Okpala searching for his appropriate role in Heat’s rotation
When presented with the unique circumstances he had to endure during the first two seasons of his NBA career, KZ Okpala simply nodded in agreement.
“Hell, yeah. Hell, yeah,” the 22-year-old Heat forward said to the Miami Herald.
Okpala’s NBA experience began when the timing of a draft-night trade kept him out of summer league as an incoming rookie in 2019. It continued with a strained left Achilles that kept Okpala out for 19 consecutive games early that season. Then came the four-month NBA shutdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. And when play restarted inside the Walt Disney World bubble in late July, Okpala spent the remainder of the season on the bench in part because of personal reasons that left him unavailable until the playoffs began.
That was only Okpala’s rookie season, as he again didn’t have the opportunity to participate in summer league in 2020 because the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation. The league’s health-and-safety protocols also forced him to miss 12 games during his second NBA season, he was never able to earn a consistent role in the Heat’s rotation and getting G League minutes for further development was not an option because the organization’s affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, did not participate in the pandemic-shortened G League season because of logistics.
“That’s life, you know what I mean. That’s life,” Okpala said, with the
Heat opening its season on Thursday against the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks at FTX Arena. “I believe in God. So in life, you’re faced with obstacles and it’s about overcoming those obstacles. There are obstacles and I’ve faced adversity all my life, so it’s nothing that I’m new to.”
As Okpala enters his third NBA season, he’s still searching for his place in the league and within Miami’s rotation. Heat coaches have given Okpala film edits of athletic two-way forwards such as Kawhi Leonard, Shawn Marion and Scottie Pippen in the past to study their games.
Okpala has the physical tools at 6-8 and 215 pounds to be a switchable force defensively and has flashed intriguing potential on that end of the court. But his defense is clearly ahead of his offensive game.
Okpala has been used offensively as a floor spacer for most of his
NBA minutes and shot just 12 of 51 (23.5 percent) from three-point range during the first two seasons of his career. He also logged more minutes in the G League (572) than in the NBA (473) during that time despite circumstances preventing him from playing in the G League last season.
Okpala has averaged
2.4 points on 38.6 percent shooting from the field,
1.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 42 regular-season games during his young NBA career.
The expectation is that Okpala will also begin this season outside of the Heat’s rotation, with veteran forwards P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart. Tucker and Morris were both signed by Miami as free agents this past summer, with Tucker on track to open the season as a starter and Morris as a regular off the bench.
“I would say, just trying to conquer every day, really,” Okpala said of his approach entering the season. “Being consistent, confident every day. Taking care of all the little things and just being ready for my opportunity.”
While there haven’t been many NBA minutes for Okpala early in his career, he did get valuable on-court experience this past offseason. He played for the Nigerian national team in the Tokyo Olympics and finally took part in his first NBA summer league.
Okpala worked through some rough moments with the Heat’s summer league team, averaging 8.4 points on 31.1 percent shooting from the field and 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) shooting on threes, 6.2 rebounds and two assists in five games.
“It was great. I loved it for the fact that I never stopped playing basketball,” Okpala said of his busy offseason. “I took like three days off after the season, after the Milwaukee series. Ever since, I’ve been working out every day, twice a day, three times a day and stuff like that. So I’ve just been playing ever since, so I think that’s the biggest thing. No break, I was working out 24/7 and playing in different settings.”
Okpala estimates he shot 500 threes per day during summer workouts and now “every shot that goes up, I feel confident in. It feels good.”
This preseason, Okpala averaged five points while shooting 7 of 25 (28 percent) from the field and 3 of 10 (30 percent) on threes, 4.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists and one steal in 18.3 minutes over four games.
“I think everybody for the most part knows that I’ve been faced with adversity,” Okpala said of coaches and teammates relentlessly instilling confidence in him. “So I think everybody has been real good with pushing me on and telling me to keep going.”
Teammate Tyler Herro, who’s the other member of the Heat’s 2019 draft class, is encouraged by what he has seen from Okpala during training camp and the preseason.
“He’s staying in the gym, continuing to work at it,” Herro said. “Getting better every single day, whether it’s on offense or defense. Just continuing to learn. Offensively, he’s really working on his jump shot and trying to impact the game in different ways on that end of the floor.”
This is an important season for Okpala because it will likely determine his future with the Heat. He’s entering the final season of a three-year, $4.2 million contract he signed prior to his rookie season in 2019.
“There’s obviously pressure every year,” Okpala said when asked about the potential pressure that contract situation could create. “But I would say, I always put my all into everything I do. If I put my all into it, there’s no pressure. … I’m not too big on social media, so I don’t really see that stuff too much.”