The Utah Jazz may not have many weak spots on its roster but one people are concerned about is Ochai Agbaji.
Ochai Agbaji came to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2022 NBA Draft with the idea of the young man starting at shooting guard for them as a rookie. The idea was to have Agbaji and Lauri Markkanen stretch the court for the Cavs, allowing for Darius Garland to create at the top of the key. Then the Cavs traded Agbaji, Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and a host of first-round picks to the Jazz for Donovan Mitchell.
Then it became the Jazz’s job to try and find a way to get the most out of Agbaji. Now, the second-year wing is looking at being a wing player for the Jazz. He’s not set to be in the starting lineup as of right now, but there’s a possibility he could be, depending on who starts at point guard.
Should Agbaji earn his way a starting gig on the Jazz, which seems unlikely at this current juncture, the folks at Bleacher Report believe he’ll be the weakest link on the team, saying;
"Projected Starters: Jordan Clarkson, Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Walker KesslerAgbaji has some upside as a wing who can knock down threes and defend multiple positions. Best-case scenario, he might even provide a little pop off the dribble.But right now, he’s in a lineup with four players who’ve already proven that they can be, at the very least, rotation players. And that includes Kessler.Kessler just turned 22, but he averaged 13.1 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per 75 possessions and ranked in the 87th percentile in defensive estimated plus-minus as a rookie."
While they wouldn’t be wrong about Agbaji in that lineup being the weakest link, what they fail to point out is that Agbaji isn’t likely to start. Collin Sexton is the current front-runner at point guard, not Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson is in the hunt but he’s just as likely to stay at shooting guard as opposed to moving over to point.
And in that lineup, it’d be either Sexton or Clarksonw who were the weakest link.
It should also be noted that Agbaji is the one player on the team who could end up having a massive season for the Jazz. There’s no reason to doubt his ability just yet, and if he can make a jump in year two, the Jazz will be in great shape.