KZ Okpala left Heat coaches, teammates impressed after win vs. Bucks. Is there more to come?
NBA minutes have been limited for Miami Heat forward KZ Okpala. In fact, he has only logged four more minutes in the NBA (576) than he has in the G League (572) during his professional career.
But during Wednesday’s home win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Okpala played a season-high 32 minutes off the bench. It marked the first time he has been used for more than 15 minutes in a game this season and just the second time in his NBA career that he has played more than 30 minutes.
The results were very positive, as Okpala finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal as part of one of the best performances of his NBA career. He recorded season highs in points (10), made field goals (four) and made threes (two), tied career highs in assists (two) and blocks ( two), and set a new career high in rebounds (nine).
“It was good just to see him out there competing and contributing to a win,” coach Erik Spoelstra said following Friday’s practice at FTX Arena, with the Heat set to close its three-game homestand Saturday against the Chicago Bulls (8 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). “He has been preparing like all of our young guys for those moments. Some of the guys have gotten more opportunities than him. It’s about preparing and being ready to contribute, and he was able to do that.”
Okpala, 22, is in his third NBA season, and he has yet to find a consistent role with the Heat during his career. He has already received 11 DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision) this season.
But there’s an opening in Miami’s power rotation with starting center Bam Adebayo expected to be out until mid-January after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb and forward Markieff Morris set to miss his 17th consecutive game Saturday because of whiplash.
“We need him right now. We need him,” Heat forward P.J. Tucker said of Okpala. “He can play some four, five. The way he plays, he can make plays in the pocket, shoot the ball well. Hopefully he can get it rolling with Jimmy [Butler] and Bam out.”
The Heat has started center Dewayne Dedmon in Adebayo’s place but has been working through different options off the bench to complete its short-handed power rotation. Spoelstra has tried Okpala and rookie center Omer Yurtseven in that role during the past week, and he has even played Tucker as a small-ball center during stretches to fill the non-Dedmon minutes.
But because Okpala was playing so well, he logged most of the minutes at center in the non-Dedmon minutes during Wednesday’s win and was on the court for the entire fourth quarter. As a result, Dedmon played just 2:32 in the second half.
“Just making plays and feeding off my teammates’ energy,” said Okpala, who’s in the final season of a three-year, $4.2 million contract he signed prior to his rookie season in 2019. “Just following coach’s game plan and being locked in, but at the same time being relaxed. It was good.”
Good enough that the Heat outscored the Bucks by a team-best 23 points with Okpala on the court Wednesday.
“He has had practices like that,” Tucker said. “He has been really good, but he’s a young guy. So some days he’s got it and some days he doesn’t. You never know what you’re going to get. But [on Wednesday] he came in and we didn’t know, and then he made two big plays back-to-back, and you see what happens. And from that, he grew confidence and got it going and he played really well.”
Okpala made two threes and converted two shots around the basket on Wednesday, but it was his defense that left coaches and teammates impressed. He was active as a weak-side defender and blocked two shots while showing off his versatility at 6-8 and 215 pounds by effectively switching and guarding different positions.
“You can see his defensive versatility,” Spoelstra said. “Whenever we’ve played him this year or last year, his defensive versatility definitely helps us. It’s a matter of him continuing to get comfortable with his role and spacing and actions offensively where he can also help those lineups.”
Teammate Max Strus said of Okpala: “KZ is special. I don’t think he really knows how good he can be on the defensive end. But he really can guard one through five. He’s physical, he’s super strong on the ball, he can guard point guards, he can guard big dudes.”
The next question is: Can Okpala string together consecutive strong performances? Or will Wednesday end up as an outlier?
Okpala and the Heat hope there are more quality minutes coming soon.
“It has definitely been a grind,” Okpala said of young NBA career. “Definitely big ups and definitely big downs. But that’s what life is all about. I expect that and it’s fun. It’s challenging and it’s what I’m built for. So I embrace it.”
SPOELSTRA AND TEAM USA
USA Basketball is expected to name Steve Kerr as its next head coach, and Spoelstra is expected to be part of his staff as an assistant, ESPN reported Friday.
Spoelstra helped Team USA prepare for the Tokyo Olympics this past summer as the head coach of the select team. It marked Spoelstra’s first experience with the national team, but evidently not his last.
Kerr will replace Gregg Popovich as Team USA’s head coach. Along with Spoelstra, Kerr’s coaching staff on the national team will also reportedly include Monty Williams and Mark Few as assistants.
INJURY REPORT
The Heat will again be without Adebayo (thumb), Butler (tail bone contusion), Morris (whiplash) and Victor Oladipo (right knee injury recovery) on Saturday against the Bulls. Spoelstra said following Friday’s practice that he did not have an update on Morris and noted that the limited on-court work he has been doing recently “is just part of the process.”
Duncan Robinson (left quadriceps contusion) is the only other Heat player on the injury report. He’s probable with a left quadriceps contusion.
The Bulls are currently dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, with five players in health and safety protocols. Derrick Jones Jr., DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, Matt Thomas and Javonte Green are currently in protocols and will miss Saturday’s game.
Patrick Williams (left wrist) has also been ruled out for the Bulls. Alex Caruso (right hamstring strain) is listed as questionable.
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 3:07 PM.
