Cleveland Cavaliers: PnR pull-up viability could help unlock Isaac Okoro - King James Gospel

jemputjembut.blogspot.com

It’s apparent that in Year 2, Isaac Okoro needs to show more game-to-game on the offensive end for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 32.4 minutes per outing in Year 1, he had 9.6 points per contest, and hit just 29.0 percent of his three-point attempts.

He seemed to be hesitant on offense, at least to some extent, up until about the All-Star break. From there, we did see him start to assert himself more, and particularly from April-onward, which was a positive, though.

And while injuries, such as to Darius Garland, did play into it, Okoro did have a nice closing batch of games to end out his rookie campaign, which was something for him to build on. In his final 12 games of 2020-21, Okoro had 16.2 points per outing, and that was good to see for him then leading into the offseason.

Now, Okoro again needs to be more consistent game-to-game looking onward offensively for Cleveland, and while he probably is a ways away from being a floor spacer, if he can hit say, 34.0 percent from three next season, that’d be noticeable progress. That’s mostly via catch-and-shoots, I would think, in that realm for him.

Granted, it’s nice to know that the Cavaliers reportedly do intend to get Okoro some more pick-and-roll opportunities next season, with his driving abilities, and they also reportedly intend to get him some mid-post looks. With his strength, I could foresee that making a difference for him and could further aid his free throw generation, of which was a positive for his game last season, too.

That said, in a general sense, the offense does need to still be there more so for Isaac next season, and in relation to some in the pick-and-roll, one thing would pay off for him at times in games.

Cleveland Cavaliers: PnR pull-up viability could help unlock Okoro.

We didn’t see much of it last season, but later on last season, there were positive signs from Okoro regarding the PnR.

In that closing batch of games, there were seemingly more sequences where Okoro was able to get downhill in those instances, and when he was able to get opponents parallel to him, it led to more productive drives and his share of free throw chances.

That’s something that could play out more in the near future, at least in some minutes without say, the likes of Garland of being on the floor here and there.

Granted, Okoro, in a general sense, does need to tighten his handle to be able to do that more frequently, though, in fairness. But plenty of work in that realm over this offseason and leading into next season I’d think he’s been doing, and will continue to do so, one would assume, and that should gradually pay dividends over time.

However, Okoro does need to develop some pull-up viability following closeouts, or for when opponents are loading up for his drives on-ball after ball-swings to him, as we stressed in-season. Now, I wouldn’t expect him to be necessarily a volume pull-up shooter in the near term, to be clear, and most would likely be of the same opinion.

More from King James Gospel

In PnR situations though, I do think, at least when bigs are switched out on to him some, when they are dropping or trying to close out driving gaps, that Okoro needs to show gradually more willingness to take those pull-ups.

That’s in the mid-range seemingly to start, as if he does develop some propensity to shoot and hit those shots time to time, it’d pay off more for him as next season goes on.

Last season, Okoro only attempted 0.6 pull-ups per game, which was a 7.6 percent frequency, per NBA.com’s shot tracking data.

Obviously, I’m not suggesting he should be attempting a bunch of those looks overall next season, but taking 2.0 or so per contest could help him as a driver, and it could make a difference as games progress for him as a secondary playmaker to an extent, too.

So, while I again am not saying it should, or will, be at a high volume in coming years, I do believe that in PnR situations when he gets defenders going way under, or if bigs switch out to him, Okoro developing some viability in those situations would be big for him.

If that can be the case, even semi-regularly, it’d likely enable him to get more opportunities going toward the rim with a head of steam with that counter in set offense. Or he could help generate other quality looks for shooters on the perimeter.

Point being, Okoro showing some PnR pull-up respectability, well some more game-to-game, could be very impactful for him and Cleveland I believe.

Adblock test (Why?)

"help" - Google News
July 10, 2021 at 11:00PM
https://ift.tt/36sdwFl

Cleveland Cavaliers: PnR pull-up viability could help unlock Isaac Okoro - King James Gospel
"help" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2SmRddm


Bagikan Berita Ini