Kezie Okpala

Pro comparison
Similar to Sam Dekker, Deng Adel, and Dorian-Finney Smith 
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NBA projection 
Rotation player

Measurements
6'9"  215 lbs  19 years old

Projectable Skills

• Size/Length - Strong upper/lower body, versatile build, has added muscle/size at a rapid rate over the past few years. Projectable NBA SF/PF frame, uses strength to out muscle smaller opponents. Good length. 
• Athleticism - More of a fluid athlete, but can explode off 2 feet with space. Not overly great at any one thing, but projects to hold his own from a speed, bounce, and fluidity standpoint. Ok quickness, but could improve. 
• Shooting - Much improved shooter this season, shot 37.5% from 3pt range this year (3.0 attempts/game) compared to 22.6% last year (1.3 attempts/game). Rated as a very good (82nd percentile) catch and shoot player, better set shooter, still needs to refine form, but it has improved this season. Showcased potential as a off-ball shooter. 
• Scoring diversity/potential - Upped his production from 10 pts/game to 16.9 pts/game in ~4 extra mins this season. Slowly expanding shot diversity, more comfortable finishing around the basket (can finish with either hand, soft touch), shows flashes of being able to pullup off the bounce, get out in transition, be a live ball slasher, and score in the P/R. Still a work in progress, but is rounding out his game. 
• Rebounding - Averaged 5.7 rebs/game, has the physical/athletic tools to be an above average rebounder at the pro level. Rated as an excellent (93rd percentile, 1.43 PPP) offensive rebounder. 
• Creating/Playmaking potential - Shows flashes of being a competent secondary/tertiary playmaker. Can grab/go and run some offense as a P/R ball handler, plays at a nice pace. Gets good velocity/accuracy on the ball, uses length to pass over the top. Much improved off the bounce, had added more counter moves (crossovers, hesitation, hang dribbles, etc.), still more of a straight line driver, but has made nice strides this season. 
• 3+D potential - Has the tools to be a plus defender, needs to refine his instincts, but could be coached up, projects to be a switchable defender. Shoots the ball at a high enough clip to be productive, needs continued reps. 
• Footwork - Still improving, but can be light on his feet with step throughs, euro-steps, etc. Fairly nimble when attacking the basket and in transition, good body control. 
• Upside - Likely role player, but has a solid ceiling, made strides in every major statistical category this season, still putting things together, but could develop into a high value pick. 

Improvement Areas

• Assertiveness - Could be more aggressive, can go through stretches of invisibility.  Could show more fight/intensity, tends to be in the background too often. Dueled as key contributor or warm body within the offense, would have big scoring games followed by low scoring games. 
• Offensive polish - Not necessarily a go to scorer, could improve his ISO game, struggles to generate space due to lack of high level handle/quickness. Could become a more efficient off-ball and post-up threat. Mostly ok offensively, shows flashes, but needs more reps with everything. 
• Dribbling - Needs to continue adding higher level counter moves and tighten his handle. Can expose the ball at times, which leads to easy turnovers. Can get tunnel vision when attacking the basket, an improved handle will open up passing lanes. 
• Quickness/burst - Not a bad athlete in terms of quickness, but his overall quickness/burst is limited by his ball handling and awkward footwork at times. Over extends himself when going to the basket which reduces/eliminates burst/wiggle as well as explosiveness (showcases quick 1st step when attacking close-outs). NBA development/coaching could unearth some hidden burst over time. 
• Shot mechanics - Needs to continue refining his shot mechanics, choppy footwork on pull-ups, unbalanced base on set shots at times. Tends to catapult the ball a bit. 
• Defensive polish - Primarily played a zone defense, projects to be a versatile defender after NBA development, but needs to improve overall instincts. Could improve his ability to stay home/slide laterally within defensive stance. Not an overly physical defender, could be more imposing. Rated as a below average (26th percentile) overall man defender. 

• Turnovers - Negative AST:TO ratio, can position himself in tough turnover prone spots on the court, has tendency to pickup dribble if scoring option is cut-off. Better transition passer, but lacks passing diversity/confidence within the half court, hesitates/gambles at times. Averaged 2.9 TO's/game. 

Potential Questions/Concerns

• Can he develop into an efficient low-usage offensive player in the NBA? 
• How long will it take for his skills to fully develop? 
• How ready will he be to start contributing in the NBA at an early stage? 

• What's the best way to maximize his strengths? 

Write Up
     KZ Okpala was one of the more interesting returning prospects this season due to his impressive NBA size and budding skill set. Okpala seemed eager to showcase himself as he came flying out of the gates with 29 pts, 11 rebs, and 5 asts in his 1st game and 23 pts and 3 stls in his 2nd game, he later fell back to earth a bit, but did a great job showing off his newly developed skills throughout the season. Okpala improved in almost every major statistical category this season and boosted his scoring production by +6 points. He's still rounding out his offensive game, but showed vast improvement in his creating, shooting, and strength.  He has projectable NBA size/versatility and could prove to be a valuable pickup in the mid-late first round. Overall, Okpala is a nice developmental prospect, he worked hard in the off-season to improve his game, but he still has some time to go before he reaches his full potential, at this stage he's good at a few things, but average at a number of things (improvement from being raw at the majority of things his freshman season). He has good physical/athletic tools to work with and has the potential to be a late bloomer/sleeper in this years draft.