Agbaji as a Forward

[SoberasHotRod]

In my opinion Ochai has quietly had a great preseason so far. I believe he has played almost all of his minutes as a 3, with a little bit of 4 as well. I'm pretty sure last year he played almost all of his minutes as a guard. I'm not sure if this is how we see him long term, or just a way to get all of our guards in to the rotation this year.

So far, so good. Impressively he's really getting more involved on the boards where he has increased his rebound % from 4% last year to 7% in the preseason so far. His defense looks much better to me as well, it feels like he is understanding better how to be effective. He also looks much better at getting to the rim consistently and finishing.

I'm not sure if he'll ever get comfortable with the ball in his hands like Hardy seems to want both of the guards on the court to be able to do. Based on that I think this could be a permanent change. To Agbaji's credit he seems to have embraced this role and is making the most of it.

This might not deserve it's own thread, but oh well.

 

[GG Jazz Cabbage]

Good change of pace lineup at least, looks like it'll be in the bag this season; interesting to see if it's effective and when it's used.

 

[NAOS_pt2]

Can I turn this thread into one about THT?

 

[KqWIN]

I’m not to concerned about labels, it’s more about how guys play. I feel like the small ball lineups is less about Ochai playing like a “forward” or whatever and more about reaping the benefits of playing more perimeter oriented players.

Having said that, it will be a huge thing for his career if he can do more of the “big” stuff. Ochai was one of the worst rebounders/stocks guys in the entire league last year. Truthfully, it’s hard to be a positive for any player to be a positive when that stuff is so low. You’ve got to bring so much else to the table. IMO it was a shame to see a guy as athletic as him make very little plays with his athleticism.

Again, who cares about the labels, but the less we have to compromise in the smaller lineups the better. That value is still added when he’s not playing “forward” as well. More ways to contribute will make him a better player and this is where I was hoping to see improvement. Even in summer league when he couldn’t put it in the hoop he was making way more plays with his athleticism. It’s great to see.

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

Can I turn this thread into one about THT?

Only if you want Cy sniffing your ***. Lol

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

I’m very excited about Ochai. I feel he’s been given more tools to work with thanks to him being forced into a playmaker role last year and in summer league and preseason it’s shown. I don’t expect him to go full blown playmaker/on ball wizard but now he can pick his spots. The coaching staff has nailed his developmental program. He’s soooo much improved from summer league alone.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Ochai is going to be a solid Royce O'Neal type player. Not good enough to be a starter you love, but overall a very quality starter.

 

[One Brow]

Can I turn this thread into one about THT?

THT has no threads right now of good quality.

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

Ochai is going to be a solid Royce O'Neal type player. Not good enough to be a starter you love, but overall a very quality starter.

I disagree. O’Neale is a functional defender who struggled with smaller quicker players that was an elite rebounder for his size. He generally needed to be wide wide open to shoot a three. ochai is a much better athlete, better defender, quicker and can do more with the ball IMO

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I disagree. O’Neale is a functional defender who struggled with smaller quicker players that was an elite rebounder for his size. He generally needed to be wide wide open to shoot a three. ochai is a much better athlete, better defender, quicker and can do more with the ball IMO

All remains to be seen

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

All remains to be seen

Not all

 

[SoberasHotRod]

Ochai is going to be a solid Royce O'Neal type player. Not good enough to be a starter you love, but overall a very quality starter.

His usage has increased this preseason as well, so he might have more to him. If he does become our 5th starter at some point, it might be with two other guards.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Ochai is a surprisingly good and active cutter when he decides to be, but that skill is just getting lost in the shuffle right now. He's one of those dudes who does all these lightning quick, half improvised cuts off broken plays and whatnot, but guys just don't look for him. Some players do have a weird way of being "invisible" on the court even though they move around constantly, and I feel like Ochai is like that.

 

[HermanG]

Ochai is a surprisingly good and active cutter when he decides to be, but that skill is just getting lost in the shuffle right now. He's one of those dudes who does all these lightning quick, half improvised cuts off broken plays and whatnot, but guys just don't look for him. Some players do have a weird way of being "invisible" on the court even though they move around constantly, and I feel like Ochai is like that.

You started this as a complement and then turned it into "Ochai is the invisible man". Almost made it all the way through on a positive note.

Thats how Hardy obviously wants them to play. He wants to create constant off ball threats and wants the defense to be forced into constant rotations and confusion. Ochai, Lauri and Collins are all good to great cutters who can catch the ball in traffic and also get above the rim, which gives the ball handlers options on how they can get the ball to them.

As long as they see them.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

You started this as a complement and then turned it into "Ochai is the invisible man". Almost made it all the way through on a positive note.

What I described is not really a negative trait. I mean, you make yourself available, you move, you cut. What else can you do if you generally play off ball like Ochai? I can't explain why some players still "disappear" and don't tend to get the ball outside of set plays or actions as much as others. Anyone who's played the sport probably knows what I'm talking about. Maybe some guys project confidence and others don't, or it's some other subliminal thing. Or chemistry. Who knows. The ball just always seems to "find" some guys even though they may not be any more skilled or capable than the rest.

One of the knocks against Ochai, even early in his college career, was always that he was "passive" on offense (and pretty much all his scouting reports mention it). When he started playing real minutes last season, I thought there was a lot of truth to that... but having watched him more closely since then, I dunno. It's just... weird. He does everything right and keeps putting himself in good positions where he could have an advantage, but he still ends up in the margins of the offense.

People keep saying he should use his athleticism more, and I sort of agree, but then again... maybe the team should use his athleticism more. He's so quick and explosive, he's wasted as a weak side spacer who sometimes gets the ball IF someone remembers he exists. IMO Ochai has the potential to become an extremely efficient scorer (and to increase his gravity) if we funnel the ball to him a bit more.