In a league looking for the next 6-foot-8 wing with a 7-foot wingspan, look no further than KZ Okpala, whose stock has risen since this season started. He’s a sophomore from Stanford that could help any team in this NBA era.
Okpala has provided a bit of everything for the Cardinal. Leading them in scoring at 12.6 points per game, with 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steal and nearly 1.0 block, it brings potential as a glue guy at the next level.
At below 200 pounds, though, Okpala needs to bulk up to manage the stronger players he’ll be tasked to defend. That could become a multi-year task and leaves him in a smaller role to begin.
The Washington Wizards need help all over the court. Otto Porter is no longer there, John Wall is done for 12 months and few sustainable presences exist in the frontcourt; Bol Bol and Charles Bassey are secondary options at this pick.
Without a wing after Porter’s departure via trade, however, that leaves an opening for Okpala and makes sense to develop another wing, at a cheaper cost. Kelly Oubre could have been that player, but he left in that Phoenix Suns acquisition that brought in Trevor Ariza, who’s a free agent at season’s end.
If the New York Knicks land lower than expected in the lottery, Okpala is an interesting player to place between Kevin Knox and whoever makes up the backcourt in 2019-20.