The Safe Pick: Isaac Okoro, G, Auburn
Isaac Okoro out of Auburn is one of my favorite prospects in this 2020 class and somebody that I believe could be one of the steals of this draft when we look back on it years from now. He had a productive freshman year for the Tigers, averaging 12.9 points per game and being named to the All-SEC second team.
As pointed out earlier, the Hawks currently have a habit of not defending well and Okoro would be a fantastic defender to help cure them of some of those defensive woes. His potential defensively is big, he was an All-SEC defender who can guard the one through three and provide relief for Trae Young in terms of his current on-ball defensive responsibility.
Having Okoro, Hunter, and Reddish alongside Young with Capela behind him to protect the rim now, could limit the chances of Young constantly getting attacked defensively as well.
Okoro’s offensive potential and talent is much more intriguing than some make it out to be in my opinion, he also would bring some value on that end of the floor to a Hawks offense that is increasingly getting scarier. He’s not going to be a top scorer for Atlanta and may never turn into an elite scorer at all, but he has shown flashes of being a capable playmaker.
Okoro is very good at driving to create open shots for his teammates or his own shot and has shown nice touch to finish at the rim. He excels in the open floor and can hustle to create his own offense if need be too. His shooting is a concern and making only 28.6 percent of your 3-point attempts isn’t great, but I think he can improve, and playing next to shooters like Young, Huerter, Reddish and Collins will allow him not to have to shoot a ton initially.
I really love the fit of Okoro with the Hawks and believe he can help change the culture in the right direction for the franchise. Defensively, he’d be a huge addition to their core and continue the upward trend of one of the most exciting young teams in the league in my book.
I’m a huge believer in what he can become, Okoro reminds me a lot of Celtics forward Jaylen Brown and even if he doesn’t pan out to that level, he’s at worst a Gary Harris type player. The Hawks would be wise to consider Okoro at six and he’d be a valuable addition to their rotation starting in 2021.