Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro responded to some backlash that he received on social media from a New York Knicks fan prior to the 2024 NBA Draft.
Okoro posted a cryptic tweet on Wednesday just a few minutes before the 2024 NBA Draft officially kicked off at 8 p.m. EST.
🤦🏾♂️🤣
— IsaacOkoro (@isaacokoro303) June 26, 2024
One Knicks fan took it as a chance to call Okoro’s career a “joke,” claiming that he’s accomplished nothing since being the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Bros reflecting on his joke of a career on draft day and how he’s accomplished nothing since 💀 https://t.co/M9I0zoRo6a
— OG Anunoby Addict (@PlayoffBoundNYK) June 27, 2024
Okoro didn’t hesitate to fire back, appearing to make fun of the fan’s bio on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
Hawk Tuah pic.twitter.com/G8z3DA3NJh
— IsaacOkoro (@isaacokoro303) June 27, 2024
Knicks fans may still have some disdain for Okoro because of comments that he made about All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson during the 2022-23 season.
Okoro claimed that Brunson has “antics” that help him draw fouls on the court. The comments came during the playoffs when the Knicks and Cavs matched up in the first round. After Brunson scored 27 points on 11-of-24 shooting from the field in Game 1 of the series, Okoro fired a shot at him.
New York promptly knocked the Cavs out of the postseason in five games.
Even though the Knicks fan believes that Okoro hasn’t accomplished much in his NBA career, the young forward has gotten better over the course of his first four NBA seasons.
An All-Rookie selection in the 2020-21 campaign, Okoro did not come into the NBA as a great 3-point shooter, shooting just 29.0 percent from beyond the arc in his first professional season. However, he has worked on that aspect of his game in a big way, posting a career-high 3-point percentage (39.1) during the 2023-24 season.
Okoro will be a restricted free agent when free agency opens on June 30, and it will be interesting to see how the Cavs value him when approaching their team building this offseason.
During the 2023-24 season, Okoro appeared in 69 games and made 42 starts for the Cavs. He averaged 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the field.
Okoro was one of the Cavs’ best wing defenders, and it would make sense to bring him back to the roster – if he can be signed at a reasonable price – this offseason.
