KZ Okpala’s draft stock is a bit spotty at the moment, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if a team like Detroit snags him early on before a team picking late in the first round does. Okpala is going to be a project, but he has a lot of upside and could become a very valuable piece in the future.
Okpala can play three different positions, and that’s part of what makes him a versatile player. His athleticism is through the roof and he’s also shown the ability to handle the ball and make plays. I can see him playing the two, three and four at the next level.
The 20 year old sophomore averaged 16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists for Stanford this season. He was named to the 2018-19 All Pac-12 team. He’s another guy who made a ton of improvements from his freshman season.
Okpala did shoot 37 percent from three-point land this past year, but his shooting is a legit concern for some teams. His mechanics aren’t the prettiest, and he’s been hesitant to shoot a lot of times, so that’s the biggest area where he will need to improve, as well as getting stronger.
His athleticism will allow him to get into the paint and create scoring options. He’ll be more of a slasher earlier in his career, but if he goes to the right player development system, I think he could be a steal in this draft.