Cavs’ Isaac Okoro reveals how he would have prevented Damian Lillard’s Kings game-winner

On top of his crunch-time heroics, Lillard is a constant pressure point for opposing defenses, Okoro and the Cavs included. With Antetokounmpo unavailable, Lillard is going to be the primary threat on the floor for the Bucks anytime they’re on offense. In Okoro’s eyes, the best way to slow down a threat like Lillard is to greet him the moment he crosses the timeline, trying your damndest to contain such an offensive threat. But even meeting Lillard at the summit is not a foolproof plan to contain him, which makes the Milwaukee superstar even harder to prepare for some nights.

“I mean, it’s hard to guard him all the way out there at half court,” Okoro told ClutchPoints. “He has even more space to get by you and more space to move. So, you can’t be too physical, and trying to play him without using your hands too much can be kind of hard.”

As Okoro said, if he or any opponent were to defend Lillard too physically, it would result in free trips and points at the charity stripe. Lillard is averaging 7.9 free throw attempts per game with the Bucks, the second highest amount in his career. More impressively, Lillard is connecting on 92.2% of those attempts, which is back-breaking for opponents trying to squash Milwaukee’s offensive attack.

Sure, Lillard will be the main attraction for the Bucks on offense and, in the eyes of the Cavs, it’ll be a total team effort to try and contain him. Coach J.B. Bickerestaff shared with ClutchPoints that having Cleveland’s perimeter defense meet with Lillard with pressure as soon as possible is a point of emphasis in his team’s approach. But in Bickerstaff’s eyes, the threat of Lillard is so much more than that, especially with how the future Hall-of-Famer elevates his teammates.

“We’d be remiss to not talk about his ability to make others better,” Bickerstaff told ClutchPoints pregame. “He’s not a selfish player because he has the ability to score. So once he sees you commit, he does a great job of putting the ball in his teammates hands and then they make you pay. You just have to try to make it as difficult as you can.”

With no Antetokounmpo, it appears the Cavs have the right plan heading into a tilt with Lillard and the Bucks. Hopefully, it’s the right call and Cleveland can get their first win over Milwaukee this season.