Cleveland Cavaliers find perfect mix of talent and need with Isaac Okoro: Chris Fedor – cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Cavaliers entered this exhausting draft process with a few goals.

They wanted to add someone who blends into the refurbished culture. Attitude matters. Character does as well. Competitive spirit is a prerequisite, one of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s core values. Same with work ethic, especially given the mighty emphasis on player development that will guide this rebuild. Since general manager Koby Altman has been in charge, he refers to those traits as the controllables. For a top 10 pick, they’re essential.

The Cavs also recognized the importance of adding a two-way wing. But the Altman-led front office was not going to let position drive this selection. The primary objective: find the best player.

In the never-ending debate of talent versus fit, the Cavs didn’t have to choose sides.

“Isaac (Okoro) was both,” Altman said Wednesday night on a Zoom call with reporters while the draft was still going. “I think we were tremendously fortunate that we got the right fit in terms of player and the best talent on the board as well. That’s hard to do.”

Each member of the front office had their favorites from the crowded Tier 2 of prospects below Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball, who went 1-2-3 in Wednesday’s draft.

The order of that second cluster was hotly debated for months. There was support for Dayton’s Obi Toppin, believing his offensive proficiency would overshadow glaring defensive shortcomings. There were Deni Avdija backers, especially after he impressed during his pre-draft workout. Some favored USC big man Onyeka Okongwu, who went one pick later to Atlanta, because of his defensive versatility and rim protection — both of which could be needed in the future, depending on what happens with Andre Drummond and Tristan Thompson. Tyrese Haliburton was getting a look, with at least one team executive mentioning Oklahoma City’s success with three guards (Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander).

That’s why the Cavs were willing to field trade offers, seeing if they could drop down a few spots, pick up an asset or two and still snag a player they liked. Altman sensed built-up energy from opposing GMs who were eager to make deals after the moratorium lifted earlier in the week.

The Cavs had opportunities. According to Altman, “a lot” of teams were trying to move into the top 10. Some contenders were even trying to jump to the fifth spot. The Cavs had conversations with the Knicks, Pistons, Celtics and a few other unnamed teams, seeking a deal that brought back enough value to make the risk of possibly losing Okoro worth it. But as they explored all possibilities, including while they were on the clock, their decision became clearer. Shortly after 8:30 pm, they stopped listening, dialed into the league office and made their pick.

The Cavaliers are ready. The Cavs will select Isaac Okoro.

Joy filled Cleveland Clinic Courts. There was applause. First-bumps. High-fives. Hugs. Then they all watched the TV announcement before celebrating some more.

“The more and more we thought about it the more we were excited about Isaac,” Altman said.

Some may view the talent conversation differently than the Cavs. That’s natural. After all, both Toppin and Avdija were higher on most boards. But it’s tough to be overly vociferous either way. There was never much separating these guys. Coming to a consensus took time.

In Okoro — a sturdy 6-foot-6, 225-pound swingman — the skill level is obvious.

He averaged 12.9 points on 51.4% shooting and 28.6% from 3-point range to go with 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his lone season at Auburn. He was named to the All-SEC Second Team, All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team, becoming just the sixth player in conference history to capture all of those specific accolades in one season, joining Anthony Davis (2011-12), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2011-12), Nerlens Noel (2012-13), Jordan Mickey (2013-14) and Robert Williams (2016-17).

“He is a tremendously exciting player,” Altman said of Okoro. “He’s dynamic, monstrous sort of physique at the wing position and he’s ready. He’s a ready-made body that’s going to compete. He checked a lot of boxes for us.”

Two of those boxes: position and need. Without having to dip into a different talent pool.

The Cavs are the league’s worst defensive team. It’s not about scheme, coaching or inexperience. They just don’t have enough quality individual defenders. Okoro changes that. Just ask him.

“I feel I’m the best defensive player in this class,” Okoro said. “I feel like I can take that challenge of guarding the other team’s best player.”

The numbers back up that claim. Okoro ranked in the 90th percentile in points allowed per one-on-one possession. The Cavs needed someone exactly like him, especially with a tiny backcourt that was repeatedly torched last season and a few other defensive liabilities (Cedi Osman and Kevin Love) that log big minutes.

“There’s some great wings in the East,” Altman said. “We needed to start to address the defensive side of the ball, and his mentality is to take on the other team’s best player, and on a lot of those nights it is a wing.

“To tag him as the next best defender in our league is a lot of expectation for a 19 year old. But he wants to do it. So that’s a mindset, right? That’s a winning mentality. It’s a toughness. And then he has the body to guard 1-4. He’s going to have an impact on that side of the ball immediately.”

But Altman wanted to make something clear: Focusing solely on Okoro’s defense misses the mark.

“Would have been hard for us just to draft solely on defense,” Altman said. “His offensive game is underrated. I think you guys will see as you watch him more and more, he does a lot of little things — offensive rebound, kick outs, drive-and-kicks, pitch-aheads, second side pick and rolls. There’s a lot more to his game other than defense. I think he has a lot of upside offensively. He has a really good basketball IQ, he can really pass, he knows how to cut and score in different ways. He can post a bit. He’s gonna be a great fit with our guards.”

Given how many ball-dominant and high-usage players are already scattered across this roster, the Cavs needed someone who can impact games in other ways. That’s Okoro.

Nearly two-thirds of his offensive production came in spot-up and transition opportunities. According to Synergy Sports, Okoro ranked in the 80th percentile in points per transition possession, with many of his best moments coming in the open floor — sprinting from end to end, filing lanes, trucking defenders and exploding to the rim for thunderous dunks or powerful layups though contact. He ranked as one of college basketball’s best finishers around the rim.

Those areas should at least make him useful on offense while he keeps working on his iffy jumper.

“The shot is not broken,” Altman said. “There’s some concerns there, but I know he’s gonna work. He’s gonna live in the gym. He’s gonna get better. I’m going to see him progressively get better.”

The Cavs are willing to make that bet. Just like they did with Collin Sexton, Larry Nance Jr. and Osman — all of whom have greatly improved their outside touch in Cleveland’s respected player development system.

Three years ago, Nance made two 3-pointers. Total. Last season, he set a career-high with 56 made triples, shooting a respectable 35.2% from long range. He’s planning to build on those numbers in 2020-21.

Sexton’s pre-draft scouting report labeled him a poor shooter after hitting just 33.6% from beyond the arc at Alabama. Two years into his NBA career, Sexton is one of Cleveland’s most reliable marksmen.

There’s enough evidence pointing to shooting as a correctable flaw. Kawhi Leonard. Jimmy Butler. Marcus Smart. Jaylen Brown. Lonzo Ball. Pascal Siakam. Andre Iguodala. The list goes on and on.

Throughout the pre-draft process, Okoro was compared to many of them. His college numbers were nearly identical to Brown’s. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said Okoro reminded him of Iguodala. ESPN NBA Draft Analyst Fran Fraschilla saw shades of Butler. A scout who has spent years watching Okoro said the youngster had Smart-type intangibles.

Of course, not everyone is the same. There’s never a guarantee the numbers improve. What’s the form look like? What corrections need to be made? Will the player work at it? Those are the important questions. Okoro is 19 years old. He deserves a chance to grow before getting a premature label. He finished the year strong at Auburn, a promising sign. He’s made improvements to his form, footwork and release this offseason, which the Cavs saw during a recent workout — always an integral part of their pre-draft process.

It may take Okoro a few years. But why would the Cavs doubt him now? They’ve spent hours watching in person and breaking down film. They’ve talked with people from his high school, AAU, Team USA and Auburn. They’ve seen the progression. They’ve seen the impact.

Okoro is a winner. And, unlike shooting, that quality is innate.

“He’s a wonderful teammate,” Altman said. “Those 50-50 plays, those loose-ball plays, those hustle plays, we call them floor burns. That gets everybody ignited. Not just team but the fan base, the city. I think that’s going to get a lot of people fired up, how intense he plays on each possession. It’s team first. He’s prideful about that. He’s humble. But he’s not lying when he says he’s a winning player.”

The Cavs had plenty of other options at No. 5. A sound argument could’ve been made for any of them. But they needed a wing. They need an infusion of talent. And they desperately needed to improve on defense.

Add it together and you get Okoro — a talented, defensive-minded wing.