Dallas Mavericks point guard Brandon Williams (oblique) has been upgraded to available for Friday's play-in showdown against the Memphis Grizzlies. Williams was initially listed as probable for the game. The 25-year-old has added a spark to the Mavericks late in the season and was one of the standout performers in Wednesday's win over the Sacramento Kings, finishing with 17 points and five assists in 18 minutes off the bench. A similar effort from Williams on Friday night would boost Dallas' chances of victory in a tough road game.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Brandon Williams (oblique) is listed as probable for Friday's play-in matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. The 25-year-old is dealing with a left oblique strain but managed to play through the injury on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings. Williams impressed with 17 points and five assists in 18 minutes off the bench. Before Wednesday's game, Williams was listed as questionable on the injury report, so he appears to be making progress in his recovery. Williams will be in a good spot to replicate his Wednesday performance since Memphis allows the fourth-most bench points in the league.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Brandon Williams (oblique) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's play-in game against the Sacramento Kings. He sustained a left oblique strain in Sunday's contest against the Memphis Grizzlies, putting his status for Wednesday's matchup in doubt. Williams produced some very impressive displays during the final stretch of the regular season and could be a useful bench piece for the Mavericks as they try to sneak into the playoffs. If Williams is not available to play, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy will handle the minutes at the one position.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Brandon Williams (back) has shaken off a questionable tag and will play in Thursday's game against the Orlando Magic. He was initially iffy for the contest due to low back tightness. Williams has enjoyed a few productive weeks with the Mavericks and is coming off a 22-point effort against the New York Knicks. However, the team's offense is set to have a different look with Anthony Davis (adductor) back on the court. It remains to be seen how Williams will fit into these plans.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Brandon Williams (back) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Orlando Magic. He may have to skip the action due to low back tightness. Williams' absence would be a significant setback for the Mavericks, as the 25-year-old has looked fantastic in an expanded role this month. Over nine March appearances, Williams has averaged 17.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.7 steals. If Williams can't play on Thursday, Spencer Dinwiddie is likely to have a heavy workload, with Jaden Hardy receiving a bit more action off the bench.

Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams (back) is considered probable to play on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets. The 25-year-old has been a popular fantasy waiver wire pickup ever since Kyrie Irving (knee) went down with a knee injury. In his last seven games, Williams averages 17.1 points, 4.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 threes across 28.0 minutes per game. His fantasy value may not be as high as it once was, but he should still receive a sizeable chunk of minutes off of the bench since Dante Exum (hand) and Caleb Martin (hip) both remain sidelined.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Brandon Williams (hamstring) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Indiana Pacers. He is dealing with tightness in his left hamstring and will miss the action after initially being listed as questionable for the matchup. Williams has joined a long list of absentees, though the return of Jaden Hardy will slightly improve the Mavericks' situation. Meanwhile, Spencer Dinwiddie and Max Christie could have a very busy night in the backcourt against Indiana.

Dallas Mavericks point guardBrandon Williams(hamstring) will play against the Houston Rockets on Friday. Williams missed Monday's game in San Antonio due to left hamstring tightness. However, Friday's contest will be the second consecutive game he's played in. An injury-riddled roster has made Williams a key piece to the Mavs rotation. He's posted averages of 19.3 points, 6.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals across 30.0 minutes per contest in his last four outings.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Brandon Williams (hamstring) will play in Wednesday's game against the San Antonio Spurs. He will be back in the lineup after missing Monday's meeting with the Spurs due to a tight hamstring. With several regulars out of the lineup for Dallas, Williams has started to make a name for himself. The second-year player has averaged 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 30.6 minutes over his past three appearances.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it?Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, the opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA. 

Introduction

I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2023 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2023-24 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.As I will frequently emphasize and reiterate: in 2023, there is very little difference between the vast majority of second-round draft picks and undrafted free agents--it always all comes down to the skillsets they possess, their capacity for growth, and the situations they've landed in.Seasons will be made and broken with early identification of the diamond-in-the-rough rookies. I used to list out the many examples from the past season in this introduction portion, but we are now in a beautiful era where there are just too many to count. There is also very little separating the featured players below and those dubbed "Honorable Mentions"--so put in the work and keep an eye out throughout the regular season for who is receiving and seizing their opportunities. 

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It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA.Plus, I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games, or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2022 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2022-23 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence. ... [More]

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace that fits best with their path to the NBA.Plus, I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games, or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2022 second-round picks and undrafted free agent (UDFA) signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2022-23 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.... [More]

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA.Plus, I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games, or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2022 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2022-23 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence. ... [More]

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Brandon Williams (quad) has been deemed questionable to suit up for Thursday's contest vs. New Orleans with a right quad contusion. Williams was sidelined due to the ailment Tuesday, paving the way for Kris Dunn to hold down primary PG duties, a role he would figure to reprise if Williams cannot go again. The 22-year-old has been thrust into a significant offensive role due to the widespread injuries in the Portland backcourt, but he has parlayed that opportunity into an average of 13.6 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. With limited roster options, fantasy managers will want to keep a close eye on the Blazers' final injury report Thursday.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Brandon Williams (quad) has been ruled out for Tuesday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 22-year-old is dealing with a left quad contusion. He's been one of the team's most active and heavily-used players over the past month or so. He averaged 15.4 points and 4.1 assists per game in March while logging 30.2 minutes per contest. We could see increased usage for Keon Johnson, Kris Dunn or Ben McLemore with Williams out. Johnson is the most appealing player of this group for fantasy purposes as he averaged 19.5 points per game over his last two outings while shooting 53.3% from the field.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Brandon Williams led the way with a team-best 23 points in Monday's win over the Pistons. Williams' fantasy prospects rose earlier in the day when Damian Lillard (abdominal) was ruled out for the year, as the 22-year-old rookie continues to hold down top PG duties while Anfernee Simons (quad) remains sidelined. Williams scuffled to the tune of a 6-for-17 shooting performance, but he made up for it by knocking down all 11 of his free throws, adding six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Who will take the offensive reins for Portland on a nightly basis has been a question mark, but Williams has averaged 17.1 points across his eight contests serving as a starter.