A memorable evening for Ochai Agbaji

Within this team of Jazz who continues to surprise over the weeks (10th in the West, 35-36), without letting go of the end of the season when we could have expected it, a player has clearly been gaining strength for a month: Ochai Agbaji.

With 13.4 points on average for twelve games (43% in shooting, 37% in 3-points, 86% in free throws) and a starting place won since the beginning of March, the rookie takes advantage of the absences of Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton to make his hole in Will Hardy’s rotation and grow faster than expected.

Latest example: this match last night, where Ochai Agbaji scored 27 points in 33 minutes (6/10 from 3-pointers), in the victory of Utah against Sacramento, yet in the Top 3 in the West and in full swing since the All-Star Break.

A meeting where everything was successful for him and disputed, incidentally, under the eyes of his mother…

” It’s a really special night for her to be able to witness this. », reacted the interested party, after the best performance of his young career. ” She had already come on Halloween weekend and I had played a little. But she came back and this time she got to see my career high points, so it was a really special night. »

Obvious progress over the weeks

Like any self-respecting rookie, Ochai Agbaji has obviously gone through complicated times this season. Especially during the first third of it, in October and November, where he juggled between the G-League and the NBA (when he was not stuck on the Jazz bench).

But this experience at the lower level still allowed the 14th choice of the last Draft, now confident, to progress in the shadows and to best prepare for his return “to the big ones”…

” From there I kind of saw it as a race, my own race », he explained on this subject. ” My expectations were a little different at first but then I had to accept it [sa situation]live with it, give it your all, have a positive attitude. »

NCAA Final Four MVP

Particularly empowered in the NCAA (18.8 points average), where he also finished champion and best player in the Final Four with Kansas last year, Ochai Agbaji then saw his situation evolve in the NBA, where he became a “role player”. Not easy to manage, but he’s starting to (well) get used to it.

Especially since, in this workforce in reconstruction of Utah, the opportunities are numerous because no player is really untouchable, apart from Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler.

” The thing I continue to be most proud of with this team is that every game it seems like a different player is raising their level of play and taking advantage of the opportunities given to them to try to contribute to victory. I love this team “, enthused his coach Will Hardyat the end of this victory against the Kings where Ochai Agbaji was precisely the most prominent on the Jazz side.