Cavs: Cleveland drafts guard/forward Isaac Okoro at No 5 overall

The Cleveland Cavs have drafted Isaac Okoro at the fifth overall spot in the 2020 NBA Draft, picking him over Obi Toppin and Deni Avdija.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have selected Isaac Okoro, a 6’6 guard/forward from Auburn with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Cavs passed on Obi Toppin and Deni Avdija for Okoro, whose biggest claim to fame is his defense. Many consider this pick to be a “surprise” and even a “reach”. This is GM Koby Altman’s third draft, and in all three he selected a player who may be undersized for his position, as many expect the 6’6 Okoro to play at small forward for the Cavs.

Ideally, he’d play at the other guard position to diversify the talents on the court.

Okoro was not a good offensive player while at Auburn, only averaging 12.3 points per game, on 51% from the floor. While that may sound like a decent average, he only shot 28% from three and had a horrific 67% from the free-throw line. With no summer league and a short training camp, it’ll be interesting to see what the Cavs can do with his shooting mechanics to increase his accuracy.

The Cavs are hoping that he’ll join Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Dylan Windler, and Kevin Porter Jr. as the young core of this team going forward but that core may look radically different in the coming weeks. Especially when it comes to Porter Jr. who’s being accused of assaulting a woman, while also being arrested for gun-related charges. On top of that Garland was viewed by many as the worst full-time player in the NBA last year statistically speaking.

Regardless if you’re a fan of Okoro or not, no one can deny that he is more of a prospect than a ready to play player. What the Cavs do with him to start the season will tell you how ready he is to play. Let’s hope that he has a better rookie year than his new teammate has had.