The Toronto Raptors are entering a season of evaluation.
They need to see what level their young core is playing at. Is Scottie Barnes a superstar? How good is Immanuel Quickley in a full-time larger role? Moving down the roster, young up-and-comers like Gradey Dick have a chance to prove their worth.
Some players, however, don't have much of a part to play. They are not a part of the team's future and not good enough to make a difference in the present. They are, essentially, pointless to have on the roster.
Let's look at three such players and explore why the Raptors don't need them.
No. 3: Ochai Agbaji
It's difficult not to feel like one is beating up on a player like Ochai Agbaji, who is overwhelmingly underperforming his draft stock and quickly looking like a player who doesn't deserve an NBA roster spot. Until he is officially no longer in the league, or until he plays light years better than he has to this point in his career, the reality is that he will continue to be critically analyzed.
Ochai Agbaji was drafted 14th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft on the back of a dominant senior season at Kansas, one where he shot the lights out and won the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, but the shooting accuracy was a one-year aberration; he shot poorly from outside earlier in his college career, and since entering the NBA he has hit only 32.6 percent from deep, including 21.7 percent in Toronto last season.
For Agbaji to make it in the league, he has to shoot better, and he has to become a truly special defender. Neither of those seems likely to be coming. On a roster with a plethora of shooting guards, the Raptors simply don't need Agbaji. Unless he takes a massive step forward, the third-year wing is pointless on this roster.