Auburn | SG/SF | Freshman
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 225 lbs
Wingspan: 6'9"
Shades of: OG Anunoby, Torrey Craig
Projected Draft Range: 5-8
Big Board Ranking: N/A
Okoro is a physically imposing defender with his blend of strength, agility and size on the wing. Alongside his physical and athletic tools, Okoro is a high-effort defender who brings a high level of intensity on top of his physicality on that end of the court. Okoro is a smart on-ball defender who moves his feet very well and does an excellent job of contesting shots without fouling. Okoro's lateral quickness allows him to beat guards to their spot and force them into uncomfortable situations. Okoro's intelligence and physical/athletic tools give him intriguing potential as a multi-positional isolation defender who could be capable of guarding one through four at the next level. Okoro is also an excellent team defender with textbook verticality as a weakside shot blocker and quick-thinking when rotating and playing help defense.
Shooting 64% at the rim, Okoro is an efficient finisher at the rim. Okoro's finishing prowess begins with his athletic abilities where he can play well above the rim and is a ferocious dunker both in the open court and in traffic. Okoro has great burst from a standstill and has a strong 225 lb frame which makes him hard to stop going downhill and gives him an edge when finishing through contact. While a powerful finisher, Okoro can also play with a bit of finesse and skill around the basket. Okoro is an adept finisher with either hand and has a selection of euros and spin moves in his bag. Okoro also does an excellent job at cutting into space and putting himself in positions to easily receive the ball.
Okoro's physical tools make him a great rebounder on the wing. He possesses a high motor when crashing the offensive boards and has a quick first and second jump that allows him to compete on the offensive backboards with opposing big men.
Okoro has some upside as a secondary playmaker which could make him an exciting swiss army knife type contributor. Okoro is a capable ball-handler particularly in transition in which he looks comfortable changing directions and maintaining his dribble at high speeds. Okoro is also a solid reactive passer with an unselfish approach to the game.
Turnoffs:
The main concern by a long shot within Okoro's game is his inconsistent three-point shooting. Okoro had an underwhelming and inconsistent season from deep and it appears that Okoro's jump shot may still be a work in progress. Okoro's mechanics are rather stiff and inconsistent. He tends to unnecessarily fade on his shot and looks uncomfortable in his release at times. Okoro's 67.2% from the free-throw line doesn't inspire much hope in his long-term shooting development. While he has shown glimpses of an off-the-dribble game, Okoro is not a shot creator from the perimeter and not only struggles to hit deep range shots but also seems unconfident at times when he can't get his way to the rim.
As talented as is he around the rim, Okoro can get out of control going downhill. Okoro has a poor tendency to drive head-down into defenders which often results in him being stripped of the ball or surrounded with no passing options available. Okoro also needs to sharpen his accuracy on some of his passes as he on occasion falsely predicts where his teammate will be on the receiving end.
While a stellar defensive player, Okoro's physicality can get the best of him. Okoro is very handsy with ball handlers and has a tendency to over-hustle his way into avertible fouls.
NBA Outlook:
Okoro will likely be an immediate contributor on the defensive end and could be highly coveted by playoff competitors looking to trade up.
If Okoro can become a league-average shooter from three, he could be a high-level starter for a long time in the league. The real question with Okoro is if a team can tap into his upside as a secondary creator and develop him into a shot creator similar to Jimmy Butler. Placing that expectation on Okoro is unfair and chances are he'll instead be a high-level role player for years to come but with Okoro's reported work ethic and already developing on-ball skills, his untapped star potential can't be completely ruled out.
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