This from Ochai Agbaji could be added Cavs transition element

Currently, the Cleveland Cavaliers Las Vegas Summer League squad has had two games, and they’ll be set to have a set-in-stone two more on Wednesday and Thursday. If the Cavaliers are not one of the two teams in the Championship Game, they’ll have a guaranteed fifth game on either July 16 or July 17.

One of the key benefits for the Cavaliers in this years’ Vegas Summer League has been them being able to get play for Ochai Agbaji, who was Cleveland’s #14 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Other guys, such as second-round picks Isaiah Mobley (#49) and Luke Travers (#56, a draft-and-stash prospect) have had their share of playing time, too, which was been nice to see.

Travers and RJ Nembhard Jr. have helped Cleveland as playmakers, and Nembhard, a two-way player for next season (Mobley is the other), has shown possible shot creation qualities for down the road. Amar Sylla, a big man prospect on Cleveland’s Summer League squad, has played very well in his role and has moved well, also.

As we noted, though, it’s been meaningful for Agbaji to have his share of time in there. Even with it being Summer League, for rookies/young players, reps are reps, and this sort of setting is a good way for players to get some game action in the offseason.

Agbaji had eight points, six rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes in Cleveland’s loss on Sunday to the Denver Nuggets Summer League club, but in that one, he shot only 3-of-11 and 2-of-6 from three-point land.

On the plus side, he did have an impressive outing in Cleveland’s win on Friday versus the San Antonio Spurs Summer team, en route to having 16 points, and he connected on four three-point field goals in nine attempts.

But in general, while guys are going to have highs and lows in Summer League, given the nature of it, and there not being much chemistry between players really, it has been meaningful to see Agbaji get shooting looks via spot-ups and movement looks in set offense.

Additionally, there have been flashes here and there of him firing in transition as a catch-and-shoot guy, and that’s something he displayed in the past two seasons at Kansas, too. That could make a difference for Cleveland’s transition game in coming years as well.

Agbaji’s perimeter shooting in transition could be an added element for the Cavs in coming years.

Agbaji hit 40.7 and 37.7 percent of his 6.5 and previously 6.9 three-point attempts per game in his senior and junior seasons at Kansas in more featured roles as a shooter.

He steadily improved as a catch-and-shoot player over the course of his four-year collegiate career with the Jayhawks, and while there’s plenty to be desired as a shot creator on-ball, Agbaji’s off-ball shooting could be impactful early on in his career. That’s what was the main takeaway from when the Cavaliers drafted him to me in the late lottery last month, and the team could use that.

It’s going to take time to figure out where he’ll slot in the rotational sense, I’d think, next season. His perimeter shooting for stretches shouldn’t hurt his case if he can have some opportunities to get into a rhythm, though.

As we hinted at, Agbaji is a good off-ball mover and cutter, too, and in transition, while Lauri Markkanen has shown flashes of it with the team in his first year with them last season, Agbaji could really make a difference in stretches as a transition deep threat. He demonstrated the capability to do that in his later years at Kansas, and that’s something that could be an added element for the Cavs in his minutes, where they could benefit from his urgency to get those spots, and with his lightning quick release.

I’m not saying it’d be on a high volume early on, however, and it’s going to take some chunk of games to get him minutes and acclimated. But if he were to get more comfortable in his role looking onward, we could feasibly see that more regularly from Agbaji with Cleveland in transition and/or secondary break scenarios.

Those sequences could help drivers such as Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, in the event he’s back/hopefully signed long-term, among others.

So, this is an aspect of Agbaji’s game we should look out for next season, and it’s been on display at times in Vegas Summer League of late.