Ochai Agbaji: 70 days a Cavalier

[Dr. Claw]

where u getting ur scouting report?? it wasn't the Kings that took him it was the Spurs.

a wing with size who can genuinely create at a high level. He was taking over games by the end of the season. He's got offense for days and was a top 16 prospect. That kind of expectation-exceeding season is super impressive and he could be a steal for a team that often finds them.

I think Branham (like Sochan) is a team where the Spurs, doing what they are now, has the potential to thrive. It really seems like they're holding a 6'5 and up guard audition over there.

 

[Douglar]

Hate this pick. It screams bench player

I don't love this pick either, but once my top three favorites were off the board, this sort of made sense.

Cavs already got some stars so they don't need to hit a home run. They just need to leave Barclay's center with some value from the pick. That means drafting a guy with a high floor that addresses needs.

Team really needed a 3 & D type guy. Okoro could be that guy, but he isn't a lock to get there this year or ever to be honest. Ochai is there to challenge him now. Maybe he helps Okoro get there. Maybe he surpasses Okoro.

Team still needs a secondary ball handler, but finding a guy who can do 3&D and also start the offense wasn't going to happen at #14. Hell, finding a guy like that doesn't happen in most drafts. It's much easier to find an NBA quality ball handler as a free agent than through the draft.

So that's where I'm at. I don't love the pick, but I understand the pick.

Now the second round is going to take some more study--

 

[NMCav]

Man. I tried watching highlights again to try to sell myself on the pick some. It's kind of making it worse. The majority if his buckets come from taking wide open threes. And he will get some wide open threes in the NBA but can he hit threes when he's got defenders in his face? Such a worrisome pick.

 

[macbdog]

I guess I'm in on this guy. Every review talks about how he is a 'winner'; I almost want to nickname him 'Freds Got Slacks'. Can be be this teams Draymond Green? Bruce Bowen? Trajan Langdon? I'm pretty intrigued by his shooting, it's desperately needed at the guard position and it would fit 100 times better in this club than an overpaid Colin Sexton. We heard the same things about Okoro, but FGS had 4 years to hone his bball IQ at Kansas.

The negative issues are things: he doesn't promote Tower City, he ruins my dream of assembling the Monstars, and he doesn't appear to do any one thing great, other than shoot. Apparently he doesn't pass much. And can't dribble. But he's progressed his whole time at Kansas, and I think he has shown he can grow his game and he will put in the work. I'll take it.

 

[CavsKermit]

We continue to have only cedi and the ghost of Dylan windler to play the 3. Brilliant drafting

And Stevens and Wade, and in certain matchups, Mobley can defend that position while Lauri slides to the 4. LeVert also has enough size to be in the SF rotation. But I'd rather the Cavs draft a legit two-way player at another position of need then reach on a SF who may, or may not prove better than our current options three years from now.

After reading about Griffin's medical red flags, it's not really that close of a call to me. Eason can't presently shoot. Some of the other guys the Cavs thought might be there Sochan, Dieng, and Williams were already off the board. I have Branham as more of a 2 guard than SF in the NBA as well.

 

[CavsKermit]

Agbaji in one corner, Markkanen in the other.. teams cant slip a corner defender down to blow up the Garland/Allen pnr like they were after the first part of the season with those 2 threats sitting open

Agreed, although I wouldn't put both guys in the corners.

 

[Lyuokdea]

Can be be this teams Draymond Green? Bruce Bowen? Trajan Langdon?

Draymond Green is a much much much better facilitator....

 

[FrontPageNews]

Draymond Green is a much much much better facilitator....

And defender…

 

[NMCav]

Draymond Green is a much much much better facilitator....

I think he means dirty player. Because both Draymond and Bowen are known for being a little shady on the court. But Ochai like the rest of our team seems like a boy scout. We still lack someone who will do what ever it takes to win even if it means getting a little dirty.

 

[CavsKermit]

Everyone read that Vecenie breakdown and those weaknesses.

Those percentages on pull-ups and floaters are a big cause for concern that his catch and shoot numbers were a mirage. That's such a drastic difference....

Not ideal.

There are plenty of guys in the NBA who are catch and shoot players only. Danny Green, Kyle Korver, and to a lesser extent, JR Smith had very successful careers as straight catch and shoot players. Even O.G., who some fans would trade Allen for, is pretty much a straight catch and shoot player. But teams need players who can convert without having to dribble and take time off the clock.

This pick cannot be viewed in a vacuum. It has to be viewed based on the optimal type of SG for the Cavs. They want the ball to move, and when it's not, they prefer that either Garland or Mobley are handling it on most possessions. Now, if turns out that Mobley's ceiling offensively is more limited than we all hope, the Cavs can get a different SF later and move Lauri to the bench, but they're not idiots for drafting a guy who gives Mobley more space to operate this season. It's also understandable that they'd draft a player like Ochai with the idea that a player like LeVert can have more room to operate as SF in certain rotations.

 

[macbdog]

And defender…

Draymond Green is a much much much better facilitator....

But no one identified him as being plus in any of those areas coming out of college. He has always been a 'sum of his parts' guy who does all the little things to win possessions and games. Ochai does alot of that stuff too, even if the analytics, charts, graphing calculators and slide rulers don't see it.

 

[Smooth]

 

[Mott the Hoople]

OK. TBH, I'm sick of all the whining.
Who the hell do you want with the 14th pick in the draft? Some 19 year old who spends 2 years in the G League? I would be much happier with somebody that can have an effect on games right now.
Plus nobody knows the final roster right now anyway. Is a wing on the way in FA or in a Sexton sign and trade? Who the hell knows right now.

Everybody coming into the NBA has issues.
Sexton and Garland are midgets.
Okoro can't shoot.
Mobley is too damn skinny.
Agbaji is too old.
Well you know what? He's a Cav. And he'll be in the playoffs next season.

 

[Smooth]

A thread—

 

[Rich]

OK so here's my best attempt at a neutral breakdown looking at his positives, the things he needs to work on, and causes for concern.



Positives:

1) first thing first, not all shooters are created equal and you cant tell how good someone is by just looking at percentages.

some guys are only capable wide open and off the catch. Some guys are more capable of making 3s while closely guarded, but still only in after being set. And yet others are able to create their own 3s and make them in difficult circumstances.

Curry would be the extreme example of the latter category. Max Strus would be an example of the 1st. One of those types is obviously more valuable to an offense than the other.

I think Agbaji falls into that 2nd group. He has to be set but he can make them while guarded.

he was at the top of this class in terms of catch and shoot 3s. And it was more than just a high percentage, it was high volume. And considering the Cavs were a bottom five 3 point shooting team last year, it is definitely a need.

2) he has a good deal more length than Okoro and a pretty solid build. There is hope he will be able to more adeptly handle bigger wings, even if he isn't ideal.

3) improved every year. Shows signs of a guy who works hard in the offseason and still might have room to grow

Things to improve

1) Hollinger does a good job of laying this out but he's not impacting the game in enough other ways considering his offensive limitations. This is the part that's very Okoro-like. He needs to make a commitment to rebounding the ball. He needs to become better at playing passing lanes and getting deflections.

2) has to improve his midrange game, at least a bit. Just abysmal when he put the ball on the floor and shot anything other than a layup.

Concerns

1) first is that he's a senior and those areas of improvement become harder to address. The longer you're in college the more likely your weaknesses are to stay weaknesses.

2) we've talked about the Bill Self guard stuff at length so I'll just touch on it briefly: how guys are coached means more the younger they are. It's like learning a language. The earlier in life the easier. It's not a coincidence that Self guards don't seem to translate to the NBA, despite many of them having all of the physical tools.

3) and this is the BIG one: his shooting numbers off the dribble were so bad that you have to be a bit concerned his catch and shoot numbers were just a freak year. And we have definitely seen that before.


My best outlook:

He's a guy who can be more than just a wide open catch and shoot offensive player. I think his volume points to a player who will be able to take and make contested 3s off the catch. Something basically only Kevin Love can do on this team currently.

I don't think he's gonna develop into a guy who can reliably create and make his own 3, even off of just one dribble.

But if he's a 38% 3 point shooter who can make a reasonable amount of them while contested, that's a win.


On defense he has a shot to help the Cavs in an area they are lacking. But they'll need to really coach him up on that end AND turn him into a rebounding guard.