Miami Heat prediction: Which players can be the dark horses on this team for the 2021-22 NBA season?
The Miami Heat finished 2nd in the Southeast Division and 6th in the NBA Eastern Conference in the 2020-21 NBA season with a 40-32 record. Erik Spoelstra and his boys crashed out in the first round of the playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks in a clean sweep.
The Miami Heat followed their 2020 Finals appearance with a 1st round exit.
What moves should Pat Riley be thinking about this off-season? https://t.co/vFkPn5P4Hr
The Miami Heat will play host to the Bucks at the FTX Arena, in their first game of the regular season. They will be looking to start their season campaign on a good note and claim the win over the Bucks. They had a good preseason run, winning 5 of 6 games played and will be hoping to build on that momentum.
Miami Heat's surprise packages for the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season
KZ Okpala
KZ Okpala was the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, drafted by the Phoenix Suns and was later traded to the Miami Heat.
The power forward joined the team for the 2019-20 season and was featured in 5 games with zero starts. He had an Achilles strain which led to him missing 19 games before he was assigned to the Heat's Sioux Fall Skyforce, where he registered 11.7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists per game in 20 games played.
KZ Okpala: “I’ve been in the gym so much, my body feels good.”
Says he’s been getting up more than 500 shots per day.
Okpala was featured in 37 games in the 2020-21 season, averaged 2.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. He was featured in the offseason fixtures, where he showed a glimpse of what he is capable of.
The 6-feet 8-inches has been deprived of games largely due to the pandemic but is keen to make an impact in the coming season. This is the third and final year of his 3-year contract with the Heat, which makes it a defining season for him.
If he gets more playing time, he will erupt and sink in endless threes while increasing his blocks and steals tally on defense.
Ömer Yurtseven
Ömer Yurtseven signed a 2-year contract with the Heat worth slightly over $3.2 million on August 6, 2021, and featured for the Heat during the NBA Summer League. He had quite a good number of minutes at the just concluded preseason, as he featured in 5 of the 6 games played.
During the preseason, Yurtseven led the team in rebounds in Game 1, registering 8 rebounds, 4 points and 1 assist in 14 minutes of game time. In Game 3 against the Spurs, the Turkish center was on the floor for 23 minutes but recorded 11 rebounds, 14 points and 4 assists to help the Miami Heat claim victory.
Yurtseven could have a transformative season, beyond the spectrum of what's expected of him as a rookie.