Isaac Okoro, 25, enters his sixth season as Chicago's wing depth behind Giddey and Buzelis, coming off a year where his shooting ticked up but his net rating cratered. The groupings that offset that drop, built around Kevin Huerter and Coby White, no longer exist after February's trades.
Wing Depth. Okoro enters his sixth season as Chicago's forward-guard wing, 25 years old, slotted behind Giddey and Buzelis in the rotation. He played 63 games last season at 26.9 minutes a night, the heaviest workload of his career since leaving Cleveland.
The Scoring Line. Okoro put up 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists last season on 46.0 percent shooting, including 33.0 percent from three on 3.5 attempts a game. He added 0.7 steals, 0.5 blocks and just 0.7 turnovers, clean numbers for a wing who rarely forces anything.
What The Numbers Hide. His usage rate sat at 13.7 percent, the lowest among Chicago's regular wings, while his true shooting climbed to 57.4 percent. The catch: a 112.1 offensive rating paired with a 120.6 defensive rating left him at -8.5 net, the kind of split that erases efficient scoring.
The Lineup Swing. Last season, the group with Okoro, Giddey, Buzelis and Kevin Huerter ran a +4.2 net rating over 65 minutes. Swap in Coby White and it fell to -0.9; swap in Tre Jones and it dropped to -13.2. Huerter and White were both traded away in February, so that configuration no longer exists.
Money and Health. Okoro carries an $11.8 million cap number for 2026-27, the fifth-largest deal on the roster behind Giddey, Claxton, Powell and Williams. He is not listed on the injury report heading into tonight's game against Phoenix, one of the few healthy bodies on a roster already down Collins and Claxton.
The Verdict. Okoro doesn't need more shots. He needs a defensive rating that matches his reputation and a role that turns his shooting efficiency into winning minutes again, something Splitter has to engineer on the fly without Huerter or White left on the roster to pair him with.
Is Isaac Okoro still on the Bulls roster for 2026-27?
Yes. Okoro enters his sixth season on an $11.8 million deal for 2026-27, part of the wing rotation behind Giddey and Buzelis.
Why did Isaac Okoro have a losing net rating last season despite shooting well?
His 112.1 offensive rating was outweighed by a 120.6 defensive rating, producing a -8.5 net mark; the lineups that offset it, built around Kevin Huerter and Coby White, were traded away in February.
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