The Miami Heat traded three second-round picks in the 2019 draft to acquire KZ Okpala of Stanford. He may get his first significant stint of run in the Orlando bubble.
The Miami Heat know what to do when it comes to player acquisition and development. That is hands down and without question.
Whether it be taking a guy that has already been in the league or in professional basketball somewhere abroad and making him exponentially better, such as Derrick Jones Jr. or getting a guy right out of college and turning him into a serviceable NBA pro or better, such as Duncan Robinson, the Miami Heat are among the best at the practice.
They have another opportunity to do just that and the canvas they are tasked with churning a masterpiece out of is one of brilliance. KZ Okpala of Stanford is a physical freak and specimen of a human.
Standing 6’8 with the length of Derrick Jones Jr., he is also said to possess some of that freaky athleticism that Airplane Mode has graced us with the pleasure of experiencing. While we haven’t seen a ton of him since being drafted in the second round, although projected as high as a lottery pick throughout the process, that may be all about to change. Here is the evidence, from the Twitter account of the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang.
Erik Spoelstra says KZ Okpala has put on 10-12 pounds. "He looks different," Spoelstra says. Spoelstra added that this developmental time with the team is what Okpala needs.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) July 14, 2020
The Miami Heat are one of the gold standards when it comes to player acquisition and development. Have they struck gold again with KZ Okpala though?
While that was the thing that was most said coming out of college, at, and immediately after the draft, Okpala has put on some weight to bulk up his narrow frame according to the Coach Spoelstra quote. That means great things for the Miami Heat, their players, and the fans, but could mean absolute terror for the league. Here is how ESPN described Okpala, per a Chiang piece.
They describe Okpala as having good size and length, that of a power forward, while having the skillsets of the 1-3 positions. He is capable of creating his own shots, be that out of isolation or pick and roll sets.
He has good footwork on defense and knows how to manipulate pace on his drives or full-court bursts. He can also hit the three-ball with good regularity, shooting 37 percent from deep there in his final college season. Basically, his versatility, size, and skillset for a man his size sets him apart from the rest.
While they would also go on to use that all too common buzzword “raw” to describe Okpala’s ” feel and overall polish”, the short amount of time he’s been with the Miami Heat is enough time to cure most of that worry.
I hope we do get to some KZ action in the bubble, as we have seen him a few times during the regular season, but not nearly as much as we would want to. We have heard nothing but good things about the guy.
Perhaps he begins his quest as the next Giannis as soon as next week as the league looks to start the NBA restart scrimmages. We can’t wait!