Miami Heat: 3 goals for KZ Okpala’s 2021-22 season
By Jack Simone
Shooting is crucial for most NBA role players. If KZ Okpala wants to get minutes on the Miami heat, he has to be better in catch-and-shoot situations.
Duncan Robinson is the perfect example of how shooting can earn a player minutes in the NBA. He thrives in catch-and-shoot situations, and it’s about to earn him big-time money this offseason.
If Okpala wants to play regular minutes on the Miami Heat, he’s going to have to drastically improve his shooting abilities. While it may not be necessary to be a great shooter off the dribble, being able to knock down shots in catch-and-shoot scenarios is essential.
Throughout his first two seasons, he spent time in both the G-League and in the NBA. In the G-League, he shot 28.2% from deep (11-39 total), while throughout his entire time in the league he shot 23.5% (12-51 total).
To make matters worse, Okpala shot even worse on catch-and-shoot threes than he did in total. Last season he took 47 catch-and-shoot threes, and only converted on 10 of them (21.3%).
This skill is extremely necessary if Okpala wants any chance of cracking the rotation in the future. This goes not only for the Miami Heat but for any team he ever plays for.
Playing for the Nigerian national team this summer should allow him to get some great practice in. Hopefully, he comes into next season with the ability to knock down threes off the catch with ease.