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Ochai Agbaji gets elite praise from Will Hardy despite 0-point outing vs. Wizards

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By David Yapkowitz | Last updated 1/25/24

The Utah Jazz climbed back to .500 with a win against the Washington Wizards on Thursday. Despite their early struggles, the Jazz have been playing much better basketball as of late, so much so that John Collins is reportedly no longer on the trade block. Speaking of Collins, he had a monster game against the Wizards in the win. One of his teammates, Ochai Agbaji had an interesting stat line in the Jazz win, but garnered a surprise reaction postgame from head coach Will Hardy as per Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Will Hardy: Ochai Agbaji is one of the best athletes that I’ve been around

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) January 26, 2024

Ochai Agbaji went scoreless in the Jazz win against the Wizards but Will Hardy opted to mention him postgame. He went 0-3 from the field including 0-1 from three point range, but he did finish with four rebounds and one blocked shot. He played 20 minutes off the bench.

The No. 14 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Agbaji has become a key member of the Jazz rotation this season. Last year he was able to make an impact as a rookie right away. He stated 22 of the 59 games he played in and averaged 7.9 points per game.

This year, Agbaji’s playing time has stayed relatively the same at around 20 minutes per game. He’s started 10 of the 45 games he’s played in and his 45 games leads the league this season in games played.

He’s been averaging 5.8 points per game and 2.5 rebounds with splits of 43.5 percent shooting from the field, 33.1 percent shooting from the three point line and 75 percent shooting from the free throw line.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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