Emmanuel Mudiay (PG, Den) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add/Hold for Breakout Potential

OWNED: 66% of Yahoo! Leagues

ANALYSIS: When the Denver Nuggets watched Emmanuel Mudiay fall to the 7th pick in the draft, they must have been salivating. Here was a big, strong, heady, and hard-working guard who, while cursed with a lack of exposure to the American market, managed to force his way into the conversation as one of the best prospects in the draft. So far he has, for the most part, managed to so far live up to the expectations of a lottery pick.

Through 22 games, he is averaging 11.0 PPG, 6.0 APG and 3.6 RPG in almost 30 minutes a contest. His 6.0 APG game is good for 20th in the league, and is only expected to improve with the imminent return of Jusuf Nurkic to the lineup, a player who’s finishing ability helps to pad his guard’s assist statistics.

Needless to say, Mudiay is still adjusting to the speed and pace of the NBA game. While at times he has looked extremely comfortable running the fast break and bullying smaller defenders off of the dribble, he has also looked overwhelmed, and his 4.0 turnovers per game (4th worst in the league) are a testament to that observation.  He is also shooting a putrid .311 FG% and .682 FT%.

This gross inefficiency in the percentages and turnovers have made Mudiay a minus in 9 category leagues, which has led to him being available in a third of leagues after generally being drafted in almost all leagues at the start of the year. Despite those struggles, Mudiay is worth keeping on your roster in fantasy leagues, or adding if he has been dropped.  He has breakout potential and can explode with 26 points and 5 assists at any given time, as he did against the above-average backcourt of the Phoenix Suns on November 20. As we get further into the season, he'll only get more comfortable with NBA basketball, and his percentages and turnover rates should start getting a little more palatable. Take a flyer on Mudiay, and hopefully you will not be disappointed.