Kansas basketball: Would Ochai Agbaji benefit from staying in school?

Kansas basketball’s Ochai Agbaji is young, athletic, and on his way to the NBA. Could he benefit from one more year of college though?

Kansas basketball is projected to lose a lot of talent after this season. Udoka Azubuike and Isaiah Moss will be gone for sure, and Devon Dotson will probably take off for the draft as well. Ochai Agbaji could leave after this season as well, but is there a case to be made for him to stay another year?

The sophomore guard has developed incredibly quickly between last season and now, which is to be expected. Agbaji was redshirted for the beginning of the season last year and was thrust into the action after Udoka Azubuike injured his wrist and was ruled out for the season.

He started off hot but then went into a somewhat of shooting slump towards the end of his shortened freshman season. He finished his freshman campaign averaging 8.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game, as well as shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 30.7percent from behind the three-point line.

This season, after seeing an increase in minutes, Agbaji’s numbers have improved. So far, he’s putting up almost 11 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. Agbaji’s most improved stat so far this season is his three-pointer percentage. He leads the team, knocking down 39.5 percent of his shots from deep. One of his biggest question marks was shooting, so if he can keep this up, he’ll have a spot in the NBA.

The one aspect of Agbaji’s game that’s never wavered is is his insane athleticism. Agbaji is Kansas’ favorite target on a lob, and he’s by far one of the best at finishing them. It seems like he pulls off at least one highlight-worthy dunk every game.

So far, most draft boards project Agbaji as a late first-rounder or mid-second-rounder. He could be a solid NBA shooting guard, especially if he keeps knocking down three-pointers at a good clip.

On the high end, Busting Brackets, and NBA Draft Net, have Agbaji as a first-round pick in the top 20. Other outlets like Bleacher Report, ESPN, and NBC all have him going outside the first round. At this point, it’s probably safe to assume that Agbaji will get taken in the second round, but that could change.

If Agbaji continues to have a good season and then goes off during March Madness, he could greatly improve his draft stock and solidify himself in the first round. That’s a big “if” though.

On whether or not Agbaji should come back or not for another year, the question is: does the risk of staying another year in college outweigh the current reward for leaving? If Agbaji is easily a first-rounder by the end of the season, he should go. If he’s a second-rounder by the end of the season, he should go even if Kansas basketball fans disagree.

There’s this weird belief that if a player isn’t a lottery pick or at least a first-rounder, they should just stay in school. That couldn’t be further from the truth. NBA money and opportunity can be taken in an instant, just one bad fall, trip, or weird play, and Agbaji could never have another shot at the Association again.

The only way Agbaji should stay at Kansas for another year would be if he gets hurt this season, or somehow plays his way off of draft boards; hopefully neither of which happens.

Kansas basketball will need Ochai Agbaji, especially in March. He has a lot of time to continue improving his draft stock and become one of the next great Jayhawks in the NBA.