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CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold the No.5 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, had their close-up with swingman Isaac Okoro last week.
Okoro spoke about the in-person training during an interview with Zoom with members of the media on Wednesday. A league source confirmed the timing to cleveland.com.
Along with the Cavaliers, Okoro, considered the best wing defenseman in the draft, worked for the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves – the two top teams in the draft.
During what became a longer-than-expected pre-draft process, Okoro also interviewed a handful of organizations, including the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns. and the Atlanta Hawks. The project, once scheduled for June and then October before being moved once again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held virtually on November 18.
“I feel that what separates me from everyone in the draft is my will to win, my willingness to help a team win by coming in and playing my part,” Okoro said. “Just come in and have that defensive presence, being able to keep the best player on the other team and shut him down.”
During his training with the Cavs last week, which took place on the Auburn campus where Okoro became a one-year-old star and continued his training, Okoro believes he displayed an underrated offensive package.
“I feel like they came thinking the attack was one of my weaknesses, but they left knowing that it is actually one of my strengths,” Okoro said, acknowledging the criticisms that stem from its low shot percentages.
During his year at Auburn, Okoro shot 28.6% of the 3-point range and below 70% of the foul line. He’s spent the last few months honing every aspect of his game – ball handling, shooting and defensive slips – but hours at the gym honing his shooting form alongside Auburn’s assistant coach Ira Bowman, have started to bear fruit.
“During the season I feel like I shot a lot of flat balls and right now I’m getting used to doing it higher, with more arc on it,” Okoro said. “I would say during college season (my shot) was probably a C-plus. Right now I feel like I’m working everyday and it’s probably around a B-plus or an A . “
When asked about his best position in the NBA, Okoro said a small forward, which would make him an ideal fit for the Cavs who need wings. For the past two years, Cleveland has used first-round picks on guards Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. Okoro knows Sexton well. They are from the Atlanta area and played against each other in high school.
“We’re both competitors, so having two competitors on the same team would be really great,” Okoro said.
According to multiple sources, Okoro remains one of the players in the No.5 mix. There are others as well, as the Cavs continue to do their due diligence on what has been called the weak class.
From the start, the Cavs believed in-person training would be an important part of the process. Once the league finally lifted travel restrictions, the Cavs made several stops across the country. On October 27, they visited Obi Toppin of Dayton. They also met Israeli swingman Deni Avdija – who trains in Atlanta but was unwilling to reveal further details about his training with teams – combo guard RJ Hampton and USC big man Onyeka Okongwu, who is in Los Angeles.
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