Ochai Agbaji could end up being the Cavs’ X factor next season

Next season, if they can be healthier and establish further cohesion following a resurgent 2021-22 campaign, the Cleveland Cavaliers should be in nice shape.

Now, injuries aside, it was a bit disappointing the Cavaliers did not make the postseason in this past campaign. On a positive note, the group looks to have a budding star in Darius Garland, a possible superstar down the road and already big-time young player in Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, who had a heck of a season and is one of the league’s best two-way 5s.

I still do believe there’s a good possibility that Collin Sexton is back, and while we’ll have to see, it’d be great for him to be around long-term. The group benefits from what he brings, and he showed playmaking growth in his batch of games last season prior to injury, despite what the splits suggest.

From there, guys such as Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Love in a bench role, Isaac Okoro and Lamar Stevens for defense, and still Ricky Rubio when he’s back from injury all can help the team. I buy what Markkanen brings in still a newer role for him, too, and it was encouraging to see him get more comfortable as last season wore on.

As far as next season goes, though, and as is the case year-to-year, it’s intriguing to project maybe a key X factor or two for teams, and that guy for Cleveland next year, and maybe onward even, could be Ochai Agbaji. Agbaji, who was the #14 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft last month by Koby Altman, Mike Gansey and the team, demonstrated some of how he could help the Cavaliers as a shooter in Las Vegas Summer League.

Agbaji could be the Cavs’ X factor next season, and maybe onward.

It’s going to take time to see how things play out in regards to the 2/3 outlook for the Cavs, whether or not Sexton is back, which again still does appear to be a realistic scenario.

Either way, with Agbaji, he could potentially be an impactful shooting presence in rotational stretches early on, and we’ll see down the road from there. But, as we alluded to before, there is seemingly a reasonable shot that Agbaji could be Cleveland’s X factor next season in his minutes often, if his off-ball abilities can translate.

He connected on 37.7 percent from three as a junior and 40.0 percent from three as a senior at Kansas, and we saw Agbaji show what he could possibly become, to some degree, in Summer League.

Granted, it will be some time seemingly before the Cavaliers figure out how to get Agbaji real stretches of minutes to help him get into a rhythm, and he could be brought along somewhat slowly in the first say, quarter of next season. That’s not unreasonable to anticipate.

If the catch-and-shoot play does materialize, however, Agbaji could be a player that gives the team a very meaningful lift next season, and in coming years. He displayed the capability to hit very deep threes off-the-catch in his past two seasons with the Jayhawks, and Agbaji could be a player Cleveland gets going coming off screens, along with him feasibly being a spacer for drivers.

Additionally, Agbaji is a vertical athlete that is an adept mover off-ball in that aspect, which could mesh well with Darius Garland, and in bench stretches with Kevin Love, for example, who is an elite shooter, but also gifted passing big.

We’ll have to see how the rotation shakes out as the season gets underway, and there’s still a ways away at this point, but if the opportunities do come for him, Agbaji could be a crucial X factor for the Wine and Gold next season.

If that means he cuts some into Isaac Okoro’s role, if Agbaji can help defensively, so be it. Agbaji could seemingly be part of the reasoning for Cedi Osman potentially be out of the regular rotation next year, too, for what it’s worth. That’s if Osman is back and not traded before next season.

Either way, it’ll be fun to see how Agbaji is utilized; I do acknowledge he’s a rookie; still, his skill set could give the Cavaliers quite a spark off the bench if they can get him going on catch-and-shoots/off movement and maybe some in transition shots.