Ochai Agbaji, a former guard for the Kansas men’s basketball team, was fouled on an alley-oop dunk attempt and landed hard on his hip, but he did not sustain a significant injury, the Toronto Raptors stated on Friday.
Update Of Ochai Agbaji Trading, After Returns From Injury.
The club lost 145-101 to the New York Knicks on Wednesday in Toronto. Agbaji, a 6-foot-5 KU graduate from Oak Park High School, was struck in midair by New York’s Deuce McBride and fell to the ground, but he was not hurt.
The doctors diagnosed Agbaji with a hip contusion after he fell on his right hip. Agbaji’s hip X-rays were negative, the team said on Friday. He participated in limited practice on Friday and won’t play in Sunday’s home game against Philadelphia, according to the team.
Following the Raptors’ defeat against the Knicks, coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters, “For a second it was really scary because he couldn’t move at all.” According to SI.com, Rajakovic stated on Friday that he was healing well, but it will take a few days for him to come back.
Thankfully, it’s not as bad as we initially believed.
Everything and the MRI came out negative. He’s just really painful at the moment. The 23-year-old Agbaji, a second-year professional, has averaged 6.8 points and 3.2 rebounds for Toronto in 21 games after being acquired by the team in a deal with Utah.
Agbaji played 51 games with the Utah Jazz this season, averaging 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds. Agbaji attended KU from 2019 to 2022, when he was named the most outstanding player of the NCAA Tourney and went on to win a national championship.
In the meanwhile, Raptors player and former KU guard Gradey Dick scored a career-high 23 points on Wednesday against the Knicks.
Dick, a rookie from Wichita who is 6 feet 6 inches tall, averages 7.7 points per game on 42.3% shooting. Of 194 threes, he has made 70, or 36.1%. Dick has been on a roll lately, scoring ten or more goals in eight games in March.
The rookie has played with considerably more confidence, showing that he can make the proper play with the ball in his hands or move easily off the ball to get to his places.
Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun comments, “There’s a lot to like when dissecting Dick’s game, knowing much more will be extracted once he can add weight and strength.”
In the long run, Dick is best served in a reserve capacity, ideally as the third wing option who can most effectively unleash his 3-point threat, if the Raptors are to be taken seriously once more.
If you’re interested in statistics, take note that Dick has tried 12 free throws in his last 14 games. Dick will undoubtedly make additional trips to the line once he reaches desired mass, indicating that he isn’t content to settle with jumpers.
“When Dick is spotting up, defenders will be forced to close out by his presence on the perimeter on a completely healthy and more complete Raptors lineup. Dick has demonstrated a tendency to use the dribble, thus ball fakes will allow him to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim when shots are made.
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