Draft

Cavaliers

Justin and Carter give their thoughts on the Cavs selection of Ochai Agbaji. What he brings to the table, how he helps the Cavs rotation, and some of their immediate takeaways from the draft.

Please Note: The opinions expressed by The Chase Down podcast are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Cavaliers or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, or partners.

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The Chase Down Pod - Welcome, Ochai Agbaji

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Ochai Agbaji's Draft Process Through the Lens

Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman spoke to the media on Thursday night following the first round pick of Ochai Agbaji in the NBA Draft.

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Koby Altman Media Availability After First Round Pick

Listen to Ochai Agbaji discuss the journey from his childhood to the NBA Draft!

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Get to Know Ochai Agbaji

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers selected guard Ochai Agbaji (OH-chie uh-BAH-jee) from the University of Kansas with the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Cleveland also selected center Khalifa Diop (hah-LEE-fuh JYOP) with the 39th pick out of Senegal, forward Isaiah Mobley with the 49th pick out of USC and forward Luke Travers with the 56th pick out of Australia.

Agbaji (6-5, 215) started in all 39 games this past season as a senior at Kansas, averaging a Big-12 leading 18.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in a team-high 35.0 minutes. Agbaji finished second in the Big-12 in three-point percentage (.409) and three-point field goals made per game (2.64). He helped lead Kansas to its fourth national championship in program history under head coach Bill Self and was named the 2022 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Agbaji also finished as a 2021-22 consensus All-American First Team selection as well as the 2021-22 Big 12 Player of the Year.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The four-year guard played in 122 games (116 starts) in his career at Kansas, averaging 13.6 points (.374 3FG%), 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 32.6 minutes and finished fourth in Kansas history in three-pointers made (250 3FGM). During his tenure, Agbaji also set a program record by making a three-pointer in 53 consecutive games. He also ended his Kansas career ranked 15th in points (1,652), seventh in consecutive starts (98) and ninth in minutes played (3,978) and he is also a three-time All-Big 12 as well as an Academic All-Big 12 selection.

Diop (7-1, 240) appeared in 49 games for Gran Canaria in Spain, averaging 6.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 15.7 minutes. Diop was the winner of the 2021-22 EuroCup Rising Star Trophy, which honors the best under-22 player in the EuroCup. The Senegalese center also represented Senegal at the 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup while averaging 14.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

Mobley (6-10, 240) appeared in 32 games (all starts) as a sophomore for USC this past season, averaging team-highs in points (14.2) and rebounds (8.3) in 34.0 minutes. Mobley started in all 64 of his career games for the Trojans and held career averages of 12.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists. His brother Evan Mobley was an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection for the Cavaliers this past season and was selected with the 3rd pick by the Cavaliers in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Travers (6-7, 208) played in 27 games (six starts) for the Perth Wildcats in the Australian NBL, averaging 7.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 22.0 minutes. Travers appeared in 71 NBL games for Perth over three seasons with the club.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Cavaliers Select Ochai Agbaji with the 14th Overall Pick in 2022 NBA Draft

**NOTE: The articles listed don't necessarily reflect the views or beliefs of the Cleveland Cavaliers or their Basketball Operations staff, partners, or sponsors.**

No. 12, Oklahoma City Thunder - Jeremy Sochan, Baylor

No.13, Charlotte Hornets - Ochai Agbaji, Kansas

No. 14, Cleveland Cavaliers - Johnny Davis, Wisconsin

The Cavaliers want to keep Sexton and bring back Ricky Rubio, league sources say. But I wonder how plans would change if a guard like Davis drops this far; he won Big 10 Player of the Year as a midrange shot-maker and he could provide defense next to Darius Garland.

No. 12, Oklahoma City Thunder - Ousmane Dieng, New Zealand Breakers

No.13, Charlotte Hornets - Johnny Davis, Wisconsin

No. 14, Cleveland Cavaliers - Ochai Agbaji, Kansas

Cleveland has a young core primed to contend with Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Agbaji gives the Cavs another piece of key depth on the wing and adds a complementary style to Isaac Okoro as a more offensively polished weapon. He shot 41% from 3-point range last season for KU in leading the Jayhawks to a national title.

No.13, Charlotte Hornets - Mark Williams, Duke

No. 14, Cleveland Cavaliers - Malaki Branham, Ohio State

The Cavaliers have their bases covered with big men, but they lack scorers on the wing. That makes Branham a missing puzzle piece for a young, up-and-coming team, as the Ohio State freshman is one of the best pure scorers in this draft class. The Big Ten Rookie of the Year is a fluid shot creator and knockdown shooter. He has good size and length as a defender and most importantly, he would give All-Star guard Darius Garland some serious relief on the offensive end. I believe Branham will be one of the players we look back on and wonder, "Why wasn't he selected higher?" Add to it that he's a Columbus, Ohio native and this match fits like a glove.

No.13, Charlotte Hornets - Jalen Duran, Memphis

The Cavaliers could go in a number of different directions here with this pick. The way the board has fallen for them seems to be pretty close to ideal. If the team wants a bigger wing, like LSU's Tari Eason or Kansas' Ochai Agbaji, those guys are still available. If they want to take the best player on the board that can help the team improve its 3-point shooting and perimeter defense, Ohio State's Branham is the answer.

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Mock Draft Monday - June 20

No. 12, Oklahoma City Thunder - Osumane Dieng, New Zealand

No.13, Portland Trail Blazers (from Charlotte) - Jeremy Sochan, Baylor

The Cavs needed more ball-handling down the stretch after injuries ultimately hurt their chance at the playoffs, and Branham has considerable offensive upside.

Branham—who was born in Columbus and played his high school basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron—would be a good backcourt fit alongside Darius Garland.

No. 14, Cleveland Cavaliers - Tari Eason, LSU

If the Hornets don’t take him, Cleveland will have a hard time passing on the “Bucket from the Bayou” (trademarked). Eason averaged 25 points per 36 last season at LSU, using his imposing frame to throw down powerful dunks. He altered shots and disrupted opposing offenses with 1.1 blocks and 1.9 steals and turned that defense into fast-break offense quite frequently. Cleveland excelled on defense a season ago and used a jumbo lineup effectively for most of the season. The team still needs some more effective scorers, and with Eason, they’ll get the best of both worlds - a high-motor defender with a sweet offensive touch.

No.13, Charlotte Hornets - Bennedict Mathurian, Arizona

The Cavs will reportedly host&nbsp;former St. Vincent-St. Mary’s (yes, that is where LeBron James went to high school) star Malaki Branham for a workout. Although the Ohio State freshman wasn’t expected to be a one-and-done player in college, Branham played his way into lottery consideration.

No.13, Charlotte Hornets - Tari Eason, LSU

Branham wasn’t projected as a one-and-done coming into Ohio State as a recruit ranked around No. 40, but he emerged into one by coming on strong to end his freshman year. A 6’5 shooting guard with a reported 6’10.5 wingspan, Branham is an old-school shooting guard who prefers midrange pull-ups but also offers catch-and-shoot potential. Branham took 153 non-rim two-pointers this year and knocked them down at an impressive 43.1 percent clip. He created most of those looks himself (only 18 percent were assisted) by knowing how to get to his spots and having the ability to rise and fire. He was also impressive from three-point range, hitting 41.1 percent of 90 attempts almost exclusively on spot-ups. If his pull-up midrange shots can become pull-up threes, he could have more upside than anticipated. Branham also needs to become a tougher and more engaged wing defender, and he has the tools to do it.

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Mock Draft Monday - June 13

No. 14, Cleveland Cavaliers - Dyson Daniels, G-League Ignite

The play of Ricky Rubio last season prior to his injury highlighted the importance of having an additional facilitator behind Darius Garland. Much like Rubio, Daniels has slick playmaking skills but he brings it in a 6-foot-6 package, which could make it easier to play at the same time as Garland. Though Daniels needs to work on his jumper, he is like Derrick White in the sense he can still make a positive impact because of his unselfishness and high IQ.

No. 12, Oklahoma City Thunder - AJ Griffin, Duke

No. 14, Cleveland Cavaliers - Ousmane Dieng, New Zealand Breakers

After finishing his season in good form, Dieng has built some positive momentum behind the scenes and has a good shot to sneak into the lottery. Although he’s not ready to contribute at a high level yet, his combination of youth, size and skill level help set him apart and portend untapped upside. Some teams still have questions about his athleticism, but he’s a terrific passer and promising shooter who projects as a viable rotation player and potentially more. The Cavs are loaded up front and are in a good spot to add a perimeter player with this pick. If Dieng is on the board, he makes a lot of sense.

No. 12, Oklahoma City Thunder - Ousmane Dieng, New Zeland Breakers

No.13, Charlotte Hornets - Jeremy Sochan, Baylor

Branham was able to score at an efficient clip on all three levels during his lone season in Columbus, shooting 49.8% from the field, 41.6% from three (on 2.8 attempts per game), and 83.3% from the foul line. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard can play both on and off the ball, but he will need to be more efficient when it comes to playmaking (Branham had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.19). Cleveland has no issues to deal with at the point, as Darius Garland&nbsp;is coming off of an All-Star campaign. However, the same cannot be said for the off-guard spot, even with&nbsp;Caris LeVert&nbsp;(who's struggled with injuries) under contract.&nbsp;Collin Sexton&nbsp;will be a free agent, and the Cavs' other young wings haven't been all that consistent offensively.

The Big Ten Player of the Year, Davis is an extremely competitive guard who plays tough on both ends. Offensively, he’s a shot creator and maker who was responsible for just about everything in Wisconsin’s offense this year. He was faultless throughout the first part of the season, hitting shots at a reasonable level, rebounding at an elite level for a guard and showing up in the biggest moments. But he suffered an ankle injury late in the season, and as he played through it, his numbers fell off a bit. He averaged 17 points per game over his final 12 games, but he shot just 42 percent from the field and 22 percent from 3 in that time. His elevation, in general, looked sapped, as did his ability to stop and start. But when he was at his best, Davis was a good three-level scorer who also played hard on defense. That translates at least on some level to the NBA. The ceiling on his draft status has dropped a bit in recent months, but I’d still anticipate him going in the No. 7 to No. 17 range.

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Mock Draft Monday - June 6

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