The Whiteboard: Isaac Okoro has become the perfect 5th man for the Cavaliers

There are a lot of contributing factors to the Cleveland Cavaliers 17-1 start but it's time Isaac Okoro got a little shine. After hitting both of his 3-point attempts in Sunday's win over the Toronto Raptors, Okoro is now shooting 47.4 percent from beyond the arc this season on 4.1 attempts per 36 minutes.

Okoro has been a terrific wing defender since he entered the league but his shaky shooting was often tagged as one of the biggest challenges for the Cavs offense to overcome. He shot 29.0 on 3s as a rookie and 35.0 percent in his second season, but it was a leap that still came on very low volume. Even as he improved as a shooter over the next few seasons, he didn't shoot often and he didn't seem to threaten the defense enough to help open space for Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell.

He shot 36.3 percent in his third season and 39.0 percent last year, increasing his volume each season, but, again, the growth wasn't enough to change how defenses handled him. He was included in plenty of trade rumors and his restricted free agency dragged into September before he eventually returned to Cleveland on a three-year, $38 million deal.

Okoro has responded, for the fourth straight season, by improving as a shooter. He's still given plenty of space and drawing half-hearted closeouts ...

... but when you're making nearly half your 3s, who cares?

And as some defenses start to catch up and he draws those aggressive closeouts, he's more than prepared to follow up.

Ultimately, the way defenses handle him is outside his control but Okoro is doing everything right. He's among the most accurate 3-point shooters in the league right now and more willing to let it fly than ever. He's cut his turnover rate to a minuscule 5.1 percent while his current assist rate matches his career high 9.5 percent. He's a strong cutter and a fantastic finisher around the basket.

Okoro's defense makes him a huge asset, especially with the shortcomings (literally) of the undersized Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. He has slowly made himself into the ideal offensive role player to support them and even if defenses will still rather leave him alone than give up a layup for Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley or an open driving lane for Garland or Mitchell, Okoro has developed to the point that decision is still a win for Cleveland.

Injuries to Dean Wade and Caris LeVert have opened more playing time for Okoro but he has an enormous role to play if the Cavs are going to make a deep playoff run. When he's on the floor with Mobley, Allen, Garland and Mitchell this season, the Cavs are scoring at a rate of 124.5 points per 100 possessions. If that sticks the Cavs may finally have an answer to their spacing problems.

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NBA news roundup:

• The Hornets have been surprisingly frisky this season with the return of LaMelo Ball but their hopes of making the playoffs were dealt a major injury blow. Grant Williams tore his ACL and meniscus and is done for the season. Williams had been averaging just a shade under 30 minutes per game, averaging 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals, shooting 36.5 percent from the 3-point line.

• Reports of the Milwaukee Bucks demise may have been dramatically overstated. They're 7-3 in their last 10 games, outscoring opponents by 4.6 points per 100 possessions, with wins over the Rockets, Bulls and Pacers. They still have a long way to go but they're finally trending in the right direction.

• Trending in the other direction are aspiring playoff teams , the Pacers, Hawks, Bulls, Pelicans and 76ers — all of whom are under 0.500 in their last 10 and getting outscored by at least 3.0 points per 100 possessions right now.

Jonthan Kuminga is spamming the free throw line

Jonathan Kuminga appears to have settled into a comfortable role off the Warriors bench. Both he and Warriors fans may have been hoping for a breakout in a starting role but he's come off the bench in 12 of his 15 games and playing about four fewer minutes per night than last season. While his 2- and 3-point percentages are down a bit from last year there are plenty of other positive indicators that he's settling in.

His steal rate and turnover rate are the best of his career. And he's usage rate has climbed dramatically — one of the reasons he may be okay with playing fewer minutes and coming off the bench. But the most significant indicator may be his free-throw rate. He's currently attempting 8.7 free throw attempts per 100 possessions, a big uptick from his previous career high, and he's drawing a foul on 16.1 percent of his drives, the third-highest mark in the league among players who complete at least five drives per game.

The likelihood of him every becoming an elite shooter is dwindling by the day but if he can increasingly improve the ways he creates advantages with his physical tools and gets himself to the free throw line at higher at higher rates it makes him a much more viable complementary scorer.