Jalen Brunson (PG/SG, DAL) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

Dallas guard Jalen Brunson is a worthy consideration as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 8 of the NBA season.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 4% of leagues

ANALYSIS: With inconsistent time, unfortunate circumstances, and mounting talent on a fast-ascending roster, it's easy to miss the contributions and improvement of Jalen Brunson to this point, now in his third season with the Dallas Mavericks. A huge chunk of PT is currently occupied by Mavs guards Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway, and the recently returned Josh Richardson; and even after that, Brunson still has to compete with veteran backup Trey Burke for every available minute, but he has kept pace with 23.6 minutes per game. In that time, he has averaged 11.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 three-pointers out of 2.7 attempts (41.5%), and 2.1 free throws out of 2.4 attempts (89.4%).

The two-time NCAA champion and "Bob Cousy Award" winner still lacks in defensive categories and can't be counted on for contributions in steals, and while his assist rate sits at 21.8% after a 5.2% dip from last year, his rebounding percentage is a career-high 7.0%, he has reduced turnover frequency by 1.1%, and his scoring ability continues to develop to the point where he might now be best utilized as a bench-scorer first, and a facilitator second. Other than a slight regression in two-point field goal percentage from his rookie to sophomore season, every single figure indicative of scoring efficiency has steadily risen over his NBA tenure and reached new heights in 2021. Other than his phenomenal showing to this point from deep (5.7% increase) and the stripe (8.1% increase), Brunson's effective field goal rate (59.0%) is up 6.8% and his true shooting percentage (63.8%) is up 8.5%, evidencing his growing potency from every spot within range. Tyrell Terry will be playing in the G-League bubble, so with that further threat to floor-time neutralized for the time being, Jalen Brunson remains a well-rounded option for those searching for a guard in deeper leagues, with the upside being in his persistent development.

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