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New incoming, hopefully, Okpala

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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#41 » by twix2500 » Sun Jun 23, 2019 4:20 pm

Dr_Heat wrote:Give KZ a chance , putting him straight to into a game and let him see what an nba game is.


He will get summer league and preseason to prove himself. Dang be patient a little bit with the man. G-League doesnt mean forever. It could be a couple of months. A few minutes of NBA play is not better than getting tons of minutes, one on one coaching in the G-League. Its not like he got to worry about a roster spot. Get his fundamentals together, so all he has to worry about is adjusting to nba speed and strength. Sitting on the end of the bench waiting for a few minutes is a waste.
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#42 » by HeatIn5 » Sun Jun 23, 2019 4:22 pm

twix2500 wrote:
Dr_Heat wrote:Give KZ a chance , putting him straight to into a game and let him see what an nba game is.


He will get summer league and preseason to prove himself. Dang be patient a little bit with the man. G-League doesnt mean forever. It could be a couple of months. A few minutes of NBA play is not better than getting tons of minutes, one on one coaching in the G-League. Its not like he got to worry about a roster spot. Get his fundamentals together, so all he has to worry about is adjusting to nba speed and strength. Sitting on the end of the bench waiting for a few minutes is a waste.



this is a project of a project pick. i'd be shocked to see him get rotational minutes early this season. However I also look to see him improve as the season goes on and dominate the 2020 summer league
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#43 » by twix2500 » Sun Jun 23, 2019 4:31 pm

Lets look at the roster;

PG: Goran Dragic - Justise Winslow
SG: Dion Waiters - Tyler Herro - Duncan Robinson
SF: Josh Richardson - Derrick Jones Jr - KZ Okpala
PF: Kelly Olynyk - James Johnson - KZ Okpala
C: Bam Abedayo - Hassan Whiteside - Yante Maten

Thats 10 to 12 players ahead of him, 2 to 3 players ahead of him at the SF and PF and you know Winslow gonna get minutes at the SF and PF spot.
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#44 » by Bishop45 » Sun Jun 23, 2019 4:40 pm

Shoulda traded Kelly, hopefully that's still in the cards

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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#45 » by FinNasty » Sun Jun 23, 2019 7:30 pm

Kid’s body looks like he’s never seen a gym. Still a lot of development there to be had. Will be interesting to see him a year from now in the Heat’s program...
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#46 » by DayofMourning » Sun Jun 23, 2019 7:32 pm

FinNasty wrote:Kid’s body looks like he’s never seen a gym. Still a lot of development there to be had. Will be interesting to see him a year from now in the Heat’s program...


Yeah, doesn't have much aesthetic appeal to his frame. His raw talent is very nice. He's smart too, so that's very valuable. If he can get some great coaching and some next level conditioning, then he should start to look pretty interesting.
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#47 » by Najee12 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 3:17 am

RexBoyWonder wrote:I'm having an hard time findind a player comp for this cat.

KZ is tall, long, skinny, drives to the rim a lot with a surprisingly polished handle, shots 3's on decent rate and %.
Not a good passer or shot blocker, might be a late bloomer physically.

So basically he looks like a big, raw wing, that can get his own scoring going, defend multiple positions but not bring a huge defensive impact despite his size.


He reminds me of former Arkansas all-American and NBA player Todd Day.
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#48 » by Maroko » Mon Jun 24, 2019 10:02 am

Najee12 wrote:
RexBoyWonder wrote:I'm having an hard time findind a player comp for this cat.

KZ is tall, long, skinny, drives to the rim a lot with a surprisingly polished handle, shots 3's on decent rate and %.
Not a good passer or shot blocker, might be a late bloomer physically.

So basically he looks like a big, raw wing, that can get his own scoring going, defend multiple positions but not bring a huge defensive impact despite his size.


He reminds me of former Arkansas all-American and NBA player Todd Day.


Is it all you got Bro ? i mean getting double blocked by Bill Wennington.. lets find something more older for the comparaison

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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#49 » by Heat_team02 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 10:55 am

heatwillbeback wrote:
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?s=20

Riley apparently really likes this kid. Thats why we gave up so much to move up to get him.


If this is true then something's really wrong. I've been watching game recaps with Okpala and what I'm seeing is a player with length that occasionally drives to the rim or makes a jumper but everything else looks raw to me. He plays off the ball and played for a turnover prone team that overlooked him on offense on numerous occasions as he had his hands up asking for the pass and not getting it passed to him & when it does come to him in the middle via hard/quick passes, he's prone to losing the ball.

When his name got called I was not jumping off my couch for joy so that as a #13 pick, the calls for Riley's ouster would have been deafening.
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#50 » by HeatFanLifer » Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:12 am

RexBoyWonder wrote:The kid put up 17 and 6, I really don't get why some of you are so quick to send him to Skyforce.

He's got great tools, and it's not like we're contending.

Give him minutes right away, he's not as raw as you make him out to be.


I agree with you that the Heat are already out of contention for this upcoming season, but there are other considerations that will limit the amount of minutes available for player development.

For a raw talent like KZ, being sent to the G League is not really a demotion, it’s a way to give a player like that solid minutes and get a feel for the professional game. Especially early in the season.
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#51 » by BBallFreak » Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:14 am

Heat_team02 wrote:
heatwillbeback wrote:
Read on Twitter
?s=20

Riley apparently really likes this kid. Thats why we gave up so much to move up to get him.


If this is true then something's really wrong. I've been watching game recaps with Okpala and what I'm seeing is a player with length that occasionally drives to the rim or makes a jumper but everything else looks raw to me. He plays off the ball and played for a turnover prone team that overlooked him on offense on numerous occasions as he had his hands up asking for the pass and not getting it passed to him & when it does come to him in the middle via hard/quick passes, he's prone to losing the ball.

When his name got called I was not jumping off my couch for joy.

Were you jumping off the couch for joy when Bam's name got called?
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#52 » by Heat_team02 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:20 am

BBallFreak wrote:
Heat_team02 wrote:
heatwillbeback wrote:
Read on Twitter
?s=20

Riley apparently really likes this kid. Thats why we gave up so much to move up to get him.


If this is true then something's really wrong. I've been watching game recaps with Okpala and what I'm seeing is a player with length that occasionally drives to the rim or makes a jumper but everything else looks raw to me. He plays off the ball and played for a turnover prone team that overlooked him on offense on numerous occasions as he had his hands up asking for the pass and not getting it passed to him & when it does come to him in the middle via hard/quick passes, he's prone to losing the ball.

When his name got called I was not jumping off my couch for joy.

Were you jumping off the couch for joy when Bam's name got called?


I liked Bam and wanted that selection.

What do you see in Okpala that makes him worthy of a #13 selection?
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#53 » by puppa bear » Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:57 am

Heat_team02 wrote:
BBallFreak wrote:
Heat_team02 wrote:
If this is true then something's really wrong. I've been watching game recaps with Okpala and what I'm seeing is a player with length that occasionally drives to the rim or makes a jumper but everything else looks raw to me. He plays off the ball and played for a turnover prone team that overlooked him on offense on numerous occasions as he had his hands up asking for the pass and not getting it passed to him & when it does come to him in the middle via hard/quick passes, he's prone to losing the ball.

When his name got called I was not jumping off my couch for joy.

Were you jumping off the couch for joy when Bam's name got called?


I liked Bam and wanted that selection.

What do you see in Okpala that makes him worthy of a #13 selection?

Nothing for me, but I had him in the 15-22 range. So, for him to be available at 32 was a huge plus. He’s raw, but if he can be a 3 he’s a huge plus in the second round - I’m just not sure he gets the mpg he needs to develop in the NBA, G-League will be the way
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#54 » by Bishop45 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:14 pm

Actually had Herro and Okpala about arms length from each other around the end of the first/ start of second, so I love this pick (although it took multiple seconds and came before we sold another decent pick)
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#55 » by BBallFreak » Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:28 pm

Heat_team02 wrote:
BBallFreak wrote:
Heat_team02 wrote:
If this is true then something's really wrong. I've been watching game recaps with Okpala and what I'm seeing is a player with length that occasionally drives to the rim or makes a jumper but everything else looks raw to me. He plays off the ball and played for a turnover prone team that overlooked him on offense on numerous occasions as he had his hands up asking for the pass and not getting it passed to him & when it does come to him in the middle via hard/quick passes, he's prone to losing the ball.

When his name got called I was not jumping off my couch for joy.

Were you jumping off the couch for joy when Bam's name got called?


I liked Bam and wanted that selection.


You would be one of the few on this board that wasn't calling it a huge reach and complaining because we already had Whiteside.

What do you see in Okpala that makes him worthy of a #13 selection?

I never said I wanted him at 13. I'm just saying, the people in control of this franchise have probably earned the right to a bit of leeway. The last few drafts have been pretty solid.
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#56 » by twix2500 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:29 pm

Here's the thing, Heat are still trying to trade off some of the team. So JJ and Mion will get minutes early

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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#57 » by BBallFreak » Mon Jun 24, 2019 1:19 pm

twix2500 wrote:Here's the thing, Heat are still trying to trade off some of the team. So JJ and Mion will get minutes early

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They probably would, anyway, tbh. I just want our rookies to surpass them (or replace them, should Riley find a taker).

I would love to see what a lineup of:

Winslow
Herro
Richardson
Okpala
Adebayo

Can do together if those two new guys can develop. It could be a very potent and talented lineup. Just need one of those guys to step into the lead dog role and put the team on his back...
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#58 » by heat4life » Mon Jun 24, 2019 1:50 pm

Okpala is raw. He is fully developmental to where we might not see him play much if at all this season at the NBA level. He is a project like Sekou, a down the road guy. But you can see the raw skills that made Miami salivate. He will be entrenched in the Heat system and ran to the grind of developing his body and improving fundamentals. He will most likely play all season in the G League to get the necessary minutes to learn the NBA game. Needs lots of polishing with high rewards in a couple of years if he works as hard as they say he does.

Fans are going to need to be patient with this pick.
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#59 » by greg4012 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 2:34 pm

Honest question seeking input and discussion: What makes Sekou a perceived superior prospect to KZ Okpala?
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Re: New incoming, hopefully, Okpala 

Post#60 » by Bishop45 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 3:20 pm

greg4012 wrote:Honest question seeking input and discussion: What makes Sekou a perceived superior prospect to KZ Okpala?


I wouldn't say superior, I had him ahead of KZ, but probably not as high as many other ppl had him (like 8th, 9th best prospect)

Mostly just his SZ and athleticism, corollary to his defensive potential. But little known prospects tend to have their stock inflated simply by the fact of the unknown. KZ could easily have as much or more upside;

-Good Rebounder
-Good driver
-Great contact initiator
-Decent shooter
-Good first step

His frame is the largest question mark on him, but it shouldn't be an issue. For all the reasons I just stated, he could easily play the 3 and consign Rich back to his natural position. I like Okpala more as a 4, but relative to playing Rich at the 3, I would more than welcome him at SF
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