J.B. Bickerstaff Likens Cavs Swingman To Deion Sanders, Darrelle Revis

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff offered a cross-sport comparison for his team's defensive stalwart Isaac Okoro.

Having Isaac Okoro back in the fold after missing nine games has been a breath of fresh air for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have won six out of their last eight games.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound swingman is a lightning rod in the open floor, a quick-hitting attacker in the half-court and, most importantly for J.B. Bickerstaff, a lockdown defender who can take care of business against tough assignments.

"He's got the ability to shut guys down and eliminate them from a game," Bickerstaff said after Tuesday's blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks. "He's like one of those Deion Sanders cornerbacks, Darrelle Revis-type of guys who, you put that guy out there and he's on an island by himself. He's got the ability to do that. 

"And what it does is it allows us to do so many other things defensively because he doesn't need help. He can get through screens without getting help. He can guard guys 1-on-1 without needing help. So it allows your weak side to just do so many things."

Okoro had the opportunity to follow up on his coach's comparison Wednesday at practice.

"I don't see that I'm an island," Okoro said with a grin. "I try thinking it like that when I'm guarding 1-on-1, but I know I have Evan [Mobley] and Jarrett [Allen] behind me to help me out if I have any mistakes. But yeah, I take pride on defense. I know that's the reason I'm out there the majority of the time is to lock up, so I take pride with that."

Nov 25, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) dunks during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Ice Island does have a ring to it.