Miami Heat's KZ Okpala Making Great Strides Defensively

It was easily the toughest defensive assignment of Miami Heat forward KZ Okpala's young career.

In just his second season, he had the opportunity Monday to guard the Brooklyn Nets trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Although the Heat lost the game, they won with the defense of Okpala.

"He's getting better," Spoelstra said. "This process started in the Bubble, his attention to detail, doing things with much more focus and it's applicable now on the court. Everybody was happy for him because he's been putting in a lot of work. He had an impact on the game. These are three of the most offensive-skilled players in the league and he was guarding Harden or guarding Durant when we were in our man or at the top of the zone guarding all three of them. He loves that kind of challenge. He's developing as a young player. I've seen great progress from him. That's definitely a bright spot."

Okpala, who was a second-round pick in 2019, was once considered a long-term project. He spent most of last season in the G League but has already made three starts this season.

"I see tremendous growth from both sides of the floor," guard Goran Dragic said. "KZ is amazing. I think he has a bright future in this league ... The minutes that he's played this season, he was tremendous."

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