Cavaliers select Isaac Okoro with No. 5 pick
With the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers have selected Auburn forward Isaac Okoro.
The former top-50 recruit wasn't expected to be one-and-done but vaulted up draft boards after a strong freshman season. Okoro finished second in team scoring at 12.9 points per game and registered the fifth-best 2-point field-goal percentage (60.3) in the SEC.
He quickly earned a reputation for solid defensive play despite not stuffing the stat sheet with steals and blocks. Okoro's shutdown work on opposing perimeter players was recognized with a spot on the SEC All-Defensive team and All-SEC second team.
Okoro's jumper will ultimately determine his ceiling, and he's been working on his release point since the 2019-20 college season ended.
"(I'm) taking more time with my jump shot, just being more fluid with it. Just learning how to get the ball higher," Okoro told reporters, including theScore, during his recent NBA draft availability. "During the college season, I shot a lot of flat balls. So I'm just learning right now just to get a higher arc on it."
Bio
Position: SF
School: Auburn
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 225 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-9
Max vertical: N/A
Strengths
- Has all the tools to be a lockdown perimeter defender
- Strong frame allows him to absorb contact and finish at the rim
- Gets to the charity stripe often; he finished 18th in the SEC in free-throw attempts
- Explosive athlete
- Relentless work ethic
- Showed playmaking flashes
Weaknesses
- Needs to improve his perimeter shooting; he did most of his damage in the paint and shot only 28.6% from beyond the arc
- Has troubles creating his own shot
- Tends to pass up open looks