Isaac Okoro starts strong for Cavs

INDEPENDENCE — Every year, people seem to disregard 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 Cavs' 114-113 victory over the Nets. He added four assists and one block. "I can't say enough positive (things) 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 at 7:30 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 (a lot of) ball movement. Everybody is touching it and playing together." Okoro was a surprise starter against the Nets. He said he must take advantage of any playing time he gets. "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 midrange players." Bickerstaff said Okoro traditionally covers the opposing team's top offensive threat "nine times out of 10." "He's a lock-down defender." Okoro said the Cavs have trust in him by placing him on the other team's top offensive threat. Wednesday, it was Bridges. Tonight, he'll likely defend Thunder forward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, an All-NBA first-team 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." NO EXTENSION The Cavs didn't extend Okoro's contract prior to this week's deadline. He will now be a restricted free agent this summer. BIG NIGHT The Cavs are looking forward to the home opener tonight. "We have some of the best fans in the league, no doubt about it," Bickerstaff said. "This is a fun place to play." TOUGH ROAD Bickerstaff said there aren't many easy games this year. "The depth in this league, it goes as deep as I've seen in a long time," he said. "It's going to be a challenging season for everybody. We're going to learn lessons." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.