Noah Vonleh

Vonleh opened the 2017-18 season playing for the Trail Blazers, marking his third straight year with the organization. He took the court for 33 games and averaged 3.6 points and 5.1 rebounds across 14.4 minutes before being dealt to the Bulls at the trade deadline. After joining Chicago, Vonleh saw a slight uptick in his workload and would go on to average 6.9 points and 6.9 rebounds across 19.0 minutes in 21 games. However, he was allowed to walk this summer as a free agent and now joins the Knicks. Despite the change in scenery, Vonleh has some work to do to become a Fantasy relevant player. The Knicks are set to open the year without superstar Kristaps Porzingis (knee), who could be sidelined for more than two months. Despite the extra minutes available, the likes of Kevin Knox, Mario Hezonja and Lance Thomas will all be battling for time at the power forward spot, which means Vonleh will likely once again have to settle for a role in the teens. Knox and Hezonja seem very likely to start the year ahead of Vonleh, so tentatively expect him to come in at third on the depth chart. That should keep him off the radar in most Fantasy leagues.

Vonleh had his chance to secure a relatively large role with the Trail Blazers in his third NBA season, starting 41 of the 74 games he played in. As a starter, Vonleh averaged 5.9 points and 7.0 rebounds across 22.2 minutes, and while that was better than the 2.6 points and 3.1 rebounds across 10.8 minutes that he averaged in 33 games off the bench, it wasn't enough to keep his standing in the top unit. He eventually fell back into a smaller bench role, which took him off the Fantasy radar almost immediately. Vonleh is a decent rebound and has shown some improvement with his shot, going a career-high 48 percent from the field in 2016-17. However, the fact that the Trail Blazers selected two big men in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft, Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan, likely means they've largely given up hope on a guy like Vonleh to develop much further, which likely means another year stuck in a small bench role. Vonleh should battle with Collins and Swanigan for minutes as the third power forward behind Moe Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu.

Drafted ninth overall by the Bobcats in the 2014 NBA Draft, Vonleh suffered a setback almost immediately, developing a sports hernia in August that required surgery and two months of rehabilitation. After his recovery simmered into the season's first month, he made a six-minute debut on Nov. 14 but only 24 appearances thereafter in a frontcourt occupied by Al Jefferson, Marvin Williams, Cody Zeller, and Bismack Biyombo. With Charlotte out of the playoff picture down the stretch, Vonleh finally earned the first five 20-minute outings of his career, yet his rookie line settled at 3.3 points (on 40 percent shooting) and 3.4 rebounds in 10 minutes per game. Despite a change of climate following an offseason trade to Portland, he again doesn't have a direct path to minutes behind Meyers Leonard, Ed Davis, and in small-ball lineups, Al-Farouq Aminu. In any case, Vonleh impressed at the Las Vegas Summer League, pacing the Blazers with 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in 29 minutes per contest while shooting 50 percent (5-for-10) from beyond the arc.

Vonleh fell into Charlotte's lap at No. 9, and although the Hornets have a plethora of options to replace McRoberts' minutes, Vonleh may be as important as any. What Zeller lacks in athleticism and Marvin Williams lacks in size Vonleh appears to have both. Still, Charlotte could fight for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, and coach Steve Clifford is expected to ease the youngster into the rotation.