The Miami Heat have zero draft picks this year. Due to that, their young talent from the last few years will have a great opportunity again next season.
There’s a possibility that they have some cap space, but internal development should be a top priority. With some of their role players getting up there in age, Miami’s youth has to be ready to step up.
Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Victor Oladipo, Trevor Ariza, and Dewayne Dedmon are all free agents this offseason. Though the Miami Heat will have rights on Robinson and Nunn, there’s a chance they earn more than Pat Riley will be willing to pay.
With all the uncertainty with next season’s roster, it’s important that every player steps up. This includes Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and everyone else in the rotation.
While Adebayo and Tyler Herro are the premiere young pieces on the roster, the Heat have more young talent to develop. Precious Achiuwa has shown potential, but KZ Okpala in particular has a chance to find a niche in the rotation.
The Miami Heat selected Okpala with the 32nd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. They even traded three second-rounders to the Indiana Pacers in order to make the pick.
These sort of high hopes indicate that the organization believes that Okpala can be a valuable part of their rotation. In order to do so, however, he’ll have to put in some serious work this offseason.
Okpala appeared in 37 games during his sophomore campaign, averaging 2.5 points per game. KZ Okpala has a ton of room to grow, so here are three goals he should have for next year.
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.
KZ Okpala has been criticized for his jump shot ever since his days in college. If he can fix his mechanics, he could find a spot in the Miami Heat’s rotation.
One of the biggest issues with Okpala’s game in college was his shot. Most major outlets noted a hitch in his jump shot that desperately needed to be fixed.
He did manage to improve his mechanics in his second, and final, year at Stanford, but he still has a long way to go. Fixing this issue could greatly improve his ability to hit threes at an NBA level.
Okpala has a super low release point on his shot and gets rid of the ball very slowly. This leaves his shot susceptible to be blocked, and with how talented NBA defenders are, that’s a real problem.
If Okpala can learn to release the ball at a higher point and get rid of it quicker, he should be able to shoot over a lot of the people that get matched up with him. Him being 6-8 already gives him a huge advantage, so adding a jumper with a high release point would help even more.
Luckily, Duncan Robinson is the perfect player to learn from in this regard. If it wasn’t obvious from his stats, he has one of the best jump shots in the NBA.
Robinson gets rid of the ball up above his head, while Okpala releases with the ball out in front of him. If Okpala can learn how to release the ball in a similar manner to Robinson, he could seriously improve his three-point percentage.
The Miami Heat are always looking for more defense. KZ Okpala should look to clean up his defensive game and make use of his physical gifts.
If the Miami Heat value two things in terms of their rotational players, it’s shooting and defense. Okpala has the potential to be great at both but needs to improve a ton in both areas. Potential is the keyword being used.
Okpala has the perfect NBA body. He’s 6-8 and has roughly a 7-2 wingspan. This should add up to a great defender at the NBA level.
Despite this, multiple scouting reports noted his low defensive IQ coming out of college. They all mentioned the defensive potential he has, but also said that he failed to make use of his amazing physical tools.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer ranked him as the 25th best prospect in the 2019 draft class and listed his defense as a weakness of his. His exact words were that Okpala’s “defensive fundamentals are lacking.”
He continued on to state that Okpala has poor reaction speed on that end of the floor and tends to get lost due to poor footwork. For a player with his physical traits, having poor awareness is a real letdown.
If Okpala can learn to utilize his long arms and crazy athletic ability, he could turn into a solid defensive option off the bench for the Miami Heat. It’s just a matter of improving his shooting and defense this offseason.
Hopefully, the young wing can make the necessary changes this offseason and next year in order to become a staple in Erik Spoelstra’s rotation. Big things could be in store if he learns to tap into his full potential on both ends of the floor.