming at the rim, per Cleaning The Glass, putting him in the top-seven percent of wings; he’s shooting a career-best 68% up at the rim and is fairly skilled at drawing fouls. His bag isn’t deep, but he has a nice Eurostep and a solid first step when he does want to attack.

He’s better, and more willing, as a cutter too.. With defenders paying attention to him more, he’s shown a willingness to slide into the dunker spot or into space. This is growth. A year ago, Okoro was just standing in these spots and not offering himself up as an outlet to a whomever has the ball.

How many shots Okoro can make is going to matter in the playoffs, where teams need the release valve of three-point shooting from the wing. It’s why the other ast contenders (and teams in the Western Conference) have all stocked up on wing shooters. When the games matter the most, three-and-d wings are worth their weight in championship gold.

Whomever the Cavs play — think the Knicks or the Heat in round one and possibly one of the aforementioned contenders later on — is going Okoro to beat them. They are going to dare Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell to give up the ball and for Okoro to shoot or make a play from the corner.. A game or two may be decided by whether or not Okoro is 2-5 from three or 0-5. The margins are that thin.

Okoro has always been a good defender — he’s Cleveland’s best option for defending at the point of attack and on some bigger wings depending on the matchup. In fact, he’s having the best defensive season of his career. Okoro deserves minutes for what he can do on defense.

But to stay on the floor in the playoffs, he has to make shots. This season should give the Cavs optimism that he’s up for it, but he has to show he’s good enough to fill their biggest need.