Earlier this week, the Sacramento Kings finalized their signing of former Stanford small forward KZ Okpala to a two-year contract. Okpala spent his first three NBA seasons in the Miami Heat organization before getting traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder this past season. The Thunder immediately waived Okpala after acquiring him in February.
Okpala had a solid career at Stanford. In his freshman year, he averaged 10.0 points,3.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game on 39.3% shooting from the field, 22.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 67.9% shooting from the foul line. In his sophomore year, he improved tremendously, averaging 16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game on 46.3% shooting from the field, 36.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 67.1% shooting from the foul line.
If there’s one thing that is encouraging for Okpala, it’s that he has gotten better every season going all the way back to his freshman year at Stanford. The 2021-22 season was his best season in the NBA, averaging 3.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 11.6 minutes per game on 43.5% shooting from the field, 34.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 72.7% shooting from the foul line. He played in just 21 games last season but showed flashes of promise scoring a season-high 16 points against the Pacers, one point shy of his career-high 17 points against the Pistons in the 2020-21 season. He’s shown he can play at the NBA level and at 6’8”, 215 pounds, he has the physical tools. He just needs to figure out how to put it all together with more consistency.
In terms of whether or not the Kings are a good spot for Okpala, I think one thing that is good for him is the fact that they are a young team that is still figuring things out a bit. By giving him a two-year contract, they’re showing a certain level of commitment and investment in him and likely will give him as good a chance as any NBA team to show his worth. It’s just a matter of him going out there and proving his value. It’ll be interesting to see how he does.
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