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Rock Chalk This Jayhawk: Ochai Agbaji Spurs Prospect Watch

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Rock Chalk This Jayhawk: Ochai Agbaji Spurs Prospect Watch
Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji (30) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Kansas senior Ochai Agbaji has improved his game every year in Lawrence. And it has paid off as he is getting serious first-round hype as well as Big 12 Player of the Year consideration. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound shooting guard is great at shooting off the catch and is averaging the most points per game in the conference this season.

Agbaji is also a solid ball-handler and can create for others because of his gravity with his shot-making ability. He has a good motor and is a solid defender at his position with the capacity to defend both backcourt spots. He’s not as versatile a defender as the Spurs might like, but he is a good offensive weapon they could use when Dejounte Murray is off the court. Here are his averages through 27 games this season.

  • 20.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.8 SPG
  • 50.1 FG%, 43.3 3P%, 75.5 FT%
  • 23.5 PER, 123.6 ORtg, 100.6 DRtg

Ochai Agbaji’s got a 25.7% usage rate and has still been an efficient player this season, which might be the most impressive stat about him. He is often asked to handle a large scoring load for the Jayhawks when the offense is struggling so teams are zoning in on him as well, and he’s still putting up these numbers.

Where Ochai Agbaji truly excels is in transition and he is nearly unstoppable there. He can stop and pop from three or get all the way to the rim with his speed and ball handling. He also uses these skills in pick-and-roll situations where he more often than not makes the right decision. While he doesn’t put up big assist numbers, he would put up some good “hockey assist” numbers since his passes usually lead to other good passes and a bucket.

While Agbaji shoots the ball pretty well overall, he has stretches in games where he will miss several in a row. But he then gets on hot streaks that can turn the game or even put them away for the Jayhawks. That’s how he keeps his percentages so high and when he starts hitting, he can make just about any shot he puts up, but he doesn’t push too hard on the heat check shots either. Agbaji has been moving up draft boards because he is looking for the Big 12 Player of the Year and is a much more known commodity than some of the underclassmen who will likely declare for the draft.

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