NBA: A way-too-early reassessment of the top 10 picks in the 2020 draft

Pick No. 5 (CLE): Isaac Okoro, F/G

Cleveland is Chicago but with guards. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are both good players worthy of their draft picks but whose play styles overlap. Pair them with Cedi Osman and new-in-town Jarrett Allen and you have a solid young core there. Cleveland drafted Okoro to fill the ‘defensive wing’ role that the team did not have much of last season.

Okoro has delivered to some extent on that thought. While the defensive stats do not necessarily POP, this has more to do with Okoro both guarding the best wing on the other team nearly every game and the fact that he averages far more minutes than any other rookie in the league (nearly 7 more minutes than second place). That’s going to run your advanced stats down. But he held James Harden to 21 and 19 points in their two-game series a few weeks ago. He has shown why he was drafted for his defense. The offense is another story.

Okoro’s per-game averages are 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 steals. His shooting splits are .417/.293/.686. The splits signify a serious concern for Okoro’s upside. The free throw percentage especially shows concern for his overall shooting ability. His best asset on offense right now is his aggressive cuts, where he exploits the athletic advantage he has over many other wings. Until he adds more to his offensive arsenal, he will be a limited player.

Verdict: A defense only wing is not the worst player to pair with the Sexland duo. Cleveland is likely pretty happy so far.