On Thursday night, with their first selection of the 2022 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Ochai Agbaji 14th overall, which was not a shocking outcome. Agbaji had been a prospect that was commonly mocked to the Cavaliers throughout the draft process, and had been linked to the team in recent months.
Agbaji was a four-year collegiate player at Kansas, where his career was capped off by the Jayhawks winning the national title. He was the MVP in this last NCAA Tournament, and the Big-12 Player of the Year; all in all, he had a decorated senior season.
In his junior and then senior campaigns at KU, Agbaji had 14.1 and 18.8 points per contest. Most notably, he connected on 37.7 and 40.7 percent of his 6.9 and 6.5 three-point attempts per contest the past two seasons.
Agbaji is a polished catch-and-shoot player that does have a high release point, and a quick delivery, and he does move very well without the ball. With the shooting from beyond the arc in mind, that would seem to be the primary way he could help the Cavaliers, at least one would assume, with the spacing element with that, too.
Somewhat along those lines, in the introductory presser featuring Agbaji and #39 overall pick Khalifa Diop, who is a draft-and-stash prospect from Gran Cranaria of Spain’s Liga ACB, Cleveland President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman expressed how Agbaji’s shooting could be lethal. This was via Evan Dammarell of Fear The Sword and Right Down Euclid.
#Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff says that he views rookie Ochai Agbaji as a "weapon" on the offensive side of the ball and what truly stood out was the former Jayhawk's ability as a multifaceted shooter.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) June 24, 2022
Agbaji could be a knockdown shooter for the Cavs, which would be a welcomed boost, if that translates.
Agbaji is a rookie that was not a top three or five pick, and there’s others involved at his natural 2 position, so it’s not as if he’ll likely have the impact Evan Mobley did in Year 1. This wasn’t a scenario where the Cavaliers were going to get a player of that caliber, likely, here.
But, as Altman highlighted via Dammarell above, Agbaji could provide Cleveland with a knockdown catch-and-shoot player, and that’d be a welcomed addition. The 6-foot-5 Agbaji again shot 37.7 and 40.7 percent from three in last two college seasons at Kansas, and his stroke steadily got better over his time there.
In the past two seasons, Agbaji demonstrated growth as a movement shooter as well, and that, combined with his both compact and high release point should enable him to be a notable threat from the corners, and he can knock down looks off screens.
Now, it’s difficult for me to project Agbaji as being a guy that can self-create much, as that sort of thing was not shown consistently at KU, and that’s part of why I wasn’t jumping for joy at the Agbaji pick. Agbaji had an 8.7 percent assist rate last season, too, and for an older college player at 22, that wasn’t promising.
For Cleveland, however, in a rotational sense primarily at least in his first season I’d assume, Agbaji could be able to come in, play competent defense, given his time in college, and he should be able to help as a catch-and-shoot player. Agbaji placed in the 94th percentile in catch-and-shoot situations in the halfcourt last season, per Synergy Sports.
And he is an astute cutter as well, which led to quality finishes from him in set offense. He could be a secondary off-ball lob threat at times for the Cavs, which would be another way to contribute for him and bring energy.
It’s apparent that most notably, Agbaji could be an impressive catch-and-shoot player for the Cavaliers, though, and while we’ll have to see as far as minutes, that’s fair to say.
Isaac Okoro, conversely, is not much of a shooting presence regarding respect and volume/confidence, by comparison, and Dylan Windler doesn’t appear to be a rotational factor from here. That’s been a combination of injury issues and lack of confidence it seems.
In any case, as Altman alluded to, Agbaji could be a heck of a shooting threat if he can gradually come along next season.
The Cavs could use what he brings in stretches, too, as despite injuries not helping, the team was midding in three-point percentage, 22nd in attempts per game, and had its share of streakiness.