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

quote:

---

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

---

Its because although his floor is pretty high, his ceiling isn’t. He’s already 22, much older than nearly every other prospect in the lottery. His numbers are good, but not spectacular. Poole who you compared him to is barely a year older than Agbaji and he’s already played 3 years in the league. We went over this with Mitchell last year, historically older prospects that get taken in the lottery rarely pan out. In fact, he’s the only 22 year old projected to go in the 1st round. Everyone other older prospect is projected to go in the mid to late 2nd. So is he better than 19year old guys like Sochan, Mathurin, or Daniels right now? Probably a little bit, but are those guys 3 years from now when they are 22 going to be better than Agbaji right now at 22? I’d say the chances are pretty good

We are going to be a lot deeper next year than we have been in the past, so I don’t think we need to be looking for a guy who needs to come in and contribute right away. I’d rather take a higher ceiling guy that can develop into a rotational player and potentially a high-end starter in a few years. While I believe Agbaji will be a rotational player in the league, I don’t see him ever being a high-end starter.

Give me another 6'4-8" shooter coming off the bench who can play decent defense.

That is all I want in this draft. You can never have enough of those guys in the NBA

I like Agbaji, he’s the upperclassman we see every year that’s going to be better than where he’s selected.

Though I think Jordan Poole upside and CJ replacement is a bit much. He’s not a creator, he’s a guy that will need just about all of his offense created for him.

I like him a little more than Duarte last year.

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.

He only had one good shooting season and is old as dirt. No thanks.

quote:

---

6’5 combo guard

---

quote:

---

3-level scorer

---

I don't see this when I see him play. He's more of a 2 or 3, a wing type of player than a combo guard who can run your offense and handle the ball for any real stretch of play. A 3 level scorer can make plays off the dribble, hurt you at the rim or in the midrange. I didn't see him doing that at a high level in college- given his age and role at Kansas, I would be very surprised if he suddenly became a plus offensively at any offensive area beyond catch and shoot/movement 3's in the NBA.

quote:

---

Elite shooting

---

quote:

---

Capable defender

---

quote:

---

High Character

---

quote:

---

41” vertical

---

Yes. These are definitely his strengths from what I've seen. Not sure I would say he's an elite shooter, but he profiles as someone who can provide legitimate spacing while playing good defense on the wing.

I think Agbaji would be a good late lottery pick. 10-14 makes sense- it's where Duarte, Kispert, etc. got picked last year.

At 8 I'd rather take a chance on Mathy, Daniels, etc.