The Biggest Problem With Cleveland Cavaliers Signing Isaac Okoro, Revealed

The Cleveland Cavaliers may end up regretting extending Isaac Okoro.

May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) reaches for the ball against the Boston Celtics in the second quarter of game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally agreed to terms with Isaac Okoro late last week, signing him to a three-year, $38 million contract.

It was widely assumed that Okoro would remain with the Cavaliers, but some felt that he would merely be back for the one-year qualifying offer.

Instead, Cleveland has opted to commit to him for the next three years, and Caleb Crowley of King James Gospel sees a potential issue with that.

Why?

Well, because right now, Okoro has yet to really scratch the surface of the potential many thought he had when the Cavs selected him with the No. 5 overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, and there is no guarantee that he will ever get there.

As Crowley states in his piece, potential is just an idea.

The fact of the matter is that Okoro has now been in the league for four seasons and has displayed very limited improvement across the board.

Yes, Okoro has gotten better as a perimeter shooter each season, and last year, he connected on 39.1 percent of his three-point attempts. However, his volume (3.1 triples per game) is still rather low, and he is very restricted offensively otherwise.

Okoro has yet to average double figures, topping out at 9.6 points per game. Even more concerning is that that was back in his rookie campaign.

The 23-year-old absolutely excels on the defensive end of the floor, but based on how brutal Okoro was in the playoffs this past spring, his defense will only be able to take him so far against the best opponents.

We'll see if Okoro can show any signs of advancement this coming season. If not, the Cavaliers' may have hamstrung themselves with his contract, particularly given all of the other massive deals they have handed out this offseason.