NBA Draft 2020: 5 underrated lottery candidates from 2019 recruiting class

Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Small Forward | 6’5 | 200 lbs | No. 35 overall recruit

After making a surprise run to the Final Four this past season, Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers are losing a significant amount of production. They lose their star backcourt of Jared Harper and Bryce Brown, first-round draft pick Chuma Okeke, all-time leading shot blocker Horace Spencer, as well as bench spark-plug Malik Dunbar.

Given all of the roster turnover, it’s reasonable to expect that the Tigers won’t see the same level of success during this coming season. It’s also reasonable to expect, though, that they’ll be an even better team during the regular season – and that’s largely because of Isaac Okoro, who may be better than any player who was on the Tigers’ 2018-19 roster.

There are two things that you’ll notice first when watching Okoro: his athleticism, which pops off of the screen, and his defense. During the Nike Hoops Summit this year, World Select Team point guard Nico Mannion scored 30 points on the USA defense. In the last minute of the game, when team USA was up just two points, Okoro switched on to Mannion. He held the five-star Arizona signee scoreless for the rest of the game and blocked his go-ahead three-point attempt, leading to a six-point USA victory.

While this excerpt does a good job painting a picture of Okoro’s on-ball defense – he’s a switchable defender who’s more than capable of locking down his opponents – but that’s not even the strongest component of his defensive repertoire. That would be his off-ball defense, where Okoro’s otherworldly instincts shine and he wreaks havoc on opposing offenses. In the Fiba U17 World Cup last year, Okoro accumulated 11 steals in 87 minutes, averaging 1.6 steals in just 12.5 minutes per game. He also averaged over one steal and one block per game on both the prep and EYBL circuits.

While Okoro’s calling card is undoubtedly his defense, he also has an efficient offensive game. He’s very capable of working off of the dribble, is a strong finisher inside, and is tremendous when it comes to grabbing rebounds, especially on the offensive end. He has also flashed good ability as a passer, totaling nine assists to just one turnover in the World Cup and averaging 4.1 assists to 2 turnovers per game on the EYBL circuit.

There’s no doubt that his shot needs some work, but Auburn is a great place to improve your perimeter jumper. Okoro’s shot is arguably better than Okeke’s was at the same stage, and he became a near-40% shooter from deep. Bruce Pearl’s offense involves firing a lot of three-pointers, and as the starting small forward, Okoro will have the freedom to do just that. If he at least proves that he’s more than a non-shooter, I expect his instincts and defense to land him in the lottery of the 2020 draft.