INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- The sweat beads off his forehead as Isaac Okoro launches a multitude of 3-pointers. A robotic voice booms from the speakers on each release and echoes throughout Cleveland Clinic Courts.
It’s early in the morning. Practice won’t start for a few hours. None of his other teammates have arrived yet. Okoro’s morning goal is to make 200 3s. It’s just him, Cavaliers shooting coach Andrew Olson and “Noah” -- a high-tech shot-tracking system that provides real-time feedback and analytics, which the Cavs installed in January of 2019.
Forty-five. Forty-four. Forty-five. Forty-five. Forty-three. Forty-four. Forty-five. Forty-five. ...
Those numbers signify Okoro’s shooting arc -- a critical focal point since he was drafted fifth overall by the Cavaliers in 2020.
A 45-degree arc is the goal. Noah -- with its company name adopted from the Biblical story Noah’s Ark because the original company emphasis was on the arc of the shot and Noah built “the perfect ark” -- has tracked millions of shots, determining that 45 degrees is the ideal entry point for the ball to go into the basket.
Okoro’s numbers have never consistently reached that target mark -- until the last couple of weeks, when a two-year reconstruction project entered an important phase.
“For years, I’ve been trying to get better and better at shooting. Ever since I was little honestly,” Okoro told cleveland.com.
“I just knew it was something I had to work on. Everybody could see it. I know I’m not a perfect player. Everybody has flaws. I’ve been working on addressing those flaws. Each year I feel like I have been getting better at shooting. We’ve been tracking it since I was drafted. I see the numbers. I see where I’m at now. It’s night and day. My arc is consistently higher. I always knew it was going to pay off sooner or later.”
With cameras and facial-recognition software, Noah stores all of its data online, allowing players and coaches to view total shots, depth, left/right percentages, rim maps and arc.
Olson has been working with Okoro since his rookie season and spent time with the third-year swingman in Atlanta this past summer. He gets daily reports.
Okoro increased his overall long-distance percentage by six points from his first season to second. But given the incredibly low volume (2.3 per game) and abnormally high-quality attempts, that specific stat felt like a mirage.
It’s why the Cavs are currently more fixated on the intricate details of Okoro’s reworked shot -- everything he’s shown behind the scenes.
The detailed numbers on those Noah analytic reports have the Cavs believing the evolution is real.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” Olson told cleveland.com. “It used to be very inconsistent. Left and right, distance and arc, it was inconsistent. He’s had a flatter shot his whole life. He didn’t shoot it great in college and even growing up shooting wasn’t necessarily the staple or anything that he was known for. But he’s shown a lot of improvement year to year.”
According to Olson, Okoro’s arc numbers when he first entered the league were around 40. There were even times when Okoro would toss up a hideous jumper that registered in the high-30s before it violently caromed off the rim.
Near the start of this summer, Okoro had reverted back to some old habits, hovering in the low-40s once again. But he worked endlessly on that form.
Since returning for the start of training camp in late September, the Noah daily reports show his arc being almost 44. Almost perfect.
“There are days where the ball is consistently higher arc, flicking the wrist, holding the form higher, not crossing my face. There’s been days where it’s been looking really good,” Okoro told cleveland.com with a devious smile.
“Then some days it goes back to how I used to shoot it. That’s what I’m saying about trying to be more consistent with it. I know it’s going to take time to get to exactly where I want to be. I know that. Sometimes my shot still goes flat. Just keep working every day. Just keep doing it. With time, it will be more consistent. I truly believe that.”
From the ground up
It was Nov. 18, 2020. The night of the 2020 NBA Draft. The Cavs had the fifth-overall pick, with four teams slotted ahead of them -- Minnesota at No. 1, Golden State with the second pick, Charlotte selecting third and then Chicago at No. 4.
Shortly before 8:30 p.m. the Bulls pulled the first draft-night stunner, choosing Patrick Williams. A raw, versatile, rangy, athletic, high-upside defensive-minded wing, Williams was one of the players Cleveland studied extensively in the leadup to that night.
Williams was off the board. So, now what? Isaac Okoro? Deni Avdija? Obi Toppin? Tyrese Haliburton? Devin Vassell? Onyeka Okongwu? Someone else?
The Cavaliers chose Okoro -- a player they fell in love with during the predraft process thanks to a tremendous workout and eventful get-to-know-you dinner. That day helped provide clarity on who -- and what -- the Cavs would be getting: A competitive, high-IQ winner with a won’t-back-down attitude, NBA-ready physique, passion for defense, toughness … and ... an unattractive, unpolished offensive game.
The team’s decision-makers didn’t believe Okoro’s shot was broken per se. But they had concerns. They understood it would be a multiyear process. They also trusted Okoro’s relentless work ethic and their own player development staff. It was a long-term play.
Okoro’s first 24 games weren’t pretty -- on the offensive end.
He went scoreless twice. Had four games with only one field goal. He was shooting 26% from beyond the arc at the time and went 0-fer from deep in more than half of Cleveland’s games.
Okoro was an offensive liability -- a lowlight package encapsulating all the reasons draftniks called him a “project” and said he was unworthy of being a top 5 pick.
When the Cavs returned from a five-game West Coast road trip in which Okoro had missed nine straight triples and his funky shooting stroke wasn’t looking any better, Olson approached Bickerstaff with a plan to completely rework Okoro’s mechanics. Bickerstaff was on board. Olson just needed Okoro’s approval.
The youngster saw the vision. The reconstruction was under way. From the ground up.
“You get to this level playing a certain way. Someone telling you that you’re either doing something wrong, not as well or in an inefficient way, it takes a certain type of person to accept that,” Olson said.
Every night for nearly two weeks, during Cleveland’s extended homestand, Okoro and Olson went to the practice facility and started to work.
Olson noticed a glaring issue: Okoro’s funky hand positioning.
“He came in and he would shoot across his face,” Olson said. “It never looked very consistent early on. I told him that we would start working with the percentages. He used to shoot across his face 70% of the time.
“I told him, ‘Let’s get that to 60 and then 50 and then just keep going from there.’ With all his progress over the first few years, we were trying to get it to 15 or 10% this past summer. Maybe even below that. Right now, it’s about 20%.”
As Olson explains it, a lot of the mechanical breakdowns had to do with how Okoro caught the ball and where he naturally placed his hands on the catch. Okoro would dip the ball, or his hand would go around. That’s why the two do a daily drill to keep Okoro’s wrist loaded, which helps him get underneath the ball, leading to a higher release point.
“He gets a little stiff with his shooting,” Olson admitted. “It’s just about trying to have a little more control and loosening it up allows him to load the wrist. That’s a little bit more ideal for the arc. He’s gotten a lot more consistent with a linear finish.”
“My old form was all over the place,” Okoro said with a chuckle and head shake. “My shooting hand was more in the middle, higher up on the ball, instead of being underneath. I feel like I’ve made huge progress.”
Each phase had a primary focus. The first step was straightforward: Improve the accuracy. Once the internal shooting numbers reached a respectable point, it was on to the next.
It’s been nearly two years since the process started. Olson believes Okoro is in a good enough place where they don’t have to focus nearly as much on the wrist and the other unnatural mechanical tweaks. It’s about enhancing a workable release.
“The numbers that we track show that his left and right misses have shrunk, so his accuracy is improved,” Olson said. “His average in terms of making shots increased about 1% every month last season.”
Isaac Okoro's shooting form has changed significantly since the end of last season. AP
Offseason checklist
The alarm goes off at 7 a.m. It’s an August day this past offseason. The Atlanta sun is just starting to peek through the clouds and the sweltering summer heat has yet to bake the concrete. Okoro wakes up and heads toward McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga. -- the gym where he led the Indians to an undefeated season and their first state championship in 2019. It’s the place where he became a basketball star.
Three days a week. Morning and night. Weightlifting and conditioning. Sometimes both in one day. Then two separate on-court workouts.
Okoro also trekked to Auburn University, where he played his college ball, a couple times. He returned to Cleveland periodically. Joined teammates in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Nashville for voluntary workouts. But Atlanta was his home base. Back in his comfort zone. Back to his old high school stomping grounds.
The summer -- the first normal, non-COVID-impacted one since entering the league -- was focused on offense. There were four primary points of emphasis.
- Three-point shooting.
- Attacking closeouts and getting into the paint more frequently.
- Using his body to create different-angled, non-dunk finishes through contact.
- Adding a one-dribble pullup to his halfcourt package.
Okoro also worked on ballhandling and making the right reads. It was a plan designed by Okoro, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Olson -- who visited Okoro three times in Atlanta this past summer -- and coaching analyst Josh Estes, among others.
“When I first came into the league, my mindset was focused on the defensive side,” said Okoro, who is 10 pounds heavier than he was last season. “But, as the years kept going on, I want to become a two-way player, I want to be great on both sides.”
As a rookie during the 2020-21 season, Okoro had a massive role, leading the Cavs in minutes while guarding the opponent’s best player on a nightly basis. It earned him a spot on the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team. He entered last year looking to take another step forward in his development. In some areas he did, increasing all three shooting percentages. But his other numbers decreased across the board -- minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks -- as the Cavs minimized his playmaking opportunities while asking him to be more of a corner spacer and cutter.
Following the season, president of basketball operations Koby Altman spoke about “unlocking” Okoro. Bickerstaff kept an open line of communication with Okoro throughout the summer, telling Okoro he would have more freedom this coming season.
“A lot of what happened to Isaac last year was on me,” Bickerstaff said. “We put Isaac sort of in a box to try to create as much spacing and give room to the other guys on the offensive end. Isaac does what we ask him to do.
“... We want him to be more involved. We want him to be more attack-minded. We want him to run the floor and get more early opportunities, convert some of his defense to offense. Staying within his profile but playing to the strengths of his profile. ... If he gets the best shot, then he’s gotta be willing to take it. He works his a-- off to get to that point.”
That will require a mindset shift.
“Growing up and coming through the ranks” Olson explained, “he was always the guy that would do the dirty work, play defense and he would get his points, but it’s not like he was the No. 1 offensive threat.”
Okoro won’t be that in Cleveland. He won’t be the second option. Or third. Or even the fourth or fifth.
But he needs to at least be an offensive threat, keeping opposing defenses from shading off him and loading up on Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Evan Mobley, Ricky Rubio and others.
Only one of the 157 3-pointers Okoro took last season was considered contested -- a defender within 4 feet. The other 156 were “open” or “wide open” -- a defender 4 or more feet away. All but eight of those 156 were classified as “wide open.”
On average, the defender’s distance from Okoro upon the release of his 3-pointer was 9.3 feet -- the most for any player who took at least 100 3s. And despite all that room, the easiest looks any player had, Okoro made just 35% of those attempts.
Opposing teams completely ignored him. Just like Brooklyn and Atlanta in the two-play in games that led to Okoro getting yanked. It compressed Cleveland’s offense. They dared him to shoot from the outside. Didn’t believe he could.
That’s why the top item on the summer to-do list was continuing to improve in that area.
Then it was about getting downhill and becoming a better finisher. Okoro is still erratic and inconsistent around the rim. He lacks any semblance of an in-between game. No floater. No mid-ranger. Very little touch. A freshly introduced one-dribble pullup is supposed to help remedy that -- even though Okoro isn’t yet comfortable using it in a game situation.
“But whenever I get to it, it’s money,” Okoro said.
For now, his word -- and the many coming from inside headquarters -- will have to suffice.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff has raved about Isaac Okoro's progress during training camp. AP
‘His best days are ahead of him’
Okoro is one of six players battling for the starting small forward spot. He’s started 128 out of 134 games in his NBA career. He’s used to that role. He wants to be the fifth starter, calling it “very important” when asked about it earlier in training camp. Bickerstaff, who doesn’t plan on publicly announcing his Opening Night starter in advance, is still torn and has yet to inform players of an official decision.
While there are countless factors to consider, Cleveland’s camp injuries have made the decision more complicated. Bickerstaff didn’t get to see certain five-man groupings. He didn’t get to experiment as much as he wanted. He doesn’t know exactly how all the pieces will fit in a game environment. Four injury-riddled exhibitions weren’t enough.
Because of that, the small forward decision will likely continue to evolve. Bickerstaff has already discussed the possibility of changing his mind as the season progresses.
Either way, Okoro will have a role.
“He is still an important piece of this team,” Bickerstaff told cleveland.com. “His actions on the floor personify our core values. We believe his best days are ahead of him.”
Okoro’s intriguing 3-and-D skillset was on full display during Cleveland’s third preseason game -- and then again in the finale. With LeVert getting a planned rest night against Atlanta, Okoro stepped into the starting lineup and made his case for being the full-time guy. He was aggressive. He confidently knocked down two 3s. He brought defensive intensity. He looked like the guy Cleveland needs, the overlooked piece of the NBA’s best young core.
“Just be myself and go out there and play my game,” Okoro said. “Sometimes I overthink it. There’s different games where teams might bluff at me and make me overthink when I’m shooting. Now I just learn to shoot it. Just shoot it with confidence. I know my team has confidence in me so just let it fly.”
“You just look at his game on the offensive end, I think we all can say it’s improved,” Mitchell said. “I only saw him twice last year, obviously, it’s just been a big leap in my opinion from what I saw. It’s all about confidence with him.”
That confidence, in part, comes from a rebuilt shot. Will it lead to a third-year breakout?
“Isaac has been fantastic,” Bickerstaff told cleveland.com. “I think this is the year we see Isaac take steps in the right direction, showing his ability to impact winning on both sides of the floor.”
Those closest to him have predicted a career trajectory similar to Marcus Smart, Jimmy Butler, Andre Iguodala or perhaps even Jaylen Brown. That would be on the higher end of the spectrum. Perhaps unrealistic. But all those players, praised for their incredible work ethic, once had to answer the same shooting questions that have followed Okoro from college.
“Every year is going to be probably a little different for him just because he doesn’t have the ball in his hands and he’s not getting 20 shots a game,” Olson said. “Sometimes you’re gonna come in and shoot one or two 3s. You miss a few for five games and it seems like the end of the world with that small sample size. It’s tough.
“I just think he’s the type of guy that likes proving people wrong. I wouldn’t bet against him.”
Olson has been there at every step. Early mornings. Late nights. Away from the cameras. Out of the spotlight.
Just him, Okoro and Noah.
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