STRENGTHS

Strong frame/Physical wing
Shows flashes he can create his shot off the dribble
Potential wing intiator/playmaker
Ball mover
Good finisher that shot 64% around the rim
Excellent defender
Tough powerful slasher
Complimentary glue guy potential
Gets to the free throw line

AREAS TO IMPROVE

Must improve outside shooting
Only shot 30% on jump shots as a freshman
24% on catch & shoot jumpers
Reluctant shooter
Not super quick and lacks great first step
Free throw shooting

SUMMARY

Scouting Notes

If anyone says they had Issac Okoro as a lottery pick going into this basketball season don’t trust them. Okoro came out of nowhere to put himself in position to hear his name called early in the 2020 draft.

On paper his 12.9 ppg 4.4 rpg and 2 assists per game aren’t eye popping, but once you take a deep dive into his film you see a versatile high impact player that can contribute early in his career, especially on the defensive end.

At this point in his development, Okoro’s best attribute is on the defensive end..

At 6’5 225 lbs Okoro is a physical slasher that can create his own shot off the dribble. He’s efficient with his moves, doesn’t do a lot of dancing around with the ball and uses his strong frame to finish through contact... Okoro shot an outstanding 64% around the rim which ranked in the top 89 percentile in all of college basketball.

Okoro has a high IQ and I believe he has the passing instincts and vision to become a secondary playmaker in the NBA. He makes quick decisions and does a good job feeding the post, finding teammates cutting or on dump offs near the rim or driving and kicking it out to open shooters on the wing..

His ability to create for others makes him the ideal complimentary player glue guy can play in any system. I think he’d be a perfect for teams like Cleveland, Minnesota, Charlotte or even Chicago. I think being used as a secondary playmaker than can run pick & rolls will open up scoring opportunities for the teams I mentioned and their high scoring point guards.

Okoro’s has all the tools and intangibles to become a high level NBA starter that impacts the game in a variety of ways.

He excels in the open floor where he shot over 57% from the field in transition a fair amount resulting in highlight reel finishes...., he’s also one of the best rebounding wings in the draft, especially on the offensive glass where he average over 2 offensive rebounds per game..

Okoro’s strong drives to the rim were often rewarded with trips to the free throw line. He averaged a little less than 9 field goal attempts but got to the charity stripe nearly 5x per game. However he’ll need to improve free throw shooting. He only shot 67% from the foul line on 134 attempts

Areas for Improvement

The biggest area for improvement and the key for Isaac Okoro to maximize his full potential is directly related to his development as an outside shooter.

He attempted 2 jumpers per game and converted only 30% on jump shots this season. After taking a deeper look into the advanced stats Okoro shot 11 for 45 which equals to 24% on catch & shoot opportunities..

Nearly 70% of those attempts were unguarded according to Synergy sports.. Thoroughout the season it was evident Okoro was not confident in his outside shot had a tendency to pass up open looks and pick up unforced turnovers due to his reluctance to shoot.

Rafael Barlowe - March 27, 2020