KZ Okpala

KZ Okpala

24-Year-Old ForwardF
 Free Agent    
Free Agent
GTD
Injury Knee
Est. Return 10/1/2023
2023 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for KZ Okpala in 2023. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
RANKS
Current Season
From Preseason
#140
ADP
$Signed a two-year, $3.97 million contract with the Kings in July of 2022. Waived by the Kings in February of 2023.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary

Okpala was born April 28, 1999 in Orange County, California. His full name is Chikezie Okpala, but he prefers to go by "KZ" and has the nickname "Kook". He is the son of Martin and Mary Okpala, and he has two older sisters (Kiki and Chisom) and one older brother (Toby). Chisom was an All-Big West volleyball player at Long Beach State. Outside of basketball, Okpala enjoys pop culture, especially music and fashion. He hopes to one day own a record label and manage artists along with his brother. Okpala underwent a growth spurt in high school from 5-foot-11 as a freshman to 6-foot-8 as a senior. He averaged 30 points and 11 rebounds during his senior season at Esperanza High School and owns the school's single-game scoring record (46). You can follow Okpala on Twitter @kz_okpala_ or on Instagram @kzokpala. The start of Okpala's Stanford career was delayed after the 6-foot-8 forward was declared academically ineligible for the fall semester. He missed 11 games and made his debut against Kansas. He started 21 games and provided 10.0 points and 3.7 rebounds. The freshman had a season-high 23 points in the Pac-12 Tournament loss to UCLA and scored at least 20 points in three other games. The Cardinals relied on Okpala for scoring in his second season. He averaged 16.8 points to go with 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals. The forward opened the season with 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a win over Seattle. It was the first of 14 games with at least 20 points, including a 30-point effort in a win over California. He also had a streak of four 20-point games during Pac-12 play. He was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and declared for the 2019 NBA Draft after the season. Okpala was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 32nd overall pick but was soon after traded to the Miami Heat.

Let go by Sacramento
FFree Agent
Knee
February 25, 2023
The Kings will waive Okpala (knee) on Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Okpala hasn't played since Jan. 28 due to bilateral knee soreness, and Wojnarowski reports that the fourth-year forward is scheduled to undergo a season-ending surgery to address at least one of the knees. Sacramento signed P.J. Dozier to a one-year contract to take Okpala's spot on the 15-man roster. Before missing time with the knee injury, Okpala made 35 appearances (three starts) for Sacramento and averaged 1.3 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 7.1 minutes.
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Stat Review
How does KZ Okpala compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
  • True Shooting %
    An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
  • Effective Field Goal %
    A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
  • 3-Point Attempt Rate
    Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
  • Free Throw Rate
    Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
  • Offensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Defensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Total Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Assist %
    An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
  • Steal %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Block %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Turnover %
    An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
  • Usage %
    An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
  • Fantasy Points Per Game
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
  • Fantasy Points Per Minute
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
55.4%
 
Effective Field Goal %
51.3%
 
3-Point Attempt Rate
55.3%
 
Free Throw Rate
21.1%
 
Offensive Rebound %
3.2%
 
Defensive Rebound %
12.3%
 
Total Rebound %
7.8%
 
Assist %
6.3%
 
Steal %
1.2%
 
Block %
2.5%
 
Turnover %
11.3%
 
Usage %
8.3%
 
Fantasy Points Per Game
4.0
 
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.6
 
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Total
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NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring KZ Okpala See More
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October 19, 2022
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DraftKings NBA: Sunday Cheat Sheet
January 23, 2022
Dan Marcus figures Ja Morant will be very busy in Dallas.
DraftKings NBA: Wednesday Cheat Sheet
January 5, 2022
Golden State forward Draymond Green will have an advantage going up against a Mavericks frontcourt without Kristaps Porzingis.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could be cut
FSacramento Kings
January 4, 2023
Okpala could be released by the Kings before his contract becomes guaranteed January 7, James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento reports.
ANALYSIS
The 23-year-old was Sacramento's starting power forward for the first three games of the season while Keegan Murray was sidelined, but since then Okpala's role has dwindled and he's played double-digit minutes only once in his last 11 games. With the trade deadline on the horizon, the Kings' front office might decide to open up his roster spot to make room for reinforcements. Okpala, an early second-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, could find a new home quickly in that scenario if another team believes he still has some upside.
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2019
Okpala has never been a reliable asset, either from a fantasy or a reality standpoint. He is yet to play more than 12 minutes per game and while he is in a somewhat favorable situation, his path to minutes remains full of obstacles. Given he may not even play regularly, there is no need to consider him, even in deeper formats.
Okpala saw sporadic minutes with the Heat last season, appearing in 37 games and averaging 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in 12.1 minutes. He decided to join the Heat's Summer League team during the 2021 offseason, but he struggled to make a meaningful impact, posting just 8.4 points on 31.1 percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 27.3 minutes. Heading into 2021-22, he figures to be a depth option at forward for Miami, and he'll be competing for minutes with P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris and Max Strus. It's possible Okpala is able to see a marginally bigger role, but it would be a shock if he was relevant in fantasy.
Okpala joins Miami as the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 Draft. He spent two seasons at Stanford, starting 50 of his 52 appearances. Last season, he was selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team on the back of 16.8 points (46.3 FG%, 36.8 3P%, 67.1 FT%), 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 32.7 minutes. While his free-throw percentage is a bit of a concern, he did a good job of getting to the line, taking 6.0 freebies per contest. Minutes won't be easy to come by on the wing for Okpala, as he'll be competing for a backup role with the likes of Derrick Jones, Justise Winslow, James Johnson and Tyler Herro. It seems unlikely Okpala will have standard fantasy league relevance.
More Fantasy News
Out again Friday
FSacramento Kings
Knee
February 24, 2023
Okpala (knee) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Clippers.
ANALYSIS
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Remains out against Portland
FSacramento Kings
Knee
February 22, 2023
Okpala (knee) won't play in Thursday's game versus the Trail Blazers.
ANALYSIS
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Out Tuesday
FSacramento Kings
Knee
February 13, 2023
Okpala (knee) won't play Tuesday against the Suns.
ANALYSIS
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Out again Saturday
FSacramento Kings
Knee
February 11, 2023
Okpala (knee) remains sidelined for Saturday's game versus the Mavericks
ANALYSIS
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Recalled but won't play
FSacramento Kings
Knee
February 10, 2023
Okpala has been recalled to the NBA club from the G League's Stockton Kings, but he won't play in Friday's matchup against the Mavericks due to bilateral knee soreness, Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento reports.
ANALYSIS
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