re: I’ve noticed that Ochai Agbaji is not a popular candidate on this board

I’ve watched probably 75% of Ochai’s games over his college career. I don’t see him having a Jordan Poole kind of career. I just don’t see him having that kind of offensive upside. He should be a better defender, though. I don’t know if Poole is really a great comparison for him honestly.

I think Ochai will have a long NBA career as a 3 and D guard. I think you can expect him to be a low-end starter or high-end bench guy who you can finish games with if you need his shooting and defense. With his age and shooting, he should work his way into an NBA rotation quicker than younger guys with shakier shots. I think he will work best as an off-ball, lower-usage guy alongside more potent on-ball teammates. However, if Ochai has the ball at the end of the shot clock, he can put in on the floor and make something happen if need be. But if he is your primary creator, you probably have some issues.

He will be a solid, valuable player in my opinion. I would feel disappointed if we took him at 8 because I think you need to aim higher at that draft position. However, if we moved down to the middle of the first round, I think he would be a value pick in that range.

Another thing I will add is that his play dipped a little toward the end of the year after he got COVID in February. If you only watched him at the end of the year, you probably didn’t see him at his best. He played phenomenal prior to that and looked like a legit POY candidate.

Also, he seems like a high-character kid. He is a competitor who won a title. I think he would fit like a glove in our locker room.