Young Raptors wing needs to prove himself now or face some dire consequences

The injury problem has once again hit the Toronto Raptors, who lost four starters in their March 13 game against the Detroit Pistons. Toronto was able to breathe a sigh of relief when it was announced that Immanuel Quickley would be available to play, but despite his best efforts to keep the team afloat, the Pistons beat the Raptors with a final score of 113-104.

In a game with many inactive players, some of the younger players had multiple opportunities to flourish and make a name for themselves in the process. One such player expected to play an improved role is Ochai Agbaji, but in the loss to Detroit he recorded zero points, three assists, one rebound, and two steals.

With Scottie Barnes out, Agbaji has largely assumed the starting role, given his strong defensive abilities. Agbaji is by no means expected to be an offensive force, but his stats are starting to show that he is detrimental to the team rather than beneficial.

At the very least, Agbaji was seen as a promising power forward with the upside to be an effective 3-and-D role player. In 14 games with the Toronto Raptors so farAgbaji averaged 5.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes per night.

These aren’t horrible stats per se, but it’s the advanced metrics that allow you to notice its flaws to an increased degree. Ochai Agbaji shot 35% from the field and 25% on his three-pointers. Worse still, Agbaji a plus-minus of -51 For the Raptors so far, showing off his presence on the court has been largely ineffective. He’s still relatively young and has room to grow, but if Agbaji continues this terrible production, the coaching staff will have a hard time justifying giving him meaningful rotation minutes.

The Toronto front office saw something in Ochai Agbaji when she dealt a first-round pick for him and Kelly Olynyk. It may have been a late first round pick in a weak draft class, but it showed Toronto was willing to pass up on a potential prospect because they viewed Agbaji as a player who was wasting the opportunity to develop with Jazz.

Ochai Agbaji needs to improve his play on the court to reach at least league average shooting, because as good a defender as he is, his offensive woes are far too detrimental to ignore. Toronto’s staff is incredible at getting the most out of their players, so hopefully with an adequate amount of practice in the offseason, Ochai Agbaji can prove himself to be a solid fundamental piece. for the young core of the Raptors to advance.