Deep Sleepers

My favorite topic! We had some good calls last year here with Walker Kessler, Immanuel Quickley, and of course Jalen Williams, so let’s get a few more! Most of these guys will not be worth drafting in 12-team leagues, but keep an eye on them regardless.

Sleepers to Target

AJ Griffin – The second-year Duke product couldn’t carve out a consistent enough role with the Hawks last year. We know that coach Quin Snyder loves the spot-up play to flow out of his drive-heavy guards, and that’s clearly Griffin’s go-to play. He had 40% of his shots come via spot-up looks to lead the team, and he was second on efficiency as a rookie (Bogdan Bogdanovic). If there’s an injury to any of the non-centers on the Hawks, Griffin is likely looking at a decent increase in minutes. It’s an easy bet to make on a player who has an attractive prospect profile.

Nassir Little – I’m a little biased here as a big Nas fan (Side note: Magic 3 is dope). He has the ideal body type for what the Suns need as a 6-foot-5 forward with a seven-foot wingspan, and Nassir is an above-average shooter. His weaknesses shouldn’t be a factor with a lack of self-creation, and maybe he can improve as a scorer on cuts. Play aside, this one is really all about beating his competition. He’s more talented than the likes of Keita Bates-Diop and Josh Okogie, and he fits in so many lineup styles.

Nikola Jovic – He had a strong summer, as he turned some heads in FIBA with increased playmaking for Serbia. Jovic has range, and Miami could shift things around to open up minutes for him. Maybe they shift Kevin Love to be more of a five to cut out Orlando Robinson and Thomas Bryant, or they could run Caleb Martin as more of a wing to offset their lack of guard depth. Miami’s development is always worth monitoring, and Jovic is next.

Jonathan Kuminga – The Warriors have abandoned their two-timeline plan, so they’re mostly just running out their dynasty guys with Kuminga and Moses Moody. While Moody is a trusted presence in Kerr’s rotation most of the time, there’s no doubt that Kuminga has a superior talent profile. Kuminga’s performance stats are all over the place. On the bad side, he needs to improve on layups, contested jumpers, transition scoring, and just avoiding clear mistakes.