👉 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE SPRING
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

#1 Expert Projections
Save 50% Now
Import Your Leagues
Props Tool
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
24x7 News and Alerts

Perfect Opportunity: NBA Rookies in Great Situations

With the completion of the 2016 NBA Draft, all 30 teams effectively locked in the directions for their organization's future. Some teams chose to pick the usual project players who will take a few years of pro experience to develop, while other teams have found themselves already in postseason position and were looking to fill the empty gaps that occupy their rosters. However, there are a few talented individuals that landed in a city in desperate need of their services immediately. While having an NBA team led by these young guns doesn't necessarily spell out a playoff spot, it does mean good news for the rookie's prominence in the hearts of Fantasy Basketball Managers. It is an exciting prospect when a potential top producer for a team is...well, an exciting prospect. Here are a handful of players drafted this year who were drafted into perfect situations by their new teams and who are going to be ready to be big-time fantasy producers in their rookie seasons.

 

First Rounders in Big Roles

Ben Simmons (1st overall to the Philadelphia 76ers)

Featured Promo: New Novig users get a $25 purchase match (50% discount up to $25) on your first Novig deposit, and 6 free months of RotoBaller's "Big-4" Premium Pass (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL) which includes exclusive tools for Betting, Props, DFS and more! CLAIM IT NOW

If you paid any attention to internet memes during the NBA season, you are probably well aware that while the Golden State Warriors produced the greatest regular season record in NBA history, the Philadelphia 76ers produced one of the worst records of all-time at 10-72. Seeing as they were one of the worst teams in league history, it is fair to deduce that they have plenty of room for immediate improvement.

Ben Simmons may have had a controversial freshman year at LSU, but that doesn't mean that the Melbourne, Australia native wasn't phenomenal and well worth the first overall selection in the NBA draft. In 35 minutes per game in his 33 games played as a Tiger Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Simmons is a 6'10'' player with the rebounding skills of a power forward and the floor skills of a guard. The big downside to Simmons as a hybrid type player is that he has very little shooting ability from 3-point distance as he made just one three point field goal in just three attempts this season.

The Sixers have a young core at the Center position, but that isn't Simmons's future. They have had makeshift lineups with players like Tony Wroten and Robert Covington while fellow youngster Nik Stauskas has still struggled in the pros. Philly has had some very admirable performances from unheralded guards like T.J. McConnell, Kendall Marshall, and Phil Pressey, but Simmons is far more talented than all three of those players combined. Simmons will immediately be the main ball handler in Sixers lineup as starting "point forward" and will have the opportunity to produce in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. If there was a Vegas line on quadruple-double odds in the NBA, it is worth a flyer on Simmons.

Brandon Ingram (2nd overall to the Los Angeles Lakers)

Unless you have lived under a rock for the past few years, you certainly know that the Lakers are in the middle of their worst stretch of seasons in their franchise history, especially this season when they finished last in the Western Conference with a record of 17-65. Oh yeah, that delightful teammate with the active Twitter account named Kobe Bryant retired. Despite a FG% of just .358 and a 3PT% of .285, Kobe Bryant still led the woeful Lakers in scoring with 17.6 points per contest in 28.2 minutes on average in the 66 games he played in.

The Lakers have gotten by in the last few years with a collage of underdeveloped youth and fleeting free agents. The team had just five players average double-digit points and more than the 7.3 PPG produced by Nick Young. Leading scorer Kobe Bryant is gone. The other four players were Jordan Clarkson at 15.5 PPG, Lou Williams at 15.3 PPG, D'Angelo Russell at 13.2 PPG, and Julius Randle at 11.3 PPG. The Lakers were dead last in the NBA with just 97.3 points per game.

Enter 2nd overall selection, 6'9'' guard Brandon Ingram out of Duke University. Ingram played in 36 games for the Blue Devils during his fantastic freshman season and in that time he averaged 34.6 minutes, 17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. Ingram is an athletic shooter who shot 41% from beyond the arc in 2015-2016. The youthful core of the Lakers--Russell and Randle--profile as the Lakers floor general and inside presence far more than they do as pure scoring threats. Lou Williams has had a solid NBA career and Jordan Clarkson has been a pleasant surprise in Hollywood. However, Ingram is the highest ceiling talent on the roster moving forward and is the best scoring threat. No one needs scoring more than the Lakers, and Ingram is ready to provide it from Day One.

Wade Baldwin IV (17th overall to the Memphis Grizzlies)

Mike Conley has been a great starting point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies since he was drafted out of Ohio State. Sadly for the Grizz, there is a strong chance Conley is on his way out of Tennessee via free agency. Fortunately for the Grizz, the possible answer at point guard is making the in-state trip from Nashville. Wade Baldwin is a 6'3'' guard from Vanderbilt who seems to be just what the doctor ordered for a Memphis team that is hanging onto contention in the competitive Western Conference.

In Baldwin's 2014-2015 freshman season at Vanderbilt he averaged 28.8 minutes, 9.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 43.9% from three-point range. This past season he averaged 30.4 minutes, 14.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting at a clip of 40.6% from beyond the arc. With his scoring, passing, defense, long-range shooting, and athletic upside at 6-3, Baldwin has a great skill set for stepping into Mike Conley's likely vacant role.

Timothe Luwawu (24th overall to the Philadelphia 76ers)

Drafting from overseas seemed to be even more popular this year than usual. Timothe Luwawu is a 6'7'' 205 lbs. forward from France who has more maturity at 21 years old than a lot of the 18 and 19 year old talent selected at the top level of the NBA Draft. While playing at a young age in the competitive European leagues since 2012, Luwawu didn't average more than 20 minutes per contest until his 28 games played in Liga ABA this season when he averaged 31.1 minutes per game. In that time this year he averaged 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and an impressive 1.7 steals per game while shooting 37.2% from three-point range.

Luwawu has good size, solid shooting ability, and impressive defensive skills. He was drafted by the Sixers and as we previously discussed, they were one of the worst NBA teams of all-time with large gaps in roster talent. With skilled forward and new teammate Ben Simmons likely to eat up a lot of minutes in 2016-2017, that means there will be a talented ball-distibuting forward on the floor who has little to no shooting ability. Luwawu (along with Covington and fellow foreign player Dario Saric) will get a chance to work on the perimeter catching well-timed passes from Simmons.  With solid playing time, Luwawu has a real chance to be the perimeter bread to Simmons's butter, with the capacity to produce solid numbers in threes and steals.

 

Second Round Sleepers

A.J. Hammons (46th overall to the Dallas Mavericks)

A.J. Hammons is a big 7'0'' 261 lbs. four-year player from Purdue who is possibly the sleepiest big-time college producer from the 2016 Draft. In an impressive 132 games in his career as a Boilermaker, Hammons never averaged more than 25 minute per game. In his senior year he averaged 24.6 minutes in 33 games and in that time produced 15.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. He was a consistent producer throughout all four years as well. His season averages before 2015-2016 were consecutively 10.6, 10.8, and 11.9 points per game; 6.0, 7.4, and 6.6 rebounds per game; and 2.0, 3.1, and 2.8 blocks per game.

Hammons also made some key advances in his game as a senior. He finished with a career high two-point FG% of .594, while attempting 11 three pointers and converting six of them for a 54.5 3PT% after going 0-12 in his previous seasons. He was drafted to the Dallas Mavericks who are in search of interior scoring threats. Hammons has gargantuan size, improving offensive skills, and a tested track record for grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. He is in a prime position to pick up right where he left off from his fantastic career at Purdue for the needy Mavericks.

Marcus Paige (55th overall to the Brooklyn Nets)

Marcus Paige isn't physically imposing at 6'1'' 175 lbs. His lack of size and athleticism is why such a successful college basketball player from a storied program like North Carolina dropped all the way to the fifth to last pick. Paige's appeal comes in his consistency and basketball IQ that he displayed in Chapel Hill. After his freshman season in 2012-2013 when he averaged a career low 29.2 minutes per game Paige produced 8.2 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 36.8% on 2PT field goals and shooting 34.4% from long range. After that Paige had two great years averaging 35.6 and 33.2 minutes, 17.5 and 14.1 points, 4.2 and 4.5 assists, with 1.5 and 1.7 steals per game in 72 total games. Paige also improved his overall offensive efficiency with 2PT FG percentages of .493 and .438 and encouraging improvements from three-point range at 38.9% and 39.5%. His senior season, Paige toned down a bit. In 34 games he averaged 31.6 minutes, 12.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 steals with 2PT and 3PT shooting percentages of .459 and .356.

What makes Paige especially intriguing as a guard at the next level? He turns the ball over incredibly rarely. As his career progressed, he continuously lowered his amount of mistakes. From 2012-2013 to his final season in 2015-2016 Paige went from 3.3, 2.4, 2.1, and finally 1.8 turnovers per game. The Brooklyn Nets took a chance on Paige, and there isn't a lot of talent on that roster, especially at the point guard position. They finished 21-61 last season which was the third worst record in the NBA. Their leading passers were Jarrett Jack and Shane Larkin. Jack averaged 7.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.9 turnovers in 32.1 minutes per game while Larkin averaged 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.9 turnovers in just 22.4 minutes per game. Paige has a great chance to see the floor with shallow guard competition in Brooklyn during his rookie year. When he does, his time tested defense, floor general passing ability, and ability to avoid mistakes will yield nice rewards for the Nets and Fantasy Basketball Managers.

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

#1 Expert Projections
Save 50% Now
Import Your Leagues
Props Tool
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jason Dickinson

Could Be an Option for Game 3
Adam Henrique

Misses Trip to Anaheim
Jake Sanderson

Dealing With Head Injury
Josh Manson

Evaluated for Upper-Body Injury
Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Draft Jadarian Price at No. 32 Overall
Tennessee Titans

Titans Select Keldric Faulk After Trading Up to No. 31 Overall
Kansas City Chiefs

Peter Woods Selected 29th Overall by Chiefs
Tennessee Titans

Titans Acquire 31st Overall Pick From Bills
New York Jets

Jets Select Omar Cooper Jr. at No. 30 Overall in NFL Draft
New England Patriots

Patriots Trade Up Three Spots, Select Caleb Lomu 28th Overall
New York Jets

Jets Trade Up Into First Round, Acquire Pick No. 30 From 49ers
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Trade Up Three Spots, Select Chris Johnson 27th Overall
Houston Texans

Texans Trade Up, Select Keylan Rutledge 26th Overall
Chicago Bears

Dillon Thieneman Selected 25th Overall by Bears
Cleveland Browns

Browns Select Wide Receiver KC Concepcion With 24th Overall Selection
Dallas Cowboys

Malachi Lawrence Joins Cowboys at 23rd Pick
Los Angeles Chargers

Akheem Mesidor Selected 22nd Overall by Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Select Offensive Tackle Max Iheanachor With 21st Pick
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Trade Up to Take Receiver Makai Lemon at 20th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Monroe Freeling Goes to Panthers at No. 19 Overall
Minnesota Vikings

Caleb Banks Drafted by Vikings at 18th Overall on Thursday
Alex Lyon

Comes in and Shuts Down Boston
Detroit Lions

Lions Select Blake Miller With the 17th Overall Pick of NFL Draft
Jake Sanderson

Suffers Hand Injury While Blocking Shot
New York Jets

Jets Draft Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16 Overall
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers Draft Rueben Bain Jr. With the 15th Overall Pick
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Trade Down, Select Kadyn Proctor 12th Overall in 2026 NFL Draft
Jake LaRavia

Available for Game 3 Friday
Austin Reaves

Upgraded to Questionable on Injury Report
Spencer Jones

Starting in Game 3
Joel Embiid

Picks Up Doubtful Tag Before Game 3
Kevin Durant

Iffy for Friday Night Due to Ankle Issue
Victor Wembanyama

Officially Listed as Questionable for Game 3
Jaylen Clark

Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark Won't Play Thursday
Aaron Gordon

Ruled Out Thursday
Anthony Edwards

Cleared to Play Thursday
Jalen Williams

Week-to-Week Ahead of Game 3
Harrison Barnes

Available for Game 3
Victor Wembanyama

Traveling with Team Ahead of Game 3
Thomas Bryant

Cleared for Game 3
Milwaukee Bucks

Taylor Jenkins Set to Become Bucks Head Coach
Immanuel Quickley

Still Sidelined for Game 3
Ja'Kobe Walter

Good to Go for Game 3
Francisco Lindor

Expected to Miss "Significant Time"
Tyler Kleven

Available for Senators Versus Hurricanes
Josh Norris

Out With Undisclosed Injury for Thursday Night
Noah Ostlund

Will Return for Game 3 Against Boston
Francisco Lindor

Mets Officially Place Francisco Lindor on Injured List With Calf Strain
Michael Harris II

Removed Early With Quad Tightness
Francisco Lindor

Likely Headed to the Injured List
Jason Robertson

Scores in Sixth Straight Playoff Game
Matt Duchene

Records Second Consecutive Multi-Point Game
Sean Couturier

Contributes Two Assists in Game 3 Win
Jackson LaCombe

Ties Ducks Record With Three Points in Game 2
Alex Killorn

Racks Up Three Points on Special Teams
Connor McDavid

Finishes Pointless for Second Straight Game
Rasmus Sandin

Undergoes ACL Surgery
Paolo Banchero

Finishes Game 2 Loss With 18 Points
Cade Cunningham

Notches 27 Points, 11 Assists in Slow-Burning Win
Devin Booker

Settles for 22 Points in Game 2
Dillon Brooks

Leads Suns With 30 Points Wednesday Night
Chet Holmgren

Productive on Both Ends Wednesday
Michael Harris II

Continues to Heat Up With Two-Homer Game on Wednesday
Francisco Lindor

Leaves Wednesday's Game Early With Calf Tightness
JR Ritchie

Earns Promotion, Will Make MLB Debut on Thursday
Noah Ostlund

Could Return Thursday
Pontus Holmberg

Will Miss Round 1
Charle-Edouard D'Astous

Could Be an Option Friday
Victor Hedman

Traveling With Team
Radko Gudas

Unavailable for Game 2
Wyatt Langford

Expected to Go on Injured List With Flexor Strain
Maikel Garcia

Leaves Early on Wednesday With Elbow Soreness
Roman Anthony

Day-to-Day With Sore Back
Juan Soto

Officially Back in Mets Lineup on Wednesday
J.T. Realmuto

Phillies Place J.T. Realmuto on Injured List With Back Injury
Lucas Giolito

Signs With Padres, Worth a Waiver-Wire Pickup?
Ryan Helsley

Orioles Put Ryan Helsley on Bereavement List on Wednesday
CFB

Beau Pribula Leading Virginia Quarterback Competition
Marco Penge

Trending Down Entering Zurich Classic
Sahith Theegala

Eyes Another Strong Week at Zurich Classic
Brooks Koepka

Shane Lowry Teams Up with Brooks Koepka at Zurich Classic
Si Woo Kim

Adds Another Strong Finish at RBC Heritage
Elly De La Cruz

Early-Season Breakout Continues on Tuesday
Wyatt Langford

Pulled Early on Tuesday With Forearm Tightness
Luke Clanton

Hoping to Find Form in New Orleans
Jackson Holliday

Leaves Rehab Game With Hand Discomfort
Corbin Carroll

Returns to Arizona's Lineup Against White Sox
Scottie Scheffler

is Starting to Hit His Stride
Brooks Koepka

Looking for Progress in PGA Return With Partner at Zurich Classic
Matt Fitzpatrick

Looks to Share Recent Form at Zurich Classic
Zack Wheeler

to Make Season Debut on Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Back in Leadoff Spot on Tuesday After Injury Scare
CFB

Ashton Daniels Named Florida State's Starting Quarterback
Juan Soto

Expected to Return on Wednesday
Tyler Reddick

Earns His Fifth Win of the 2026 Season at Kansas
Kyle Larson

Finishes as the Runner-Up at Kansas
Chase Briscoe

Rallies for A New Career-Best Finish at Kansas
Denny Hamlin

Leads the Most Laps at Kansas but Misses Out on Victory
Christopher Bell

Falls Out of Contention for Kansas Victory on Final Restart
Mike Malott

Scores Third-Round TKO Win
Gilbert Burns

Retires After UFC Winnipeg Loss
Charles Jourdain

Extends Winning Streak
Kyler Phillips

Drops Decision At UFC Winnipeg
Mandel Nallo

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss In His UFC Debut
Jai Herbert

Scores First-Round TKO Win
Karine Silva

Gets Dominated at UFC Winnipeg
Jasmine Jasudavicius

Dominates Karine Silva
Kyle Larson

Should not be Underestimated for the Win at Kansas
Denny Hamlin

Can Denny Hamlin Dominate at Kansas Again?
NASCAR

Christoper Bell Should Contend for First Win at Kansas
Tyler Reddick

Fastest in Practice and Qualifying for Kansas Race
Ryan Blaney

Could Score another Top-10 Finish at Kansas
Ty Gibbs

Poised to Continue Hot Streak at Kansas
Chris Buescher

Always Consistent, Has Speed Heading Into Kansas
William Byron

is A Solid DFS Option for Kansas Lineups
Carson Hocevar

Poised for Career-Best Run at Kansas
Chase Briscoe

Is Chase Briscoe Worth Rostering for DFS at Kansas?
Chase Elliott

Is A Favorable DFS Option for Kansas Lineups
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano be Considered Playable In DFS This Week at Kansas?
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace is A Favorable Driver to Consider for Kansas Lineups
Ross Chastain

Is Ross Chastain A Worthy DFS Option for Kansas?
Brad Keselowski

Could Brad Keselowski be A Sneaky DFS Option for Kansas?
Daniel Suarez

Should DFS Managers Roster Daniel Suarez at Kansas?
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF