PJ Dozier was with Sacramento earlier this season on a 10-day contract, and will now replace KZ Okpala on the main roster for the rest of the year.
The Sacramento Kings have waived KZ Okpala and signed PJ Dozier, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Kings made these two moves in the aftermath of their thrilling, 176-175 win over the LA Clippers on Friday.
According to Wojnarowski, Okpala underwent season-ending knee surgery, and the Kings opted to replace him with Dozier. Okpala had some nice defensive stints for Sacramento this season, but never got an extended chance at rotation minutes. On offense, Okpala would best be described as raw.
Dozier was previously with the Kings this season on a 10-day deal, but only played 10 minutes with Sacramento, scoring five points. After the back-to-back 10-day contracts expired, Dozier went back to the G-League, playing for the Iowa Wolves.
The 26-year-old Dozier brings a lot more offense to the table than Okpala and profiles as more of a traditional 3 and-D wing who might be able to give the Kings some spot minutes. In his most extensive NBA minutes with the Denver Nuggets in the 2020-21 season, Dozier appeared in 50 games, averaging 7.7 points per game for a Nuggets team that made the playoffs.
But while Dozier looks like a 3 and-D wing, the 3-part of that hasn’t really translated to the NBA. In that 2020-21 season, he shot just 31.5% from three. If Dozier gets minutes, it will be critical that he ups that percentage to the mid-30s at the very least.
If the Kings have a weakness on their roster from a depth standpoint, it is a lack of guys on the wing with length who can actually give them quality minutes.
With a 6’11 wingspan, Dozier at least looks the part.
It will be interesting to see if he ever gets rotation minutes, or if Dozier gets glued to the bench.