For some time during the 2024 offseason, Isaac Okoro’s future with the Cleveland Cavaliers appeared to be up in the air as he navigated restricted free agency.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested in August that Cleveland had “hard-lined” in its contract negotiations with the 23-year-old.
Earlier in the same month, another report — this one from Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus — indicated that Okoro’s quality of play during the Cavaliers’ stint in the 2024 NBA Playoffs wasn’t helping his negotiating position with the team.
But Okoro finally agreed to a deal with the Cavaliers in September. News of Okoro’s contract went down as Adrian Wojnarowski’s final “Woj bomb” before he stepped away from the news industry.
Now, Okoro is part of a Cavs team that is 8-0, and he recently had some lofty praise for his teammates.
“Nobody on this team is stubborn. We all want to learn. We all want to get better. We all want to get to the Finals, a championship,” Okoro said. “So, when Kenny [Atkinson] came in, we were ears open, ready to learn, knowing that he’s a great offensive coach.”
The Cavaliers are proving through their play that they have their sights set on winning their second title in franchise history. While the season is still very young, no team in the NBA has played better basketball than the Cavaliers from a results perspective.
Cleveland is perched atop the Eastern Conference — a conference that holds the defending NBA champions in the Boston Celtics — with an undefeated record.
The Cavaliers’ 8-0 record is also tied for the best undefeated start to a season in franchise history. This fact is especially impressive considering all of the great teams the Cavaliers had during LeBron James’ second stint in Cleveland.
Cleveland will have a golden opportunity to extend its current winning streak to nine games when it plays the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. The Pelicans are dealing with a number of injuries right now and have just a 3-5 record on the season.
Assuming the Cavaliers play the way they have all season against the Pelicans, fans of the team could see Cleveland make franchise history on Wednesday. Perhaps Okoro will put together another productive performance after he totaled 13 points two games ago.
