Rewind the time to the 2024-25 season and Ochai Agbaji was on the fast track to notoriety. He'd played significant minutes for the Toronto Raptors, emerging as a 3-and-D wing who could potentially be a part of a postseason rotation. Unfortunately, he struggled mightily in 2025-26 and is now headed to a period of restricted free agency with limited fanfare.
As the Los Angeles Lakers search for low-cost talent to bolster their rotation via free agency, Ochai Agbaji should be a priority signing as a player with a believable shot at redemption.
Agbaji, 26, finished the 2024-25 season with averages of 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.0 offensive board, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.6 three-point field goals made in 27.2 minutes per game. He did so while shooting with elite efficiency at a clip of .498/.399/.708.
Unfortunately, Agbaji's production regressed to marks of 5.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.7 offensive boards, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.5 three-point field goals made in 15.7 minutes per game in 2025-26. He even shot poorly at a clip of .436/.266/.837.
As such, a player who seemed destined for a big pay day during the 2026 period of free agency is now likely to be limited to short-term contract offers. If that proves to be the case, then the Lakers must do what they can to at least get a one-year deal, if not a second-year club option, out of negotiations with Agbaji.
Agbaji may not be a guaranteed success story, but he's talented enough to emerge as the type of 3-and-D wing the Lakers desperately need.
Lakers should invest low-cost salary in Ochai Agbaji's 3-and-D potential
For as poorly as he played on offense, Agbaji actually turned in a solid defensive season. He ranked in the 83rd percentile in perimeter isolation defense, per Basketball Index, and placed in the 78th percentile in defensive positional versatility.
Each of those statistics reveals how Agbaji could elevate the Lakers, as the former lottery pick uses his 6'5" and 215-pound frame, as well as his 6'10.25" wingspan, to defend with great success.
Considering Agbaji ranked in the 90th percentile in perimeter isolation defense in 2024-25, it's safe to believe that his on-ball defense is legitimate. The question is: Can he get back to his previous level of off-ball brilliance?
In 2024-25, Agbaji ranked in the 90th percentile in ball screen navigation and the 99th percentile in off-ball chaser defense, per Basketball Index. In 2025-26, he finished in the 58th and 38th percentiles.
If the Lakers can get Agbaji to play at the level he reached in 2024-25, then the low-cost contract will pay itself 10 times over. Concerns about his shooting are well-founded, but it's worth noting that he's shot 37.8 percent or better on catch-and-shoot threes in two of his four NBA seasons.
There is a realistic chance that Agbaji will not be able to return to the level that he played at in 2024-25, but the Lakers should proceed with confidence if the opportunity exists to sign him to a one-year deal—before others realize how promising his potential really is.
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