Ochai Agbaji made a fairly underwhelming preseason debut during an all-around poor performance by the New York Knicks. He played just eight minutes, shooting 0-of-3 from the field, with each of his three misses coming from beyond the arc.
Though it was a disappointing showing, the Knicks should still be holding out hope that he'll turn things around. At his best, Agbaji is the player their rotation needs.
Agbaji is one of three wings currently competing for the final two roster spots with big men Tony Bradley, Drew Eubanks, and James Wiseman. Joining him along the perimeter are NBA champion Bruce Brown and glue guy John Konchar.
Though Brown and Konchar, who both turned 30 earlier this year, would have the potential to bolster the Knicks' rotation, Agbaji's best form is that of a 3-and-D wing who can offer strengths they simply don't.
Agbaji, 26, is a 6'5" and 215-pound wing with a 6'10.25" wingspan and plus athleticism. He's also a streaky but intriguing shooter who shot 39.9 percent from beyond the arc as recently as 2024-25. Compounded by his unwaveringly high level of defense, there's no way around how promising he is.
Unfortunately, a poor preseason debut and a wildly inefficient 2025-26 season have given the Knicks reason to question if Agbaji is the best fit. They should be hoping and praying that he can be.
The best version of Ochai Agbaji is everything the Knicks need
Look back at the 2024-25 season and Agbaji checked all of the essential boxes. He buried just a hair under 40 percent of his threes while ranking in the 94th percentile in perimeter isolation defense, the 90th percentile in ball screen navigation, and the 99th percentile in off-ball chaser defense, per Basketball Index.
For a Knicks team that has questionable depth along the wings after starters OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, Agbaji turning in a season of that nature would change the entire dynamic of the team.
As it stands, the Knicks' tallest non-starter wings who played at least 10.0 minutes per game in 2025-26 are Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet at 6'5". Both impressed with their defensive improvement last season, but neither are necessarily known as lockdown players.
Even in 2025-26, when Agbaji's jumper fell apart, he arguably sustained that status by ranking in the 84th percentile in perimeter isolation defense.
If Agbaji can continue to defend at that level and fix his jump shot, then the training camp decision should be fairly simple to make. If he can't, however, then New York may not be able to justify simply banking on him realizing his potential.
There's a thin line between Agbaji being cut and being transformative, but if he ends up on the right side of it, then the Knicks would realize the best-case scenario.
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