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It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr.Irrelevant". That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr.Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in down years get super creative to field a team on a budget. With the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can be an immediate breakout. A virtually unknown four-year graduate from a mid-major program could find himself with volume minutes in the Knicks lineup on Day One (We've seen them do it).
The last few seasons alone have seen scores of second-rounders and UDFAs who wasted no time in making a name for themselves, with Eric Paschall (All-Rookie First Team), Kendrick Nunn (All-Rookie First Team), and Terence Davis (All-Rookie Second Team) serving as the most recent of shining examples.
We are going to discuss a handful of undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skill set and circumstances, should be on the radar of Fantasy Basketball Managers heading into the season. You can find the companion article to this, a look at second-round picks, here.
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Lamar Stevens out of Penn State is packing a 41-inch vertical leap in his 6'8, 225-pound frame, and has many of the same strengths of some of the scrappier players on this list and some of the same weaknesses. However, Lamar Stevens didn't sign with Philly, Brooklyn, or another franchise seeking a playoff-birth; he signed with the Cavaliers, so he doesn't have to fight his way through Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Khris Middleton, or Giannis Antetokounmpo to see some live action. It's a bit more crowded than you would think though: he'll have to grind to get minutes alongside or in lieu of Dean Wade, Thon Maker, Dylan Windler, Damyean Dotson, Cedi Osman, and Larry Nance Jr., and that doesn't touch Kevin Love's slot or fellow rookie Isaac Okoro at forward.
Stevens played four years at Penn State, being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, (weirdly) winning the 2018 NIT MVP, and being named First-Team All-Big Ten for his final two seasons. It was in his final season though, despite the slight decrease in minutes and scoring, that Stevens' true potential as a lockdown-defender was illuminated. In 31.1 minutes on average, Stevens accrued 17.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals (up 0.4), and 1.2 blocks (up 0.4) per game. His shooting from the line and field were adequate, but his distance shooting still lags behind, evidenced by his 27.6% four-year rate and 25 for 95 shooting as a senior (26.3%). He's gotten off to a rock-solid professional start with Cleveland though, notching four points, six rebounds, and a steal over eight minutes in his preseason debut. There's always room for a versatile, ultra-athletic defender on the floor for meaningful minutes. Stevens could surpass folks at the backend of Cleveland's roster with a few gutsy outings around Christmas, and in no time he could be relieving or running along with the more prominently featured forwards on the team. If this happens, Stevens could be a sneaky play for boards, steals, blocks, and a few assists.
Freddie Gillespie (F, DAL)
So, all of that stuff I said about Tyler Bey and his potential to climb the Maverick ranks quickly in the first article? Now apply that same line of thinking to Freddie Gillespie from Baylor and DIII Carleton College, except there's no three-point shooting at all to speak of with Gillespie, just another dude with unbelievable dimensions and frighteningly intense defense (undersized PF/C who intimidates on defense and the boards who came up from a tiny school? Hard to not draw a miniscule Ben Wallace comparison). Gillespie is 6'9, 245 pounds. His wingspan: 7'6. Wow. That's a rather nasty tool to have when your mission is to swallow rebounds whole and make anyone wanting to shoot regret that choice for the rest of their lives. In his last year at Carleton, Gillespie averaged 10.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in only 22.8 minutes a contest.
After taking his game to Baylor and waiting a year due to the transfer, he didn't see the floor too much but still put his skills on display in the limited samples allowed. In his final college season, the beast was unleased, as Gillespie played 28.4 minutes a night and averaged 9.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 2.2 blocks a game. Over a full 40 minutes, that averages out to 13.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 3.1 blocks. Not to gloss over his very efficient 58.2% field goal percentage over two years at Baylor and his 15.3% improvement in free throw shooting in his final campaign. Gillespie earned every molecule of his distinctions for Second-Team All-Big 12, Big 12 All-Defensive Team, and 2020 Big 12 Most Improved Player. He has already started attempting threes in preseason play for Dallas, and if that comes along even a little bit, it will be harder and harder to keep him on the bench. With his strong finishing, giant squid-like wingspan, and force of nature rebounding and defensive ability, Gillespie could make himself worth playing over other Maverick forwards soon, and would then be a solid contributor of rebounds, steals, blocks, and FG% even in limited minutes.
Devon Dotson (G, CHI)
This one is the no-brainer of the UDFA class regardless of Dotson's flaws, and everyone saw his undrafted status coming as he slowly slipped down the board as draft day approached amidst the slew of talented point guards scattered throughout. We know that Coby White is the starting point guard for Chicago, and we also probably know that Tomas Satoransky will come into the season as the certified backup. However, Satoransky's name is constantly tossed around in trade talks, and the only name in between his and Dotson's on the Bulls' depth chart is Ryan Arcidiacono. That's a very thin line for a player as seasoned and skilled as Dotson to weather, and it's a strong possibility that we see him getting meaningful floor-time within a couple weeks with the right circumstantial alignment.
Dotson arrived at Kansas as a McDonald's All-American, and left a part of the All-Big 12 First-Team and as a Second-Team Consensus All-American. In 34.9 minutes per game in his final season with Kansas, Dotson averaged 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.1 steals. The one major drawback to his game is the three-point shooting, as he shot 38 for 123 (30.9%) in 2020. Projections for his production should have that figure looking up though: Dotson is clearly competent when looking to score, as he shot 46.8% from the field and 83% from the foul line last year. The low success rate could simply be the result of being asked to take more shots from deep than he was used to (he took 32 more threes in 2020 than the year previous, when he went 33 for 91 for a 36.3% clip). Dotson was a phenomenal college point guard who knows how to distribute through heavy minutes with minimal turnovers, and Billy Donovan knows something about great college players looking to transition to the pros. While his shooting warms up, it's his fast hands on defense that will open the door to the United Center floor. He is very capable of surpassing Aricidiacono, and many variables could lead to Satoransky clearing a path. When he breaks through, this is a player capable of contributing everywhere, at least at numbers better than the average reserve point guard, other than blocks and three-pointers (for now).
Mason Jones (G, HOU)
Things are a little weird right now in Houston. If you somehow didn't see, James Harden looked more like Kendrick Perkins in the Rockets most recent preseason game. Harden is on his way out, that much seems clear. Who will come to Houston in return? One can only speculate, but John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are running the floor together again, Russell Westbrook is a Wizard, and the usual Houston crew of Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker, Ben McLemore, and Gerald Green remain, along with a fresh group of acquired or emerging big men. What we do know is that the Rockets make excellent use of heavily slept on scorers off the bench; look no further than Chris Clemons, one of the NCAA's most prolific scorers, and an UDFA picked up and wisely utilized by Houston (who I am ashamed to say, I did not choose for last year's edition of this article).
With the depth chart looking much thinner than seasons past, Mason Jones could be their diamond in the rough for 2021. Jones, a 6'5 guard from Arkansas, won First-Team All-SEC, SEC Co-Player of the Year, and AP Honorable Mention All-American honors this year after posting 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.6 steals in 33.9 minutes per game. He was also an 81.9% free throw shooter over his two-year career, improved his FG shooting from 40.4% to 45.3%, and cashed in on 144 out of 402 three-pointers while at Arkansas (35.8%). Jones has already played in three preseason games, and he has already gotten down to business by scoring in limited time. This roster could shake out in a number of ways in the coming weeks; but considering the injury history of Wall and Boogie, the streaky history of other Rockets guards, and the fact that the Rockets may be getting a guy as raw as Kenyon Martin Jr. into the rotation early, there appears to be a strong chance that they could go to a high-volume scorer with the complete package like Mason Jones early too. When that moment comes, look for contributions in points, three-point shooting, FT percentage, serviceable rebounds, and steals.
Romaro Gill (C, UTA)
We conclude the UDFA class with my favorite kind of UDFA: the Tacko Fall-esque budget shot-blocker. Here, it comes in the form of 7'2, 255-pound, 7'8 wingspan-possessing Romaro Gill, the newly-minted Big East Most Improved Player and Big East Defensive Player of the Year out of Seton Hall. He signed with the Jazz, who now have an intimidating tier system of shot blockers in Rudy Gobert, Azubuike, and now Gill. He started his college career at Vincennes Junior College, and posted 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game as a sophomore, ranking 10th in the NJCAA with 85 total blocks. Growing up in Jamaica, Gill exclusively played cricket until his final year of high school, when someone must have told him that being 7'2 is pretty helpful in basketball. After transferring to Seton Hall, it was a slow development process (understandable, given he had only been playing the sport for a few years), but by his second year in the Big East, he had put enough together to become an intimidating defensive force.
In just 24.5 minutes per game last year, he averaged 7.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 62.8% from the field and nearly doubling his free throw percentage to 67.5%. Over 40 minutes, he would have been raking in 9.2 boards and 5.2 blocks per game. Other than Gobert and Azubuike as true centers, the only player at center on the Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz G-League Affiliate) is former Purdue center Isaac Haas, who has only accumulated 60 blocks in 71 G-League games. It would be a lot easier if this was a shot-blocking center also capable of hitting long jumpers like Nathan Knight (who is stuck in a crowded shot-blocking prospect pipeline in Atlanta), but just like Tacko Fall, Boban Marjanovic, and throwbacks like Manute Bol; there is a place on the NBA floor for ridiculously tall people to deny every shot thrown up while also scoring with ease and efficiency over short bursts of time. There's use there for Fantasy Basketball GMs, and there's definitely use for the Jazz. His efficiency from the field and marvelously improved shooting from the foul line reduce his liability level in live action, and if Gobert and/or Azubuike need a seven-minute breather on a team short-handed in the huge-people department, or if injury befalls one of them, Gill could get his shot, and his track record being legitimized in the Big East should reduce caution. If Romaro Gill sees the NBA floor (for ANY period of time), and necessity could dictate it happen sooner rather than later, he could be a very savvy play for rebounds, field goal percentage, and blocks on blocks on blocks.
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