While waiting for the return of the EuroBasket of Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and Ochai Agbaji were the first new Jazz members to speak at a press conference yesterday.
Involved in the transfer of Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland, the rookie drafted almost three months ago by the Cavaliers did not take very long before becoming familiar with the business aspect of the NBA…
“ When I learned about the transfer, it was kind of my ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment. “, he says about it, for the Deseret News. “ I haven’t even played a game and a minute in the NBA that I’ve already been traded. But I see it as a good opportunity. Wherever I would have ended up, it would have been a good opportunity for me and I will make the best of it. I am delighted to be here. “
The ideal starting point for his career?
As Ochai Agbaji implies, he indeed lands in a supposedly ideal setting for the launch of his career. Indeed, as Utah is now embarked on a reconstruction project, the 22-year-old player will probably have plenty of time to let his game do the talking in Will Hardy’s rotation…
“ Here I will have more opportunities and more chances to see the field, to have influence [sur le jeu], keeping the same mindset. I will continue to improve, to have a positive influence on the team and to be successful“, he detailswhen asked about his state of mind related to his arrival in Salt Lake City.
Five months after his titles of NCAA champion and MOP of the Final Four, with Kansas, Ochai Agbaji therefore intends to settle as quickly as one of the new key elements of Jazz. Without putting too much pressure on yourself.
” You just have to take things day by day, control what you can control on a daily basis, work hard, to build a good culture, a new culture. By developing the culture that the players here in Utah already had originally and taking it forward “, he explains as well.
Last year, Ochai Agbaji averaged 18.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in the NCAA (48% on shots, 41% at 3-pts). In Summer Leaguewith the Cavs, he was averaging 15.0 points and 4.8 rebounds (37% on shots, 38% at 3-pts).
