Tag: Isaac Okoro

Bruce Pearl hints at Auburn’s 2024 rotation

Auburn will have a very different looking rotation this season.

Auburn men’s basketball coach [autotag]Bruce Pear[/autotag]l addressed the media via Zoom on Friday. With fall camp fast approaching, Pearl pointed out four key areas where the Tigers need to make up for lost production from last season.

“We gotta replace [autotag]Wendell Green[/autotag], we gotta replace [autotag]Zep Jasper[/autotag], we gotta replace [autotag]Allen Flanigan[/autotag], and we gotta replace whoever backed up [autotag]Jaylin Williams [/autotag] last year.”

Pearl mentioned freshmen guard [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] as the likely replacement for Green.

He called Holloway “a combination of a lot of the guards [Auburn] has had in the past.” Holloway was a McDonald’s All-American in 2022, leading his team to a 36-1 record while averaging 18.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game as a senior.

Auburn’s head coach is high on the former five-star recruit, likening his work ethic to that of former Auburn first-round picks [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag], and [autotag]Isaac Okoro[/autotag].

The starting point guard spot is Holloway’s to lose, although Pearl did mention [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag] as a player who will see some minutes and push Holloway to be better.

Pearl’s next test will be replacing defensive wizard [autotag]Zep Jasper[/autotag]. While the loss of Jasper will hurt the Tigers defensively, Pearl did note the potential for the team to improve scoring the basketball, where he is opting to give transfer guard [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] a run in the starting five over fan-favorite [autotag]K.D Johnson,[/autotag] at least for now, due to his high-volume scoring ability.

“Denver Jones could be a candidate for one of our top two or three scorers.”

It’s hard to argue with that statement, Jones was absolutely lethal as a scorer last season. The sophomore guard was one of only 26 players in Division 1 to average at least 20.0 points per game in 2022, helping him become the first-ever FIU Panther to win Conference USA first-team all-conference honors.

Pearl was a little more ambiguous when discussing how he would deploy his front-court options.

He did take time to praise JUCO transfer [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] and Division 2 transfer [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag], calling Baker-Mazara “really good,” while citing his accomplishments at Northwest Florida State College and San Diego State.

The issue with Baker-Mazara is his size, where he measures 6 feet 7 inches but weighs only 190 pounds. That body type does not bode well for a healthy season, especially in the physical SEC.

As for Johnson, Pearl called him “one of the best athletes on our team,” citing his ability to shoot, guard multiple positions, and dribble the basketball.

Of course, returning Tigers [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Cardwell [/autotag] will see ample minutes in the front court as well.

Pearl still has plenty of time to figure out his final rotation ahead of Auburn’s season opener against Baylor on Nov. 7, but it seems like he at least has an idea of how he would like to deploy his roster ahead of this season.

Fall camp performances and injuries will surely change some things too.

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Projected starting lineup for the Cavaliers with Max Strus after sign-and-trade with Heat

Max Strus has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Max Strus has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $63 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers after a sign-and-trade with the Heat, per ESPN.

Miami landed Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and two second-round picks in the three-team deal that involved the Spurs.

Strus is a 6-foot-5, 27-year-old wing who was an essential piece for the Miami Heat during their run to win the Eastern Conference in 2022-23. He started all 23 games that Miami played during the postseason.

The former undrafted free agent is a very smart pickup because Cleveland connected on the third-fewest 3-pointers per game (10.0) among all teams in the postseason, via NBA.com. Only four players in the league attempted more 3-pointers than Strus (135) during the playoffs.

Here is what the rotation will likely look like for Cleveland with Strus in the mix:

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WATCH: Isaac Okoro drains game-winning 3 for Cleveland Cavaliers

It is the first game-winner of his young career.

The biggest question about [autotag]Isaac Okoro[/autotag] when the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him was his shooting. Well, he showed how far he has come Thursday night, draining a three with 0.7 seconds remaining to secure a 116-114 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

With the Cavs trailing 114-112 with 11.6 seconds left the Nets fouled Donovan Mitchell who calmly made the first free throw before missing the second. After Mitchell missed two put-back shots the ball bounced out to Caris LeVert who found Okoro in the corner for the game-winner.

Okoro finished the game with 11 points and was 3-of-4 from deep.

After making just 28.6% of his 3-pointers in his lone season at Auburn, he has improved each season and is shooting 35.3% from behind the arc this season. He is averaging 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Cavaliers who are 47-28 and the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Watch Okoro make his first career game-winner below.

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Watch: Walker Kessler blocks Isaac Okoro’s shot in Cavaliers win over Jazz

In Monday night’s game between the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers, there was a classic case of “Auburn on Auburn” crime.

Is there anything wrong with a little “Auburn on Auburn” crime?

That situation took place on Monday night, as [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag]’s Utah Jazz traveled to Ohio to face [autotag]Isaac Okoro[/autotag] and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

The battle of the former Tigers featured a great matchup between the two, which resulted in a stellar highlight. During Monday’s game, Okoro drove toward the basket and appeared to fake-out Kessler. Okoro then took advantage of the lane that he created by going up for the shot. However, after resetting his footing, Kessler was successful in blocking Okoro’s shot, causing the possession to end.

Despite losing the battle, Okoro and the Cavaliers ultimately won the game, 122-99. Okoro ended the evening with 12 points and four assists in 30 minutes of action while Kessler scored 11 points and pulled down six rebounds.

Kessler will meet former teammate Jabari Smith Jr. on January 5 when the Jazz travel to Houston to meet the Rockets. The next time that Okoro will face a former Tiger will be on Jan. 10, when he gets a rematch with Kessler and the Jazz.

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Projected starting lineup for Cavaliers with Donovan Mitchell makes them Eastern Conference favorites

This team is going to be a problem.

The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off the biggest shocker of the offseason by trading for Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell.

After exceeding expectations last season, the Cavs accelerated their rebuild with this trade. They have added three-time All-Star Mitchell to a core that already included two All-Stars in Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen — as well as Evan Mobley, who may be the most valuable player on the entire roster.

Cleveland made the play-in tournament last season, but they are heading into the upcoming campaign as a force to be reckoned with. In addition to the stellar defense in their frontcourt with Mobley and Allen, they now have one of the best backcourts in the league with Mitchell and Garland. All four are currently 25 years old or younger.

Here is their projected starting lineup now that they have made this trade:

Auburn Morning Rush: Anders Carlson nominated for award, Okoro visits

Start your Thursday morning off with the latest Auburn Morning Rush.

Auburn football is entering a critical weekend but got some good news ahead of the annual Big Cat recruiting weekend.

Wilky Denaud, a four-star defensive lineman, committed to Auburn on Wednesday. He is the Tigers fifth commitment and could be the first of several commits over the next week.

That wasn’t the only exciting thing to happen around Auburn yesterday though, [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag] was nominated for an award, [autotag]Isaac Okoro[/autotag] returned home, and the equipment staff teased the shoes the football team will be wearing this season.

Catch up on all those stories and more in the Thursday edition of the Auburn Morning Rush.

Auburn Morning Rush: Tigers retain pitcher for upcoming season, NBA player visits facilities

An Auburn southpaw returns to the team in this edition of the Morning Rush:

There’s always something happening on the Plains.

Today, we have a pitcher Auburn will be very happy to have back after an exodus of players to the NBA draft. A former Tigers basketball player and top-five pick returned to campus on Monday, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is hosting a camp he used to put on in his Tennessee days and Auburn men’s golf released its schedule for the upcoming 2023 season.

It can get hard to keep up with Auburn news as the work week blazes by, so we here at Auburn Wire like to do it for you — here is everything you may have missed in this edition of the Auburn Morning Rush:

Jabari Smith is ready to compete “where he is wanted”

Smith is not going to let the disappointment of dropping to No. 3 overall keep him from playing hard for the Houston Rockets.

[autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag] was all but a lock to be taken No. 1 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft according to multiple mock drafts leading to draft night.

However, when the Orlando Magic elected to go in another direction by choosing Duke’s Paolo Banchero, it became a shock to many, including Smith.

Smith would then slide to No. 3 overall and be taken by the Houston Rockets. Smith was expectedly upset that he was not taken No. 1 overall, but says that he understands that it is all a part of a greater plan and that he is ready to thrive for the Rockets.

“Definitely added a chip, but God makes no mistakes, so I’m happy to be here,” Smith told reporters on Thursday night. “I’m happy to be where I’m wanted. I’m happy to get to Houston and just show them… Give them what they picked. Just happy to be here.”

Although the Rockets are in “rebuilding mode”, they are a franchise known for making deep playoff runs. Smith is hungry to get Houston back to their days of glory.

“I want to make the playoffs,” Smith said during his interview on ESPN. “I want to win games. That is how I was raised. That is just who I am. I want to come in and win games. I know if I come in every day trying to win, everything else will take care of itself. I am looking forward to a big year.”

Smith, along with Walker Kessler, became the third and fourth players from Auburn to be drafted in the first round since 2019, joining [autotag]Chuma Okeke[/autotag] (Magic) and [autotag]Isaac Okoro[/autotag] (Hawks). They are also the 9th and 10th players in Auburn history to be taken in the first round of the NBA Draft.

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NBA Rising Stars: Cade Cunningham named MVP to lead Team Barry to win

Cade Cunningham was named MVP of the NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Barry to the championship and tip off All-Star Weekend.

Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham on Friday was named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Barry to the championship and tip off All-Star Weekend from Cleveland, Ohio.

Cunningham recorded five points, including a huge 3-pointer late, three assists and two rebounds in the final game over Team Isiah. He scored a team-high 13 points, six assists and five rebounds to lead Team Barry in the semifinal round versus Team Payton.

Orlando Magic rookie Franz Wagner sent Team Barry to the win after hitting his first free throw to cross the 25-point threshold to win. The teams played to 50 points in the semifinal round and 25 points in the final to commemorate the 75th-anniversary season of the NBA.

Here is how each player and team fared in the competition.

NBA Rising Stars 2022: Player pool revealed for revamped game format

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the 28 players set to participate in the Rising Stars game during All-Star Weekend.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 18 as part of All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, Ohio.

The showcase game will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games. Each game will be played to a final target score, meaning that a game will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of a running clock.

The semifinal games will be played to a final target score of 50 with the final game being played to 25, for a total of 75 points across the semifinal and final to celebrate the league’s 75th anniversary season.

NBA All-Star Game: Rookie players to earn All-Star selections

The pool of 28 players for the game consists of 12 first-year players, 12 second-year players and four players from the NBA G League Ignite. The rookies and sophomores were selected by assistant coaches and the Ignite players were chosen by G League head coaches.

The teams will be coached by members of the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team. The coaches will select their rosters in a Rising Stars draft with each team consisting of seven players, including one from the Ignite. The details of the coaches and draft will be announced at a later date.

TNT will televise the competition beginning at 9 p.m. EST.