Agbaji’s defensive versatility helping Raptors

TORONTO – If you privation to rapidly find Ochai Agbaji during a Toronto Raptors game, conscionable look for the different team’s champion player. He’s apt guarding them.

Agbaji has been tasked with covering immoderate of the NBA’s biggest names this play with the Raptors missing cardinal players similar all-star guardant Scottie Barnes and constituent defender Immanuel Quickley. At six-foot-five, Agbaji is simply a earthy defender but he’s been assigned immoderate of the toughest forwards successful the league this twelvemonth including LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“I deliberation it’s conscionable astir really, truly trusting the scouting report, trusting the team, and trusting what our crippled program is for those guys,” said Agbaji connected Friday. “Just effort to unopen them down, and having ultra consciousness for those radical erstwhile they’re connected the court.”

The 24-year-old typically came disconnected the seat successful his archetypal 2 NBA seasons — divided betwixt the Utah Jazz and Toronto — but arsenic a portion of the Raptors’ starting lineup he’s deed vocation highs successful astir large stat categories including minutes played (31.8), points (13.2), rebounds (4.8) assists (1.8), and steals (1.4). His blocks are down from 0.6 to 0.5 play implicit season, a negligible difference.

He said he’s been capable to beryllium versatile connected some sides of the shot for Toronto due to the fact that he’s ever grinding.

“The enactment hasn’t stopped adjacent though the play has started,” Agbaji said aft signifier connected Thursday. “Leading up to the season, earlier grooming campy I was moving astatine nights, coming successful for immoderate interaction up, getting immoderate shots up, that truly hasn’t stopped.

“I’ve continued to bash that portion allowing my assemblage to maintain, enactment fresh.”

He had 9 points, 3 rebounds, and an assistance successful Friday’s 99-95 nonaccomplishment to the visiting Detroit Pistons.

After having to defender importantly larger players similar James, Antetokounmpo, and helping Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, Agbaji spent astir of the nighttime defending Pistons guards Jaden Ivey, Malik Beasley and Cade Cunningham, who are each wrong an inch of him.

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All 3 had uncharacterically mediocre shooting nights, with Cunningham — who typically is Detroit’s apical scorer — going 6 for 21 connected field-goal attempts.

“Guarding guys that similar to station up more, it’s evidently a antithetic scout,” Agbaji said connected getting to play against guards. “Taking connected the situation (of different team’s champion players) each night, I mean, it’s evidently tough, but thing I similar to do.”

Raptors caput manager Darko Rajakovic said helium is arrogant of the mode Agbaji has taken connected the NBA’s best, particularly with Toronto’s roster plagued by injuries.

“(He) beauteous overmuch matched the minutes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and helium did a overmuch amended occupation successful the post-ups,” said Rajakovic earlier Friday’s game. “That was the maturation from the erstwhile crippled (when) helium was guarding LeBron James successful those aforesaid situations.”

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Nov. 15, 2024.