The NBA draft is very tricky, and teams often make mistakes that they regret for years.
Writing for Bleacher Report, Matt Velazquez spoke about some of the worst NBA draft picks over the last decade.
Sadly, the Cleveland Cavaliers made the list for their selection of Isaac Okoro in 2020.
“Isaac Okoro is essentially the same player as Patrick Williams in the sense that he’s also just fine. But like Williams, teams picking in the top five of the NBA draft aren’t looking for replacement-level players. They’re looking for stars who can turn a franchise’s fortunes around. Players to build around and who can inspire hope,” Velazquez wrote. “Okoro is a piece that fit at the time and continues to fit now in a smaller role on a much-improved Cleveland Cavaliers team, but he wasn’t the driver behind any of the team’s progress. He’s just a cog in the machine.”
In this context, being called “just fine” isn’t a good thing at all.
As Velazquez said, a top-five pick is supposed to be a franchise-changer, someone who can lead a team, become an All-Star, and possibly even an MVP or champion.
Okoro has his fair share of talents, but he isn’t someone who moves the needle that much.
Since being drafted, he has averaged 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 46.7 percent from the field.
Those aren’t horrible numbers, but are they appropriate for someone drafted so high?
To make matters even worse, the Cavaliers passed on players like Obi Toppin, Devin Vassell, and Tyrese Haliburton that year.
They thought that Okoro was going to be someone who could take the team to the next level.
Instead, he’s been servicable but not amazing, and that stings.
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