Isaac Okoro Making Strong Case for Time in Cavs’ Crowded Wing Spot

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Cavaliers went out and acquired some new exciting wing players, but guess who ended up being the star of the first preseason game?

You guessed it … holdover wing Isaac Okoro.

Actually, probably no one predicted it would be Okoro before the Cavs’ 108-107 road loss to the Hawks in the preseason opener on Tuesday.

But Okoro said he is feeling even more comfortable this season. It showed, as he tallied a game-high 19 points on an icy 6-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 on 3-pointers.

Most everything else came on the fly, with Okoro running the floor and finishing at the rim. That’s been his strength since the Cavs selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

“We’re starting to play fast this year, so I was just trying to run in transition and get some easy baskets,” Okoro said after practice Wednesday. “And from there my outside game is starting to show. Having the ball in my hands a little bit more gives me more confidence to shoot it.”

Okoro just happens to play the same spot as newcomer Max Strus, the early starter at small forward, and Caris LeVert, who ended last season with the job. If anyone had a reason to doubt or even pout entering camp, it was Okoro. 

At the very least, it would be understandable if he wondered where he stood in the pecking order.

But by all accounts, it’s been the opposite. Okoro has just put his head down and gotten after it. He again worked on his perimeter game this offseason, trying to add it to what he does best. That would be to use his athleticism to slash and dash, and especially, defend.

“I’ve been playing that way all my life,” he said. “When I first got here, we played a little more slow, half-court, so it was kind of hard making the adjustment. Now that we’re playing faster, it plays to my strengths, playing downhill, getting to the basket.”

Strus may start and LeVert could at times too — just as he did in the preseason opener, as coach J.B. Bickerstaff decided to go smaller with center Jarrett Allen nursing a bum ankle.

Basically, there will be minutes for Okoro. And he doesn’t always have to score 19 points. Or even 10. It’s nice to have the threat, though. Okoro can still be a weapon even with the likes of Strus, LeVert, Georges Niang and Ty Jerome already helping with the perimeter game.

That’s especially the case if Okoro can consistently add offense in more ways than just transition.

“Each year I probably get better and better at that,” he said. “I’m starting to see different options coming out of the corner, or even the wing or in the pick-and-roll.”

Cavs Notes

• Preseason Game No. 2 will take place Thursday vs. Paolo Banchero and the Magic. This time, it’s at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will again be televised by Bally Sports Ohio.
• Rookie Emoni Bates hit the Cavs’ final shot vs. the Hawks, a gutsy three with time winding down. Okoro said he wasn’t surprised. “He was incredible. We’ve seen it all of training camp,” Okoro said of Bates. “He has the utmost confidence. Anybody will tell you he has the most confidence in the gym. Anytime he touches the ball it’s going up and he knows it’s going in.”
• Okoro added that Bates is no ordinary No. 49 overall pick. “We love that he has that confidence,” he said. “Anytime you get him the ball you know he’s going to knock down the shot. He puts the work in, too.”
• For more on Bates and some other observations, be sure to check out my Dribbles column from after the game right here.
• And one last reminder … I more or less filled in on the Mark Price podcast earlier this week to preview the season. You can check it out here.