Jalen Brunson

Brunson is coming off the most productive season of his career. The guard occupied a sixth-man role for the third straight year with the Mavericks and averaged 12.6 points, 3.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds -- all career highs. He also reached career marks in field-goal percentage (52.3) and three-point percentage (40.5). That resulted in him ranking 184th in fantasy on a per-game basis. Brunson's role shouldn't change in 2021-22. The Mavericks added a little more depth by signing Reggie Bullock, but that shouldn't cut into Brunson's usage significantly. Fantasy managers in standard leagues can ignore Brunson, and those in deeper formats don't need to pay much attention, either, as he's a low-ceiling player in his projected role.

The Villanova product had a productive rookie season, compiling 9.3 points, 3.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 73 games, logging 21.8 minutes a night. Brunson shot well, draining 46.7 percent of his field-goal attempts and 34.8 percent of his threes. In 38 starts, Brunson managed 13.0 points, 4.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds, showing that he could perform well in an expanded role. He flashed upside by finishing the season with back-to-back double-doubles with 10 assists, and he recorded at nine games with at least seven dimes. His biggest highlight was a 34-point outing March 12 against the Spurs. Brunson has some potential acting as the top backup to Delon Wright, and it's possible the two actually end up splitting minutes at the point guard spot. All things considered, Brunson can likely be avoided in standard drafts, but he's worth exploring with a late-round flier in deeper formats.

Despite leaving Villanova early after his junior season, Brunson did plenty to elevate the program and helped lead his team to two National Championships. He also captured the AP Player of the Year award and the Wooden Award, so the point guard received plenty of national attention. His final year in college was unsurprisingly his best showing, becoming a dominant scorer from all over the floor. Brunson finished with a team-high 18.9 points per game, while shooting an impressive 52.1 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from the three-point line. He was also solid in the ancillary categories and added 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds across 31.8 minutes. Brunson has been praised for his leadership and NBA readiness, though there are plenty of question marks with his defensive capability at the next level. He's only 6-foot-2, which could present some problems when forced to switch on screens. Either way, Brunson is going to have plenty of time to develop, as he'll have a tough path to significant minutes right away. Dennis Smith is locked into a starter's workload, while Devin Harris re-signed and J.J. Barea is back as well. Both Harris and Barea should be great mentors for Brunson, but will also absorb plenty of backcourt minutes. As a result, look for Brunson to see only spot time off the bench and he could also get some run in the G-League to aid in his development.