It’s no secret that the Hawks were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last season, and that’s one of many problems they’ll have to fix if they want to shift from a 20-47 team into a playoff contender.
There are a few prospects who potentially could give them a boost on defense, and Isaac Okoro of Auburn is one of them — the athletic wing is regarded widely as one of the better defenders in this draft class.
Okoro averaged 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game as a freshman at Auburn last season, but his jump shot needs work, and he shot just 28.6% from 3-point range and 67.4% from the line, so there are questions about how successful a shooter he would be in the NBA. Although his defensive presence is the biggest draw, Okoro said that in his pre-draft workouts with teams he was able to show off his shooting ability and demonstrate it’s not a weakness.
Okoro, who played at McEachern High School, said he has worked out with three teams (Golden State, Minnesota, Cleveland) and has interviewed with those three teams plus the Hawks, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, Washington and Chicago. Just because he’s chatted with the Hawks and others doesn’t necessarily mean anything will materialize, though; having conversations with multiple teams before the draft is standard.
In this time before the draft, Okoro has been working on ballhandling, shooting, sliding on defense and playing pick-up, trying to polish everything up.
The NBA draft is scheduled for Nov. 18, and the Hawks will have the No. 6 pick (unless they make a trade of some sort).
Okoro addressed the media via Zoom on Wednesday, and the following was gathered from that interview.
Height/weight/age/position: 6-foot-6/225/19/wing
… On what he can bring to the offense: “I’m just trying to be an all-around player, willing to do anything on the offensive end and defensive end to help my team win. I feel like I can contribute on offense by attacking the rim, drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line, also just driving and finding open teammates.”
… On his biggest challenge at the next level, and what part of his game will translate best to the NBA: “I feel like coming into the NBA, you’ve got to learn the pace of the NBA. It’s way different from high school and college, so just coming in and learning the pace of the NBA is probably going to be the biggest challenge. I feel like my first step into the NBA, just playing defense is something I’m going to be good at already.”
… On how he’d grade his jump shot during his time at Auburn vs. now: “I would say during the college season, it was probably, like, a C-plus. But I feel like now, I’ve been working every day just putting up a lot of shots, and I feel like right now it’s around a B-plus, A. I feel like just taking more time with my jump shot and just being more fluid with it, just learning how to get the ball higher. During the college season I shot a lot of flat balls, and I’m just learning right now to shoot it high and get a high arc on it.”
… On how he can prepare for the quick turnaround from the draft to the season: “I’m just ready. I’ve been mentally and physically ready all my life, been preparing for this day and this moment to happen. I feel like I’m already ready for all this to happen.”
… On what separates him from the rest of the draft class: “Just my willingness to win, my willingness to do anything to help the team to win. Coming in and just playing my role and being a defensive player.”
