Former KU guard Ochai Agbaji meets media in Utah, sees ‘good opportunity’ with Jazz
Former Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji, a first-round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2022 NBA Draft, approves of the recent trade that sent him to play for the Utah Jazz his rookie season in the league.
“When I first found out about the trade, it was kind of my ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment,’’’ Agbaji, a 6-foot-5, 22-year-old first-team All-American, said earlier this week at a news conference in Salt Lake City introducing Agbaji to media who cover the Jazz.
The news conference was reported on by Cody Taylor of Yahoo.com.
“I haven’t even played a single game, a single minute of NBA action and I’ve already been traded. I see it as a good opportunity. Anywhere where I ended up, I think would have been a good opportunity for me and I’m going to make the best of it. I’m excited to be here,” Agbaji added.
The KU and Oak Park High School graduate was traded two weeks ago from the Cavaliers to the Jazz along with Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen for all-star guard Donovan Mitchell. The trade was finalized last week after players passed their physicals.
Agbaji, who was 2022 Big 12 player of the year, will join former KU teammate Udoka Azubuike in Utah. Azubuike and Agbaji played together at KU in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Agbaji was taken by the Cavs with the No. 14 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Azubuike was selected with the 27th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Agbaji and Azubuike will be part of a rebuild in Utah. The Jazz also traded Rudy Gobert this offseason. Cleveland, meanwhile, is expected to contend for a playoff spot.
“Transitioning to here, having more opportunities and more chances to see the floor and make more of an impact … I’m just keeping the same mindset,” Agbaji said. “I’ll continue to better myself and impact the team in positive ways and be successful here.”
Agbaji averaged 15.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals a game in five games for the Cavs’ summer league team in Las Vegas. He hit 37.5% of his threes.
He told the Deseret News he and new teammate Sexton enjoyed a recent hike in scenic Utah.
“It was nice. (The hike) was like 20 minutes away, which is crazy. You can drive 20 minutes and you’re already in somewhere that’s so beautiful,” Agbaji said as reported by the Deseret News.
“It’s not like Kansas, obviously. I’m used to just flat plains, but you walk outside and you get a nice mountain view everywhere you look, basically. So it’s it’s been nice.,” Agbaji added.
Of preparing for his rookie season, Agbaji told the News he is “controlling what we can control day by day, as far as working hard building a good culture around this, in a way, new organization, new front office, new players, all that. So just building a new culture growing the culture that the guys here in Utah originally had and pushing that forward.”
