Isaac Okoro starts strong for Cavs

INDEPENDENCE — Every year, fans seem to write off Isaac Okoro as a force to be reckoned with on the Cavaliers. That doesn't faze the fourth-year swingman in the least. He just goes out and plays like he did in the regular-season opener in Brooklyn on Wednesday. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder recorded his first career game with at least 18 points, six rebounds and two steals in the 114-113 victory over the Nets. He added four assists and one block. "I can't say enough positive about Isaac," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Nothing has changed from Day 1. It seems like people want to write him off year after year. For us, he's just playing and doing things to help our team win. He had a great night on both ends of the floor. He's just him. I'm proud of him." The Cavs, who host the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, are playing with more tempo this season. That plays into Okoro's strength. "Isaac Okoro is elite in the open court," Bickerstaff said. "He puts a ton of pressure (on the defense). If he's running, let's throw him the ball and let him make a play." The former Auburn standout said he's letting the game come to him. "Now that we're playing faster, we're playing to my strengths, getting downhill, getting to the basket and running in transition," he said Thursday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "It helps me out. "I love the system we're using now. We're playing fast with ball movement. Everybody is touching it and playing together." Okoro, a surprise starter against the Nets, must take advantage of any playing time he gets. The Cavs didn't extend his contract prior to the deadline, meaning he will be a restricted free agent this summer. "You always have to be ready," he said. "I put in a lot of work. Whenever I'm out there, I give my all." He defended the explosive Mikal Bridges in the Nets game. "We're dogs this year," Okoro said. "We always have that fight in us. I just wanted to be aggressive with him. I try not to let him get to his spots. They are good mid-range players." Bickerstaff said Okoro covers the opposing team's top offensive threat "nine times out of 10." "He's a lock-down defender," Bickerstaff said. Okoro said the Cavs have trust in him by placing him on the other team's top threat. Tonight, he'll defended Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a first-team All-NBA selection last year. "They trust me by letting me guard the best players day in and day out," Okoro said. "They have that trust in me and I have that trust in myself." Bickerstaff said he thought the Cavs were "phenomenal down the stretch" on the defensive end. "We were getting stop after stop," he said. "(We were) down and not giving in. We knew we could trust in our defense. "We'll improve defensively because of our system and guys getting to know it. I give our guys a ton of credit. They were able to get stops on command. The more they play together, the more comfortable we'll be." The Cavs have been playing "small" with the ankle injury to center Jarrett Allen, who will likely be held out of the two weekend games (they host Indiana on Saturday). "We're different when we're that small on the floor," Bickerstaff said. "We miss Jarrett Allen. That impacts us defensively." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.