In the 2020 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a player with a defensive reputation with the fifth overall selection. Isaac Okoro was just 19 years old then, and he’s only 21 now, but we didn’t like the selection at the time.
Why? Because at that spot, you need an all around player. Defense and defensive instincts are easier to teach at the NBA level than developing an offensive game. As the great John Wooden said, the same skills that make a player good offensively can be used to play well on the defensive end.
We think GM Koby Altman took Okoro that high because the Cavs were a terrible defensive team the previous two seasons. Again, that had more to do with a lack of defensive philosophy from the coaching staff. We feel if the coaches would have told the team we must defend to win in this league, they would have been better defensively.
So, it sounded really good to bring in a defensive player high in the draft, but fans don’t usually see the problems with this.
First, your defense is only as good as your worst defensive player. You can have Bill Russell in his prime at center or Dennis Johnson at guard, and if the rest of the players on the floor couldn’t guard their own shadow, you will not be a decent defensive unit.
Conversely, having a player who is not a threat on the offensive end causes problems too. What do you think happens to the opponent assigned to guard someone who isn’t an issue when your team has the ball? He’s free, within the rules, to double team a better player, or position himself near the lane to discourage players from driving.
Too often Okoro isn’t a factor on the offensive end. Since the all star break, a span of 21 games, the second year man out of Auburn have taken five shots or less seven times. His high in field goal attempts is nine.
It’s not like he is a great passer either. His high in assists over this time frame is five, done twice.
His numbers after the break are similar to what they were before: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, but his defensive rating has fallen from 111 to 120. And he’s playing three more minutes per game after the break (almost 32 per night)
Compare that to Lamar Stevens, an undrafted free agent, who also has a defensive mindset.
Stevens is scoring 8.5 points and 3.3 boards since the all star game, and he’s getting just 19.5 minutes per game.
Right now, to our eyes, Stevens is the better player, and if he were the fifth overall pick, he’d be getting 30 minutes per night.
This is not to write off Okoro. As we mentioned earlier, he’s just 21 years old, and has time to improve his game. But he has to contribute on the offensive end. Stevens can. He has a nice mid-range game, and he doesn’t settle for threes (most times).
For the record, we would have taken Obi Toppin with the fifth pick, and we still think he can play if he ever gets out from under Tom Thibodeau.
Who else was available? How about Tyrese Haliburton or Saddiq Bey or Tyrese Maxey. Of all the players in that draft, Okoro has the second lowest VORP (value over replacement player). And that includes the players taken on the second round.
That’s why you don’t take a defensive specialist that high in the draft, you take players who have an all around game. But until Isaac Okoro can make himself a threat offensively, it’s tough to make a case for getting the playing time he is receiving.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 