Okpala works for respect during this ‘crazy year’

With KZ Okpala, it has been about the long view from the start.

For the 2019 second-round pick out of Stanford, that has been particularly beneficial, considering the bumpy ride over these past 11 months.

“Crazy year? I mean, yeah, you could say that,” the intriguing Heat forward told the Sun Sentinel last week. “But whatever is thrown my way, you just got to take it and focus on the things that you can control. So that’s just my reality.”

And what an uneven reality it has been.

Drafted No. 32 by the Phoenix Suns last June, Okpala immediately was dealt to the Heat for three future secondround picks. The timing of that trade left him unable to participate in summer league, beyond drilling with the team. There then were two appearances in the Heat’s first four games, followed by 19 games of inactivity due to a strained left Achilles.

After a one-game return on Dec. 10 against the Atlanta Hawks, it was off to the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, for seasoning, a brief three-game return to the Heat, more time in the G League, and then, like the rest of the NBA, silenced in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Through it all, the 21-year-old Californian believes there has been growth.

“I’ve never been a player to take it slow,” he said of his winding road. “I’m a player when I’m on the court, I love playing with the best. So all that development, I understand it. But each day I’m on the court, I’m going to try to take what’s mine. I know what I can do. That’s my mentality.”

Even during these socially distanced times, the growth has been perceptible.

“What I will say is when I saw him in the gym the other day, and the couple of times I’ve seen him in the gym, he’s put on weight. He’s gotten stronger,” Heat captain Udonis Haslem said. “He’s working hard, and he’s got some nice moves he’s added to his game.

“For me, I like to watch these guys work out and see the things that they’ve added to their game. And the first thing I told him, ‘I like you adding all that new stuff to your game. I can’t wait to shut it down.’ For me, I love the work he’s put him, to see what he’s got.”

Listed by the Heat at 6-foot-8, 215 pounds, Okpala said the priority since returning from the Achilles issue was remaining healthy, with health allowing for the body sculpting.

“That’s the biggest thing I’ve been working on, getting myself healthy, not necessarily gaining weight, but being able to withstand the longevity of the league,” he said. “That’s the focus I’ve been taking, which is different from the past.

“Because I was just thinking, ‘Get big. Get big.’ But now, it’s more work on my court strength, make sure the small muscles in my lower body are all in tune.”

That investment and commitment was mirrored by the Heat when they extended a three-year, fully guaranteed contract in July. As a matter of perspective, it leaves Okpala and Jimmy Butler as the only Heat players with guaranteed contracts currently in place for 2021-22 (the Heat hold a rookie-scale team option on Tyler Herro for that season, as well).

Because of the structure of that $4.2 million contract, it has allowed the Heat to prioritize development. But there also has been a tough-love approach, with so much invested in terms of draft capital dealt in exchange.

While Okpala averaged 11.7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks in his 20 appearances with the Skyforce, the playing time and statistics varied significantly by game.

That was by design.

The mandate from Heat coach Erik Spoelstra through Skyforce coach Eric Glass was to make sure each minute was earned.

“Yeah. I think it was good, for sure,” Okpala said. “I mean, I think the mindset coming in was a little different. I wasn’t sure of exactly what they wanted me to do. But a couple of games in, then I started getting the hang of it.”

And then it all stopped, left to return to Miami, where quarantine, Zoom video workouts with Heat teammates and now those voluntary individual sessions at AmericanAirlines Arena that caught Haslem’s eye followed.

“I keep in touch with a couple of players,” he said, specifically mentioning Herro, Duncan Robinson and Chris Silva. “I don’t think the quarantine has really separated us much.

“All the guys are very helpful. If I ever need something, I can reach out to anyone.”