Miami Heat: Defining KZ Okpala’s Role In The Rotation… Skeleton Key & Enigma
Miami Heat: Defining KZ Okpala’s Role In The Rotation… Skeleton Key & Enigma
When you look at Offensive side of the ball, Okpala is a very interesting case study. While he hasn’t seen a ton of action on the floor in his two seasons with the team, he hasn’t been stellar in the area of most concern for him on that side of the ball when he has.
Shooting just 24 percent on 1.4 per attempts across 37 games played last season, Okpala didn’t light it up in any capacity across his 12 or so minutes. To highlight just how crucial of a skill this is for him though, here is a thought that seems to emanate from the Miami Heat, themselves.
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It comes from a piece by Barry Jackson Of The Miami Herald.
"The Heat believes Okpala can be a rotation player if he ever develops his corner three (a big if). Okpala is just 12 for 51 (23.5 percent) on three-pointers in his career and struggled with three-point shooting during most of summer league."
It’s as simple as that for Okpala. He probably could stay on the court if he could get to around 33 percent or so, which is one for every three he takes. While you would love him to climb even higher than that and as high as he can, that’s the requirement.
While the 33 percent isn’t great, there is a reason you want him on the court though. All of it can be described with one word, versatility, but it’s a bit more complex than that.