DEEP NBA SLEEPERS

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS:

DEEP NBA SLEEPERS:

This is my annual deep sleepers article. In this, I find guys that have <5% ESPN ownership and predict if they have top-150 upside to make them startable.

We are about to see a major youth wave, especially with the league about to expand to 18+ rules, but these are mostly young guys that I think will serve a major role by the end of the season.

UDOKA AZUBUIKE - 0.0% - Nobody has him on their roster and it's not super surprising. Walker Kessler is a highly touted prospect, they traded for Kelly Olynyk, but Azubuike is probably the initial starter. He has yet to make his season debut, but he has a good chance of getting somewhere in the 20-25 minute range and should have above replacement value. Centers are difficult to find in this league and with Utah rebuilding, I don't see why they would keep Olynyk very long. He will be in constant minutes battle with Kessler once Olynyk inevitably gets traded, but Azubuike probably offers more offensive upside and is a more complete player at this stage in his career. He's only started 6 games in his career and averaged 8.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG on 74% field goal percentage in only 21.5 MPG average.

JALEN JOHNSON - 0.2% - The only thing preventing him from being a serious contributor is the health of Capela and Collins. I am of the strong belief that John Collins and/or Capela will get traded this season. Johnson is seeing some early minutes due to the injury of Bogdan, but he has the upside to be a complete player. He has yet to start, but if things don't work out for the Hawks, he could be a huge benefactor to a soft rebuild. His size allows him to be a solid scorer, with above average defense, and rebounding upside. Probably a much deeper player on this list than Azubuike, but he presents probably more upside if he's given appropriate minutes.

CAM THOMAS - 0.3% - Between the health and struggles of Ben Simmons early on, the fragility of Seth and Joe, there is a path for him to get minutes. He was a non-factor in the season-opener, but we saw him in spurts last season and he did produce. A super small sample size, but in the 2 games he started last season, he averaged 21.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 2.5 3PG. Should there be a major injury to either Kyrie or Durant, he could be tasked to be one of the critical scoring elements to their team. If he can play better than he did on the opener, he could have value if he can carve out at least a sixth man role. In 17 games where he had between 20-29 minutes, he averaged 13.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.1 APG in 25.7 MPG. He's worth monitoring.

JALEN MCDANIELS - 0.3% - He may already be worth monitoring at the early part of the season. Between the Bridges drama, PJ Washington injury, and inevitable Hayward injury at some point, he has a lot of value as a two-way wing. He's a gritty player that can shoot, defend, rebound, and has moderate scoring upside. Right now he only has PF eligibility, but would likely gain SF if he was getting starting minutes. He has 23 minutes in his season-opener, but I could see a path to regular minutes if he continues to put up counting stats.

ZACH COLLINS - 0.6% - He was injured most of last year but had 4 blocks in the season-opener. With Poeltl on an expiring contract, he could end up providing the Spurs with one or more first round picks in compensation from a contending team. Health has sort of delayed his career, but he's only 24 years old and was a highly touted prospect entering the league. His career per-36 is 12.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.4 BPG, so he has fringe replacement value without ever really starting. With there being a huge void of offense in San Antonio and them basically tanking, he could see a primary role in the second half the season.

JEREMY SOCHAN / JOSH PRIMO - 1.2% - Much of the same scenario as with Collins, Sochan is already given starting opportunities and Primo probably has more upside than starter Tre Jones. They both have value for different reasons. Primo has value as a playmaker and scorer, Sochan has value as a two-way wing player. My comps for these players are Metta World Peace and Will Barton. Neither of these will drastically change the quality of your team, but both have value as a high-upside back of roster player. Sochan may already have replacement value and Primo is on the cusp.

MARK WILLIAMS - 1.3% - He is more of a watch list guy than a must add. Williams is probably the better prospect than Richards, who is a veteran at this point. PJ Washington will likely get the start as an undersized Center when he returns to health, but I think Williams fits what they are trying to do long-term more. With LaMelo out to start the season and all of the question marks surrounding their roster, Williams will likely get opportunity in the second half of the season. His rebound and blocking in college made him a household name, and now he will look to replicate that success at the pro level. Temper your expectations because even with opportunity he'll probably be capped in the low-20s in minutes per game, but it maybe just enough to have serious contributions in your playoffs.

SHAEDON SHARPE - 2.9% - Simons is getting the first chance to start, but we'll see how the season goes. Obviously, if Dame requests a trade his value immediately jumps through the roof. He is probably worth rostering now as a high-upside handcuff player. With Simons' breakout, he may be relegated to the bench, but should see extended minutes once he gets more comfortable. He had 12 points in his debut, putting up 3 3-pointers, 2 rebounds, and assist and no turnovers. He missed a free throw, but aside from that, was a pretty perfect debut for a bench player. He could see his minutes stay in the fringe-20s until an injury or he forces his way into the starting-5. Josh Hart is oft-injured so he very well could get minutes sooner, rather than later.

DANIEL GAFFORD - 4.8% - Another guy that should probably be on a roster just in case. Kristaps is very prone to injuries and regardless, he might see spot starts depending on match-up. He has 16 minutes in his season debut, but still managed 12 points, 7 rebounds, a steal and a block. While he is obviously not a must-start in 12-team leagues or smaller, he does provide enough to have him on your watch list for whenever the inevitable injury occurs. There's also a chance that the Wizards blow things thing up and he would probably be a main benefactor since the only other centers on roster are 37 year old Taj Gibson and semi-bust Vernon Carey Jr. 

- Adam Safianow - NBA Analyst - Upsyde Sports [Copyright 2022]

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