In a video posted by freshman guard Dajuan Harris, sophomore Ochai Agbaji shows off his remarkable athleticism during a dunk session.
So, it seems Ochai Agbaji somehow got MORE athletic during the offseason.
In this video, Agbaji, along with sophomore Devon Dotson and other Jayhawk players, shows off his athleticism during a dunk session at the Kansas basketball practice facility. Wait until the very end to see Agabji.
🤒 @youngoch @Ballin25Braun @d_dotson1 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/sIK1i5CuAH
— Dajuan Harris (@DajuanH10) September 11, 2019
Is Abaji serious with this dunk?!
The first 20 seconds of this video features a few impressive dunks — but none too astonishing. Then Agbaji comes literally flying in out of nowhere looking like an Olympic high jumper!
Go back and watch the video again, but this time press pause at the 22-second mark.
At that point in the video, two things are evident: One, Agbaji jumped nearly a foot higher than his teammates. And two, Agbaji had to bend his head to avoid hitting the freaking rim!
The majority of people reading this likely haven’t — and likely never will — dunked a basketball in their lives. Being able to physically jump that high in the air is incomprehensible to us normal folk. But then again, Agbaji is projected by nbadraft.net to be the no. 12 pick in next year’s NBA Draft for a reason.
This video should come as a surprise to no one, though. From the moment he stepped on the court with the Jayhawks, it was obvious that Agbaji was a special player.
It seems Kansas basketball Head Coach Bill Self knew that better than anybody, as he drew up a lob play for Agbaji merely 5 seconds after he entered his first game.
Ochai Agbaji with a dunk on his first collegiate possession #KUbball pic.twitter.com/mxCtRbaFDG
— Shane Jackson (@SJacksonBET) January 10, 2019
Agbaji’s transition into the highest levels of college basketball was seamless.
In 22 appearances last season, the Kansas City native averaged 8.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Jayhawks.
If it wasn’t for Agbaji’s redshirt being pulled midway through the season, it’s likely that Kansas’ record would’ve been FAR worse.
After the injury to star center Udoka Azubuike, the offense lacked athleticism, the Jayhawks were getting beat on the boards consistently, and their defense was average at best.
Agabji provided the consistent energy, athleticism, and effort that the team desperately needed.
Of course, he definitely wasn’t perfect.
After a hot start to the season, there were times where Agabji seemed to get lost in the shuffle offensively. His scoring numbers continuously decreased as the season progressed, and he only shot 30.7% from beyond the arc.
His effort defensively and on the boards made him a valuable asset, but he wasn’t always consistent on offense. Nevertheless, his overall performance for the year was astounding given the situation he was forced in to.
With a year’s experience in the Bill Self system, a full Summer improving his game, and significantly more talent around him, look for an All-Big 12 level season from Agabji in the 2019-20 Kansas basketball season.