X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

High Profile NBA Rookies to Avoid in Fantasy Leagues

The NBA Draft is a time of rebuilding, rebirth, and gap filling for both NBA teams and the players who are moving on to the next stages of their careers. For some players, they will advance from college/international stardom to professional stardom in the NBA from the very start of their rookie years.  I took a look at some guys who will have a chance to do that in my piece about rookies in good situations.

For other players, they may need to develop their skills before they are ready to compete with the best athletes on earth, or they may need the decks of their new rosters to shuffle around a bit before they are in a situation ideal for them to succeed. Not every team is the right fit for their newest additions and not every new addition is the best fit for their new team. Here are a few players drafted in the 2016 NBA Draft who should be avoided in their rookie years for one reason or another by Fantasy Basketball Managers.

 

High Profile NBA Rookies to Avoid in Fantasy Leagues

Kris Dunn (#5 Overall, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves)

Kris Dunn is a very talented point guard from Providence who profiles as a fantastic floor general in the NBA. In his junior and senior college seasons he averaged 16 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.6 steals per game. So what is keeping him from being a standout guard for the young Wolves immediately? His name is Ricky Rubio and his style of play is very similar to Dunn's. The old tandem of Rubio and Kevin Love is a thing of the past; and Minnesota is moving on to the kids of today like Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, and Andrew Wiggins.

The Wolves are planning to move past Rubio and let Ricky move on. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that move is going to materialize by the end of Dunn's rookie season. With Rubio an established floor general, guards like Tyus Jones, LaVine, and Wiggins blocking his path to playing time, and Dunn currently lacking the kind of ability to shoot from long range that would score him time on the wing, Dunn will have to wait until the Red Sea parts in the form of a Rubio scenery shift before he is handed the keys to the kingdom.

 

Thon Maker (#10 Overall, PF/C, Milwaukee Bucks)

Thon Maker is about as raw as raw talent comes. He is 7'1'' tall, has a 7'3'' wingspan, and has a maximum vertical leap of 36.5 inches. He can supposedly has the talent to shoot, handle the ball, and block shots. He is also 19 years old (maybe) and has yet to connect the ideal skill set to his ideal physical build. He lacks a lot of strength at his size and many scouts believe he is sub-par in terms of basketball instinct. Players like Maker tend to play out as long-term projects as they have gotten to where they are from superior size and length.

It will be especially hard for Maker to develop his game in the States given that the Bucks don't have a D-League affiliate. On the current Milwaukee roster, there is plenty blocking Maker's path to immediate playing time. Big men like Greg Monroe, John Henson, Jabari Parker, Miles Plumlee, and even Johnny O'Bryant are likely to see the floor over Maker given that he is still so raw and that the young Bucks, led by emerging stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are looking to find the postseason in a non-competitive Eastern Conference.

 

Taurean Prince (#12 Overall, SF/PF Atlanta Hawks)

In a draft that saw some confusing selections, this selection by the Atlanta Hawks may take the cake. The Hawks traded away point guard Jeff Teague and may lose All-Star F/C Al Horford from a team of veterans and well put-together role players who just finished fourth in the Eastern Conference,  so what is the most logical choice? Apparently it is to take a 6'7'' athletic wing who has shown a lacking ability to pass, shoot 3PT field goals with consistency, and even get along with his own teammates on the floor during the NCAA tournament. Throw in the fact that they probably could've taken him with the 21st pick that they held instead of the 12th overall pick and you have an overall terrible use of a pick.

For sure, Taurean Prince is a great athlete and showcased some solid penetration, defensive, and rebounding skills during his time as a Baylor Bear. In his senior season he averaged 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. But he also only averaged 1.78 assists in 67 games during his junior and senior years. It is clear they are grooming him to play a DeMarre Carroll type role on their team, but Carroll took years to develop, not finding a serious rotation spot in the NBA until he was 26.  Even if starters Kent Bazemore and Al Horford leave, the Hawks will have players like Kyle Korver, Dennis Schroder, Paul Millsap, Kris Humphries, Tim Hardaway Jr., Thabo Sefolosha, Kirk Hinrich, and Mike Scott being able to offer equal to or more what Prince offers on the floor right now, not to mention whoever they'd bring in with the cap space opened up by the departures of Bazemore and Horford. It is unlikely that the still hopeful Hawks will find too much space for Taurean Prince to become fantasy relevant during the 2016-2017 season, and even if he does find time, don't expect his fantasy stats to look great.

 

Georgios Papagiannis & Skal Labissiere (#13 & #28 Overall, PF/C, Sacramento Kings)

Whenever the Sacramento Kings allow themselves to make decisions, it seems like they make wrong decisions. The 2016 NBA Draft proved to be no exception. Papagiannis is 18 years old and is a 7'1'' Center from Greece. In 2015-2016 in Europe for Panathinaikos he averaged just 10.5 minutes, 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 28 games. He has never averaged more than 15.8 minutes per game in a season which he did in 2012-2013 in just four games in the HEBA A1 league. In that season he averaged 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.0 blocks per game. He has attempted four three pointers and converted on 0% of them in 49 games since 2011. He doesn't come with the soft touch that most Euro big men do and he has next to nothing for a track record.

Meanwhile, Skal Labissiere is a 6'11'', 20-year old Haitian import who played for a season at Kentucky under lead NBA star manufacturer John Calipari. After coming into UK as the number one recruit in the nation, he averaged a disappointing 6.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 15.8 minutes in his only 36 games at the college level. Labissiere at least produced in the limited amount of time he was on the floor, as he would've averaged 16.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks per 40 minutes, even though he took a lot of criticism from Wildcat fans and the sporting community who were expecting him to be a worthy successor to Karl-Anthony Towns.

Papagiannis is the worst overall pick from this year's NBA Draft despite the previous analysis of the Hawks picking Taurean Prince. Labissiere is a great value selection, as he was lottery-level talent that the Kings were able to snag near the second round. However, there are three huge road blocks in Papagiannis's way of producing professionally for the first time and Skal seeing the floor to develop his skills. They are superstar and wildcard DeMarcus Cousins, recent draft pick and fellow Wildcat Willie Cauley-Stein, and time tested backup center Kosta Koufos. All who stand at 6'11'', 7'0'', and 7'0''. Skal needs to develop a lot before taking time away from any of those three and Papagiannis needs to prove that he can play professionally at all.

 

Second Rounder With Potential...Just not this Year

Demetrius Jackson (#45 Overall, PG, Boston Celtics)

On one hand, it seems like the Celtics nailed the 45th overall pick when they took point guard Demetrius Jackson out of Notre Dame. In his last year at Notre Dame he averaged 15.8 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in 35.9 average minutes. With a three-quarter sprint time of 3.25 seconds he has shown great ability to be the quarterback of an offense, and even though he stands at just 6'1'', his 43.5 inch vertical leap allows him to play athletically and physically much bigger. He was projected to land somewhere in the mid-20s and make a 2016 contender a nice backup PG. Instead he was a steal by the Celtics, who finished 5th in the Eastern Conference in 2015-2016, at 45th overall.

The problem is that while the 21-year old Jackson may be ready to produce on the floor, the Celtics may not be ready to let him. Guards on the Boston roster are currently: star of the team Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, James Young, Terry Rozier, and RJ Hunter. The Celtics may also try to re-sign free agent Evan Turner to come back on the wing and run the offense from the bench. Jackson wouldn't steal time from Thomas, Smart, or Bradley and guards like Young, Rozier, and Hunter specialize in scoring or distance shooting where they beat out Jackson by a long shot. Demetrius Jackson was a great selection by Boston. His speed and athleticism make up for his short stature and will allow him to play at the NBA level. His passing and defense will earn him a lot of playing time in the future. He's yet another asset on a Boston team full of assets. Demetrius Jackson is a sleepy point guard that will eventually make many Fantasy Basketball Managers very happy that they paid attention to both rounds of the draft. It just won't be this season.


By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jaylen Brown9 mins ago

Available Versus OKC
Travis Kelce18 mins ago

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce Officially Inactive Sunday
Tua Tagovailoa24 mins ago

Won’t Play Against Jets
Tyreek Hill29 mins ago

Jaylen Waddle Officially Active Against Jets
Christian Watson41 mins ago

Will Not Return Against Bears
Christian Watson1 hour ago

Suffers Knee Injury, Questionable To Return
Jordan Love1 hour ago

Questionable To Return With Elbow Injury
C.J. Stroud2 hours ago

Pulled From Sunday's Meeting With The Titans
Josh Allen2 hours ago

Logs One Play In Week 18
Josh Jacobs2 hours ago

Doesn't Anticipate Massive Workload Sunday
New York Giants3 hours ago

Giants Still Evaluating Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen
Drake Maye3 hours ago

Officially Active Against Bills
Xavier Legette3 hours ago

Suiting Up For Season Finale
Hunter Henry3 hours ago

Out In Week 18
Romeo Doubs3 hours ago

Won't Suit Up Against Chicago
Christian Watson3 hours ago

Active For Week 18
Cade Otton4 hours ago

Won’t Play In Week 18
Austin Ekeler4 hours ago

Officially Active Against Cowboys
Alvin Kamara4 hours ago

Inactive For Season Finale Sunday
Darnell Mooney4 hours ago

Won’t Play In Week 18
Tony Pollard4 hours ago

Officially Active Against Texans
Kenny Pickett4 hours ago

Active Sunday, Tanner McKee To Start
Bogdan Bogdanovic18 hours ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
Jalen Johnson18 hours ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Trae Young18 hours ago

To Play On Saturday
Kawhi Leonard18 hours ago

To Make Season Debut On Saturday
Gabe Vincent19 hours ago

Tagged As Doubtful For Sunday
Alex Caruso19 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Sunday
Jeremy Sochan20 hours ago

Will Suit Up Saturday
Jalen Brunson20 hours ago

Will Play Saturday
Anthony Davis20 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Sunday
LeBron James20 hours ago

Probable For Sunday
Khris Middleton20 hours ago

Will Face The Blazers
Giannis Antetokounmpo20 hours ago

Cleared For Action On Saturday
Bradley Beal21 hours ago

Will Play Saturday
Cade Cunningham21 hours ago

Available For Saturday
Dejounte Murray21 hours ago

Questionable For Sunday
Clayton Kershaw21 hours ago

Intends To Pitch In 2025, Expected To Return To Los Angeles
Noah Clowney22 hours ago

Upgraded To Available On Saturday
Joel Embiid22 hours ago

Active For Saturday Night Matchup Against Nets
Brandon Miller22 hours ago

Questionable Heading Into Sunday Against Cavaliers
LaMelo Ball22 hours ago

Questionable For Sunday's Game Against Cleveland
Trendon Watford22 hours ago

Resumes On-Court Workouts, Will Be Re-Evaluated In One Week
Thatcher Demko1 day ago

Joining Team For Five-Game Road Trip
Pyotr Kochetkov1 day ago

Starts Against Wild On Saturday
Joseph Woll1 day ago

In Maple Leafs Net On Saturday
Scott Wedgewood1 day ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Jack Drury1 day ago

Back For Hurricanes Saturday
Auston Matthews1 day ago

Returns To Action On Saturday
Jordan Binnington1 day ago

Shuts Out Senators
Brandon Saad1 day ago

Ends Goal Drought With A Hat Trick
Mike Matheson1 day ago

Records Two Assists Friday
Nick Foligno1 day ago

Pots Two Goals In Friday's Win
Juuse Saros1 day ago

Logs Fourth Shutout Of The Season
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Nets Game-Winner On Friday
Charlie Morton2 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Baltimore
Jared Spurgeon2 days ago

To Miss 2-3 Weeks
Oskar Sundqvist2 days ago

Unavailable Friday
Justin Faulk2 days ago

Iffy For Friday's Action
Colton Dach2 days ago

Set For NHL Debut On Friday
Connor Murphy2 days ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
David Savard2 days ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Jack Eichel2 days ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Thursday
Alex DeBrincat2 days ago

Tallies Three Points On Thursday
Jonathan Quick2 days ago

Leads The Way On Thursday
Pete Alonso3 days ago

Angels "Looking At" Pete Alonso
Xander Schauffele4 days ago

Hoping To Find Success Again At Majors In 2025
Chris Kirk4 days ago

Starts 2025 Defending The Sentry Title
Max Homa4 days ago

Hopes To Rebound After Disappointing 2024 Season
Nick Dunlap4 days ago

Looks To Build On Impressive Rookie Season
Collin Morikawa4 days ago

Heads To The Sentry After Excellent 2024 Season
PGA4 days ago

Sungjae Im Hoping To Start 2025 Season Strongly At The Sentry
Russell Henley4 days ago

Closes Out 2024 Season Strong
Jason Day4 days ago

Looks Ahead To 2025 Season At The Sentry
Akshay Bhatia4 days ago

To Repeat Last Year’s Sentry Performance?
Ludvig Aberg4 days ago

Returns To The Sentry
Jesús Luzardo4 days ago

Jesus Luzardo Feeling 100 Percent
Maverick McNealy4 days ago

Making First Career Start At Kapalua
Corey Conners4 days ago

Making Third Consecutive Start At Kapalua
Viktor Hovland4 days ago

A Gametime Decision For Year's First Event
Tony Finau4 days ago

Making Sixth Start At Kapalua After Rumor-Filled Offseason
Justin Thomas4 days ago

Looks To Get Off To Fast Start In 2025 At Kapalua
Patrick Cantlay5 days ago

Looks For Hot Start In 2025
Sam Burns5 days ago

In Top Form Ahead of Kapalua
Cameron Young5 days ago

Needs To Avoid Bad Rounds In Hawaii
Sahith Theegala5 days ago

Looking For Big 2025 Start In Hawaii
Hideki Matsuyama5 days ago

Always A Threat In Hawaii
Billy Horschel5 days ago

Seeks To Build Off Great 2024 Campaign
Jack Flaherty6 days ago

Orioles Interested In Reunion With Jack Flaherty

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans - Tampa Bay Bucs, Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 18 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 18! This Week 18 matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em will help you make the right lineup decisions in the final week of the regular season.  Whether you play in a Week 18 fantasy football championship or are looking for some DFS […]


Amon-Ra St. Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Vikings vs. Lions Sunday Night Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, Aaron Jones, Jahmyr Gibbs, Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and more

With a small group of fantasy managers still battling it out for league championships, we have an excellent matchup for Sunday Night Football between two teams who are very capable of providing offensive fireworks. The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions are set to square off in a Week 18 primetime matchup. This one is for […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Inactives Week 18 (Updated): Which Teams Are Resting Starters? Who's Sitting or Playing in Week 18

If your fantasy football league extends to Week 18, you either forgot to change that setting, or you love living on the edge. The final week of the NFL regular season is always tricky to navigate, as several teams either do not play their key starters or pull them early. Many teams have already clinched […]


Joe Flacco - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Quarterback Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Fantasy Football Playoffs - Week 18 (2024)

It's Week 18, finally. The quarterback position has been a roller coaster this season, with a lot of unexpected names having big seasons and others disappointing massively. It's not always easy to choose who to start and sit at this position, and many fantasy managers probably have multiple QBs they're considering for their starting lineups. […]


NFL Week 18 Predictions: Picks, Analysis, and Motivations for Every Game

Hello, football fans, and welcome to the final week of the NFL regular season! As we head into Week 18, we got things kicked off with a pair of games on Saturday featuring four AFC North squads. Moving into Sunday, motivation will be key for several teams in the regular-season finale. Who is fighting to […]


Amari Cooper - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For Week 18 (Sunday Morning Updates): Tony Pollard, Amari Cooper, Darnell Mooney, Austin Ekeler, and more

Heading into Week 18 of the NFL season, injuries continue to impact the upcoming schedule. These play a huge factor in start/sit decisions for fantasy managers. Our injury updates and reports for Week 18 as of Sunday, January 5, 2025, will give you the latest updates on key fantasy football players. The injury news for […]


Sam Darnold - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Vikings vs. Lions SNF Showdown (Week 18)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! It's the showdown we've all been waiting for and certainly the most pivotal of all showdowns through this point of the season. We have Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings (14-2) taking on division rival Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions (14-2). Not only is this game for the NFC North crown, […]


Michael Penix Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 18 Superflex 2QB Rankings for Fantasy Football: Updates for Sam Darnold, Bryce Young, Michael Penix Jr., Joshua Dobbs, Drew Lock, Drake Maye

The Week 18 slate is here, meaning several teams who are eliminated from postseason action or have already locked up a playoff spot are set to rest some key starters. We're here to help you sort through it all with our Week 18 fantasy football Superflex rankings (2QB) for 2024. If you're still chasing a […]


Zach Charbonnet - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Week 18 PPR Rankings for Fantasy Football Playoffs: Overall Updates Include Isaac Guerendo, Zach Charbonnet, Blake Corum, Jordan Addison, Jayden Reed

If your league championship is in Week 18, you surely already know it's a difficult week to navigate. Below, you'll see our NFL team's updated Week 18 fantasy football PPR rankings for 2024. Let's see where key players like Isaac Guerendo, Zach Charbonnet, Blake Corum, Jordan Addison, and Jayden Reed stand for the must-win Week […]


Jalen McMillan - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 18 FLEX Rankings for Fantasy Football (RB, WR, TE) - Updates Include Jalen McMillan, Adam Thielen, Rico Dowdle, Ray Davis, J.K. Dobbins, Ray-Ray McCloud III

The closing week of the 2024 NFL regular season has arrived, and we're here to help your lineup or DFS calls with our NFL team's updated Week 18 fantasy football FLEX rankings for 2024. Comparing two flex options at different positions can be a tough task, so let's see where key FLEX options like Jalen […]


Ray Davis - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 18 Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football: RB Updates Include Rico Dowdle, Zach Charbonnet, Ray Davis, Blake Corum, Isaac Guerendo, more

Week 18 is here, and many backup running backs will be in featured roles this weekend as several teams are resting starters. That said, let's get to crucial start-or-sit decisions with help from our updated Week 18 fantasy football running back rankings for 2024. Let's see where key players such as Rico Dowdle, Zach Charbonnet, […]


Jameson Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 18 Wide Receiver Rankings for Fantasy Football: WR Updates Include Tyreek Hill, Jalen McMillan, Adam Thielen, Jameson Williams, Jauan Jennings

Week 18 is here, and several teams will either not play starters or pull them early in the game. That said start-or-sit decisions are tough when comparing two flex-level wide receiver options, so we're here to assist with our NFL team's updated Week 18 fantasy football wide receiver rankings for 2024. Let's see where key […]


Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, WR, Waiver Wire, NFL DFS, Rookies

Key Starters and Tough Calls - Week 18 Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football And DFS Include Blake Corum, Marvin Harrison Jr., Ricky Pearsall

For the final week of the 2024 season, those who are still participating in Week fantasy football Super Bowls must do two things. First, vote in a new league commissioner for next season. Secondly, consult our rundown of our best streamers and lineup pluggers to win a league championship. Using RotoBaller’s Week 18 Lineup Rankings […]