https://youtu.be/1WFFsx3capA
For perhaps the first time this season, Isaac Okoro took an amount of shots befitting a player drafted 5th overall. Sixteen field goal attempts is a season-high for him (his previous high in FGA being 13), and, what do you know, the record amount of shot attempts resulted in a season-high in points as well. For most of the season, Okoro has been content to take a supporting role to the Sexland combo, but in this game, he took the reins of the offense himself, leading the team in both points and attempts.
The Cavs ended up losing by nearly twenty and Okoro went 1-of-8 from three (after making his first and only three-pointer less than thirty seconds into the game), but this is what’s called “development”. Development continues to happen even if the team loses or even if the three-ball isn’t falling. If Okoro is going to live up to the hype of being the fifth overall pick, he’s going to need to start shooting the ball like he’s capable of living up to that hype, even if he’s not currently living up to it. (Note: do not miss too many shots in the name of “development” or Kevin Love will sulk and quit on the team.)
Honestly, Okoro might be held back by the fact that he looks too much like Darius Garland, especially from a distance. I’ll be honest with you, I was getting them confused while making this video, especially on the plays where Garland was assisting Okoro. I’d be like, “Cool, Okoro making a good pass, we’ll see when he gets the ball back so that he can score,” but then it was actually Garland making the pass and Okoro making the bucket. One of them needs to ditch the “helmet of mini-dreadlocks” look so that they can differentiate themselves a bit more.