Ochai Agbaji is entering the 2022 NBA Draft as a rare breed. College basketball seniors aren’t typically viewed as hyped-up prospects or potential lottery picks in the modern era, but Agbaji has the past and all the tools necessary to succeed at the highest level.
Ochai Agbaji 2022 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Agbaji was a member of the Kansas Jayhawks during his college tenure. He actually joined the typically star-studded team in an unconventional way – starting off as a redshirt freshman and on the scout team. Over time, Agbaji found his way into the rotation due to a slew of injuries and other concerns with Kansas.
He averaged close to nine points per game his freshman year, then 10 points his sophomore year, and then 14 points his junior year. Things really blew up during his senior season, however.
This past season, Agbaji averaged 19 points, five boards, two assists, and a steal per game. This, of course, led to many honors coming his way. These honors include the 2021-22 Big 12 Player of the Year, All Big-12 Team, NCAA All-American, All Big-12 Tournament Team, and Big 12 Tournament MVP. Kansas took home pretty much all Big 12 honors, then of course also won the NCAA National Championship. Agbaji was on the NCAA All-Tourney team and won the NCAA Tourney Most Oustanding Player. In short, 2021-22 was nothing short of special for Agbaji.
Strengths
There’s a lot to like in Agbaji’s game. First off, he’s one of the most stellar athletes in the 2022 NBA Draft. That’s always appealing. This allows him to be a major lob threat, athletic defender, quick on his feet, and a legitimate hustle player.
He can attack the rim with relative ease, and he’s consistently improving his jump shot as well. Agbaji is growing as a three-level scorer. He’ll also never be a liability on defense and has the traits to truly succeed on that end of the floor.
On the surface level, Agbaji looks to be a terrific transition player as well as a strong “three-and-d” type. That may just be his floor, however, which makes him all the more appealing. He’s also vastly experienced.
Weaknesses
Agbaji is 22-years-old, which tends to be “old” for NBA drafts. Due to this, some teams may feel like he doesn’t have more room for improvement. A recent example of someone who put that theory to the side is Jalen Brunson. He exploded onto the scene this season and is vastly improved, so teams should keep that in mind when analyzing Agbaji.
There are a couple of things Agbaji can work on such as creating his own shot, not settling for threes all the time, and creating plays with passing.
All in all, however, Agbaji is one of the more complete players in the draft.
NBA Player Comparison for Ochai Agbaji
Agbaji can certainly be the next Desmond Bane. Bane was in a similar situation coming out of Texas Christian University (another Big 12 school). He had a terrific career (although lacking the accolades that Agbaji can claim) but primarily slipped in the first round due to age. Bane, following the aforementioned Brunson example, looks like a major steal.
Bane and Agbaji have similar games to where they project primarily as “three-and-d” stars, but offer plenty more as well.
NBA Draft Projection
Agbaji will definitely go in the middle of the first round at the latest, but he can also sneak into the top of the lottery.
