When Arturas Karnisovas sat down to speak with the media on Monday, he didn’t wait long to mention one of the team’s newest faces: “We added Isaac Okoro. Among other skillsets, he brings the toughness to defense that we want to cultivate.”
Following the executive’s specific callout, Okoro’s name came up several more times throughout the day. And it didn’t stop there. The first day of training camp on Tuesday became all about the former Cavaliers lottery pick. Not only did he address reporters for the first time, but the team shared a couple of videos of Okoro hard at work. This included a clip of him sliding over to take the charge on a driving Julian Phillips.
That’s right, charge highlights on Day 1!
Taking charges on Day 1 @isaacokoro303 pic.twitter.com/djYwS8GWfP
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 30, 2025Bulls’ Isaac Okoro Already Making Strong Impression?
Isaac Okoro has only been a member of the Chicago Bulls since late June. While he has clearly spent some offseason time with his new teammates, yesterday marked his first official practice with the organization. Still, the 24-year-old has found a way to make his presence and potential impact felt.
Billy Donovan sounded downright floored to have someone with Okoro’s capabilities in the building. When asked about his early impressions of the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the head coach first highlighted his team-first mentality:
“The one thing that I respected right away, the conversations I had with him, is everything he talks about is always ‘we,” which I admire,” Donovan said on Media Day. “A lot of times it’s always ‘what’s my role’ or they get into what they need to do. But he’s really talking more about how do I impact the team? What does the team need to be? Who do we need to be?”
Donovan later went on to speak more about Okoro’s on-court impact, and he was quick to reference the strides he believes Okoro has made toward becoming a two-way contributor:
“I do think on Cleveland’s team with Donovan Mitchell, Garland, and Mobley, there maybe wasn’t a lot of opportunity offensively,” Donovan said. “I think he’s worked hard on his shooting from the corners. I think he’s gotten better in that area. I do think the toughness and physicality he brings will help our team. I think in my conversations with him he is just a veteran guy with a lot of experience, who gained a lot of experience still being relatively young. I really have enjoyed being around him.”
The praise only continued after Day 1 of camp (h/t CHGO), as Donovan stressed how Okoro does many of the things the Bulls struggled with in 2024-25. More specifically, he made mention again of his physicality, off-ball attentiveness, and offensive rebounding – three things he believes can serve as a model to the many young players on the team.
Speaking of which, one of those young players has already started to notice the impact that Okoro can have:
“That [physicality] has been the keyword every day,” Matas Buzelis said on Media Day. “Isaac Okoro has been really speaking about the physicality. He’s been battling through the screens, fighting. And I think it helps all the other guys. They see that, and they want to do it too. He’s been a great leader on that.”
What transpires in practice and the preseason over the next 21 days will ultimately determine who fills the Bulls’ obvious hole in the starting lineup. However, if the early words of the head coach and the team’s most important young player are any indication, the spot sure feels like it’s Okoro’s to lose!
The compliments also give us that much more insight into why the front office acquired him in the first place. While the trade itself will rightfully have its critics, the Bulls sure sound convinced that Okoro can help them continue to build winning habits. And, at the end of the day, isn’t that what this season is all about?
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