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
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Second-Year NBA Players Who Won't Break Out

Justin Carter looks at five second-year NBA players who are unlikely to break out during the 2020-2021 seasons. These are players to avoid in fantasy drafts.

Every NBA player enters the league with high hopes, but not every player ends up fulfilling those hopes.

Year two is an important one when it comes to player development. If someone's going to sustain a long NBA career, they have to start showing something in that second season or it becomes an even more uphill battle towards making it.

Let's look at three NBA lottery picks from 2019 who aren't going to have breakout campaigns in their second NBA seasons.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Rui Hachimura - F, Washington Wizards

I know there are a lot of people who are high on Rui, but I just don't see it.

Coming into the league, there were knocks on Hachimura's shooting range and his defensive ability. And after a rookie year in which he shot 28.7 from deep and had a defensive Player Impact Plus/Minus of -1.62, both of those things remain issues heading into this new season.

From a fantasy perspective, Hachimura -- who took 11.4 shot attempts per game as a rookie -- should be fine just based on volume, but there are plenty of troubling signs underneath the raw production he might have as a scorer.

For example, he scored in the 32nd percentile among NBA players on spot ups. Considering he used more possessions via spot up than any other play type, that's not good!

Rui also struggled in post ups and in pick-and-rolls, more things that you'd like a starting four to be better at. His only really strong play type was isolation, but you probably don't want your fourth-best offensive starter to be using up possessions in isolation, right?

There's just a ton of things that Hachimura is going to need to improve at, and it seems like there might just be too many things that he has to improve at. The Wizards also drafted a prospect who I like more, Deni Avdija. Avdija doesn't have the same shooting limitations that Hachimura has, and I think that's going to lead to him getting plenty of minutes.

I will say that of the three players profiled in this article, Hachimura is the one I feel has the best chance of being good. But the amount of questions I have outweigh the positives.

 

Cam Reddish - F, Atlanta Hawks

Reddish played 58 games last year for the Hawks, starting 34 of them. But with the team adding Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari this offseason, the path for Reddish to improve on last year's numbers have gotten smaller, especially if/when De'Andre Hunter beats him out for the starting role.

Last year, Reddish shot 38.4 percent from the field. He scored in the 23rd percentile overall among NBA players, with Synergy rating him as average or below average in all the play types he used on 10 percent or more of his possessions. He shot 32.9 percent on all jump shots. He rated in the 15th percentile in PPP around the basket. The 21st percentile on unguarded catch-and-shoots.

The one thing that seems encouraging from his rookie numbers as a medium range jumper -- between 17 feet and the three-point line -- that rated in the 66th percentile. But if the main positive you had was mid-range shooting in the year 2020, that's...not great!

He also rated outside of the top 400 NBA players in true shooting percentage, another bad sign for his development.

Reddish still has some upside, but on a Hawks team that is suddenly positioning itself for a playoff spot, it's really hard to see where the minutes needed for improvement comes from.

 

Romeo Langford - G, Boston Celtics

Langford won't be ready for the start of training camp with a wrist injury, but we don't know yet if he'll be available when the season itself tips off.

Not that there's going to be many minutes for him once he's back. Kemba Walker looks he'll miss some regular season time with a knee injury, but veteran Jeff Teague will likely man the point until he returns. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown will both play lots of minutes at the two and the three, leaving little room behind them. Add in Aaron Nesmith, who it seems a lot of people are excited by, and that Jayson Tatum will play the three plenty too even if he starts at the four, and you don't get a ton of minutes for Langford.

Langford only averaged 11.6 minutes per game last season, shooting 35 percent from the field and 18.5 percent from three. He scored 2.5 points per game.

Boston just isn't the place for a young wing to find success, and Langford missing training camp isn't going to help things. Maybe he can carve out a role with 15 minutes or so per game when healthy and maybe he can get some run as the backup point guard until Walker is back, but there's not a scenario unless things go terribly wrong for the Celtics that sees Langford have fantasy value this season.

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Garrett Crochet

Shuts Out the Athletics
Royce Lewis

Launches Two Homers Monday Night
NBA

Mason Jones Takes His Talents to Australia
NBA

Talen Horton-Tucker Joins Reigning EuroLeague Champions
New York Knicks

Malcolm Brogdon on Knicks' Radar
Andrew Wiggins

Attracting Interest From Lakers
Miami Heat

Heat Interested in Reunion With Precious Achiuwa
Tyler Glasnow

Fans 11 in Seven No-Hit Innings Monday
Slade Cecconi

Takes No-Hitter Into Eighth Inning Monday
Max Muncy

Batting Cleanup in Return to Dodgers
New York Knicks

Ben Simmons Reportedly Declined Knicks' Contract Offer
Younghoe Koo

Falcons Auditioning Kickers, Could Replace Younghoe Koo
Denver Broncos

Sean Payton Says Broncos Need to be Better With Run-Pass Balance
Tank Bigsby

Eagles Acquiring Tank Bigsby From Jaguars on Monday
George Kittle

Likely Out 3-5 Weeks, Could Land on Injured Reserve
Chase Burns

to be Activated on Friday
Brock Purdy

Dealing With Multiple Injuries, Could Miss Week 2
Tyler Glasnow

Cleared to Start on Monday
Logan O'Hoppe

Placed on Concussion Injured List
Christian Yelich

Returning on Monday
Elias Pettersson

Feeling "Good" Ahead of Season
NHL

Alex Formenton Rejoins Swiss Team
NHL

Grigori Denisenko Heads Back Home
CAR

Kevin Labanc Joins Hurricanes for Tryout
Ross Colton

Healthy for Start of Season
Daniel Palencia

Cubs Place Daniel Palencia on Injured List With Shoulder Strain
Pete Crow-Armstrong

Returning on Monday
Sean Murphy

Done for the Year With Hip Labral Tear
Alec Bohm

Lands on Injured List With Cyst in his Shoulder
Trea Turner

Going on Injured List, Phillies Hope to Have him Back for Playoffs
Brock Bowers

Considered Day-to-Day With Knee Injury
Jonathan Taylor

is "Good" After Taking a Hit to his Neck in Week 1
Caio Borralho

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Kyle Stowers

Suffers Setback on Rehab Assignment?
Nassourdine Imavov

Extends Win Streak
Mauricio Ruffy

Gets Submitted
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Taps Out Mauricio Ruffy
Michael King

Expected to Return on Tuesday
Russell Wilson

Remains the Giants Starter
Trea Turner

Undergoing MRI Exam on Monday
Paul Craig

Retires After UFC Paris Loss
Denny Hamlin

Earns his First Cup Victory at Gateway
Kyle Larson

Damage Ruins Kyle Larson's Chance At a Top Finish at Gateway
Christopher Bell

Scores his Third Top-10 Finish at Gateway
Joey Logano

Maintains his Perfect Top-Five Streak at Gateway
Ryan Blaney

Struggles and Recovers for a Top-Five Finish at Gateway
Modestas Bukauskas

Scores First-Round Knockout
Bolaji Oki

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Xavier Worthy

Week-to-Week with Dislocated Shoulder
Mason Jones

Scores Comeback Win
Rhys McKee

Suffers Third-Round TKO Loss
Axel Sola

Successful In His UFC Debut
Robert Ruchała

Robert Ruchala Unsuccessful In His UFC Debut
William Gomis

Bounces Back In The Win Column
Derrick Henry

Scores Twice but has Costly Fumble on Sunday
Lamar Jackson

Shines With Three Total Touchdowns in Loss to Bills
Keon Coleman

Leads the Team With 11 Targets on Sunday
Josh Allen

Totals Four Touchdowns in Win Over Ravens
Chase Elliott

Gets Lucky but Still Has Best Run at Gateway
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Wins Stage 2, but Was Let Down by Strategy
Tyler Reddick

Despite Bad Luck, Tyler Reddick Does What he Needed to Do
Chase Briscoe

Recovers from Incident with Daniel Suarez to Finish Second
William Byron

Late Caution Foils William Byron's Shot at Gateway Victory
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Dominates Targets in Seattle, Records 124 Receiving Yards in Week 1
Puka Nacua

Leads Rams in Targets, Catches, and Receiving Yards in Week 1
Logan O'Hoppe

Exits After Concussion Scare, Status Remains Unclear
Christian McCaffrey

Logs 31 Touches in Season Opener
Travis Etienne Jr.

Dominates Backfield Touches in Jacksonville, Posts Monster Day
Jayson Tatum

"Moving Around Way Better"
Russell Wilson

Giants Won't Commit to Russell Wilson as Week 2 Starter
Drake London

Day-to-Day with Shoulder Sprain
George Kittle

and Jauan Jennings to Undergo MRIs
Jake Moody

49ers to Evaluate Kicker Position After Jake Moody Struggles
Daniel Palencia

to Miss Time With Shoulder Injury
Byron Buxton

Exits Early With Knee Contusion
Trea Turner

Suffers Hamstring Strain
Ryan Blaney

Should Contend at Gateway
Denny Hamlin

Fastest in Qualifying, the Favorite to Win at Gateway
Christopher Bell

Looking for Redemption at Gateway
Joey Logano

Has Been Elite at Gateway
Austin Cindric

Should Be On Your Radar at Gateway
AJ Allmendinger

Could Be a Sleeper Again at Gateway
Tyler Reddick

Southern 500 Near-Miss Makes Tyler Reddick a Stronger Option for Gateway
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace a Likely Gateway Contender
Alex Bowman

a Long Shot to Advance in Playoffs
Austin Dillon

Richard Childress Racing Looks Slower at Gateway, Which Will Hurt Austin Dillon
Shane Van Gisbergen

Starts 18th in Gateway Debut
Jeremy Swayman

Ready to Get Back on Track
Connor McDavid

Aiming for More Goals
NJ

Luke Glendening Signs Tryout Deal With Devils
Dylan Harper

Hoping to be Ready for the Opener Versus Dallas
EDM

Derek Ryan Retires From Hockey
Connor Zary

Agrees to Three-Year Deal With Flames
Carey Price

Canadiens Trade Carey Price to Sharks
Rasmus Hojgaard

Finishes Tied For Second at Omega European Masters
Tyrrell Hatton

Finishes Tied for 32nd at LIV Indianapolis
Matt Fitzpatrick

Finishes Fifth at Omega European Masters
Patrick Cantlay

Finishes Tied For Second in 2025 FedEx Cup Standings
Xander Schauffele

Finishes 42nd in 2025 FedEx Cup Standings
Caio Borralho

Set For A Title Eliminator Bout
Nassourdine Imavov

Looks To Earn A Title Shot
Mauricio Ruffy

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Set For UFC Paris Co-Main Event
Modestas Bukauskas

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Paul Craig

In Dire Need Of Victory
Mason Jones

Set for Main-Card Bout
Bolaji Oki

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Rhys McKee

Set To Open Up UFC Paris Main Card
Jon Rahm

Looks to Prove His Importance on European Ryder Cup Team
Tommy Fleetwood

Among Leaders of European Ryder Cup Team
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Close to Triple-Double Versus Serbia
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Fills Box Score Against Turkey
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Shakes Off Minor Injury
E.J. Liddell

Inks Two-Way Deal With Nets
NBA

Ben Simmons Reportedly Considering Retirement
P.J. Washington

Agrees to Four-Year, $90 Million Extension
Sepp Straka

Gets Captain's Pick to Join Team Europe
PGA

Victor Hovland to Make Third Ryder Cup Appearance for Team Europe
J.J. Spaun

Set to Represent Team USA for First Time at Bethpage
Russell Henley

Makes First Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Harris English

Named to Ryder Cup Team for Second Time
Justin Thomas

Making Fourth Ryder Cup Team Appearance at Bethpage
Ben Griffin

Making First Career Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Bryson DeChambeau

Set to be Part of Team USA at Bethpage

RANKINGS

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