Auburn basketball: The 3 best NBA fits for Isaac Okoro

During the 2011 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs traded with the Indiana Pacers for San Diego State wing Kawhi Leonard — who had just been selected 15th overall.

Coming out of college, Leonard was an athletic wing with terrific defensive instincts, length, tenacity and an NBA ready body. Sound familiar?

The big knock on Leonard was his underdeveloped jump shot. The same is the case for Okoro. The big difference is that Leonard had one extra year in college to develop his offensive game and raise his three-point shooting (still only shot 29.1 percent from deep as a sophomore.)

I’m not saying Okoro will be the next Leonard as that is simply an unfair comparison but if anyone will be able to correctly utilize Okoro’s motor and defensive skills it’s Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

The Spurs are currently slotted with the 11th pick in the draft which is right around where most experts predict Okoro will be taken.

And while Popovich has yet to decide if he will continue coaching next season, the veteran coach is arguably the best in NBA history and will surely leave the Spurs in good hands.

Okoro could come in and immediately learn from All-Star veterans DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge and would likely be in line for some solid minutes at either the two or three spot.