NBA 2020 Mock Draft 1.0 – Options abound for OKC Thunder
By Rylan Stiles
The Bulls get the biggest gift of the draft
I really think Isaac Okoro will fall to the eighth pick in the NBA Draft, and really for the Bulls, that is a huge blessing. In my eyes, Okoro is the best perimeter defender in all of college basketball, and one of the best prospects with that skillset in a long time. (yes, including last year’s defensive standout Matisse Thybulle)
However, like a ton of defensive prospects, his three-point shooting is a bit of a black eye on his NBA Draft resume. Okoro shoots just 26 percent from deep, and at the line does not get much better going 66 percent from the charity stripe.
His all-around game makes up for it. The 6’6 215-pound wing can do a bit of everything. Of course, he creates chaos with a steal and a block per contest. He can also facilitate though, handing out over two assists per contest. On the glass, the 6’6 freshman crashes the boards to collect nearly five rebounds a game.
Okoro possibly has the highest basketball IQ in this class. On both ends of the floor, he just makes the smart basketball decision. No matter if it is rotating defensively, playing the passing lanes, or making the extra pass. Okoro is a crowd please, without the stellar highlights, just with good fundamental basketball.
Okoro has been able to score 13 points per game, a number that pushes over 23 points per game when you extrapolate per 100 possesions.
I think Okoro could go down as one of the biggest steals of this year’s NBA Draft. Again, not a franchise-changing player, but he will heavily impact the game, change your teams’ defensive production almost single-handedly, and be a big reason for winning.