NBA Draft 2019: Best and worst fits for all potential lottery picks

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Michigan State Spartans in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 12: KZ Okpala #0 of the Stanford Cardinal dunks against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on November 12, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

20. Kezie Okpala, 6-9 F, Stanford

BEST: Miami Heat

Would going thirteenth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft be early for Stanford’s Kezie Okpala? Despite showing desirable size (6-9) and length (7-2) with room to grow into his frame while also posting respectable averages (16.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 37.5 3P%) as a sophomore, it’s questionable whether or not he’s worthy of a top-14 selection. The lottery would be pretty high for him, especially considering how there’s no consensus pertaining to his draft stock — some mocks have him going as high as the teens, while others have him slipping deep into the second round.

If he were to go early in the draft, Miami would be the ideal landing spot. One of the biggest concerns about Okpala is his frame (and translatable skillset, for what it’s worth), as he needs to gain strength if he’s to operate as a big combo-forward at the next level. With Miami having one of the best training staffs in the entire NBA, it’d be a strong bet to believe that they could get the most out of Okpala’s size and skill set.

WORST: Los Angeles Lakers

Okpala’s fit in Los Angeles is pretty poor for two reasons. One, he wouldn’t be that attractive as a trade piece if the Lakers were solely using this pick to draft a prospect that other teams (New Orleans, Washington) would want as a throw-in for a bigger trade. And, two, a shooting-needy Laker team may have better options with this pick than Okpala, who’s shot profile isn’t that impressive. LA needs shooting along the perimeter, and grabbing someone with impressive shot versatility would be ideal if they are in fact drafting someone for their shooting — Okpala’s shot versatility isn’t that great, and his three-point percentage isn’t that impressive considering the types of shots he was putting up.

According to Synergy, Okpala scored 0.918 PPP on all jump shots (50th percentile) and 0.823 PPP on spot-ups (36th percentile), and only ran off screens on 1.9 percent of his possessions as a sophomore. Unless he drastically improves as an overall shooter, Los Angeles just doesn’t make much sense for Okpala.

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