As we prepare to enter 2023, it's time to start making some New Year's resolutions. For a few NBA head coaches, their resolutions should be to give the following players more minutes. If they do, these players could all see a significant increase in fantasy value.
Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
Sengun showed a lot of promise during his rookie campaign, averaging 9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocks over just 21 minutes. The Rockets cleared a path for him to play more during the offseason, shipping Christian Wood to the Mavericks. They didn't bring in any centers of note, leaving Sengun's primary threats for playing time being the unheralded Bruno Fernando and Usman Garuba.
Sengun has played more this season, but he hasn't exactly been unleashed, playing 26 minutes per game. Over six games in which he has played at least 30 minutes, Sengun has provided 18.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks. Foul troubles sometimes do him in, but generally, he shouldn't be playing fewer than 30 minutes per game. If the Rockets were to consistently give him more minutes down the stretch, the sky is the limit in terms of his fantasy production.
Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz
When the Jazz dealt away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, they looked to be headed for a full-blown rebuild. One intriguing young player they brought in was Sexton, who was limited to 11 games with the Cavaliers last season
As we prepare to enter 2023, it's time to start making some New Year's resolutions. For a few NBA head coaches, their resolutions should be to give the following players more minutes. If they do, these players could all see a significant increase in fantasy value.
Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
Sengun showed a lot of promise during his rookie campaign, averaging 9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocks over just 21 minutes. The Rockets cleared a path for him to play more during the offseason, shipping Christian Wood to the Mavericks. They didn't bring in any centers of note, leaving Sengun's primary threats for playing time being the unheralded Bruno Fernando and Usman Garuba.
Sengun has played more this season, but he hasn't exactly been unleashed, playing 26 minutes per game. Over six games in which he has played at least 30 minutes, Sengun has provided 18.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks. Foul troubles sometimes do him in, but generally, he shouldn't be playing fewer than 30 minutes per game. If the Rockets were to consistently give him more minutes down the stretch, the sky is the limit in terms of his fantasy production.
Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz
When the Jazz dealt away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, they looked to be headed for a full-blown rebuild. One intriguing young player they brought in was Sexton, who was limited to 11 games with the Cavaliers last season because of a knee injury. In the two seasons prior, he averaged 20.8 and 24.3 points per game, respectively.
Not only have the Jazz played surprisingly well, but Sexton hasn't filled nearly as big of a role as initially expected. He has spent most of his time as a member of the second unit, playing 24 minutes per game. With Mitchell and Gobert no longer in town, the Jazz could still be sellers at the trade deadline, despite their good start. If they are, Mike Conley Jr. figures to be on the way out. Even if he remains with the team, he isn't a big part of their future, so they would be wise to give more minutes to Sexton. Over six games in which he has logged at least 30 minutes, Sexton has averaged 18.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets needed to add talent at center during the offseason. Mason Plumlee is a fine player, but he's probably better suited to be in a backup role at this stage of his career. The Hornets hoped they found their future center when they selected Williams with the 15th pick in the 2022 Draft. However, they amazingly didn't want to play him hardly at all right away, leaving him to log a total of 12 minutes over their first 33 games.
Williams has finally found his way back onto the floor, appearing in each of the Hornets' last three games. He steamrolled the Thunder on Thursday, producing 17 points and 13 rebounds over 21 minutes off the bench. He needs to play more over Nick Richards, and if the Hornets decide to move on from Plumlee at the trade deadline, Williams has the potential to land himself the starting center job. Adding him now could provide significant dividends down the road.
Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
The next wave of players that the Warriors hoped would help make them successful for years to come have delivered some underwhelming initial returns. James Wiseman and Moses Moody can barely find their way onto the floor, averaging 13 and 16 minutes, respectively. Wiseman has only appeared in 19 games. Kuminga hasn't played much more than they have, logging 19 minutes over his 32 appearances.
When given an opportunity, Kuminga has generally been productive. Across 14 games in which he has played at least 20 minutes, he has averaged 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 three-pointers. It's doubtful that he will play 30 minutes a night regularly at any point this season, but even if he could land at around 25 minutes per game, he could be a valuable fantasy option.
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
We'll head back to the Rockets with Eason -- the 17th pick in the 2022 Draft. The Rockets hope he can be a vital part of the rebuild. He sure made a good first impression in the Summer League, putting up 17.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks over five games. He has also shown an ability to hit three-pointers, giving him the potential to be a valuable all-around fantasy contributor.
It hasn't been easy for Eason to find his way onto the floor, averaging only 19 minutes per game. Still, he has put up 8.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.8 three-pointers. Eric Gordon seems to be on the trade market every season, and the rebuilding Rockets would be wise to finally move him. Not only could they use any additional draft pick they could get for him, but his departure would free up added minutes for some of their young players. They could even try to trade Kenyon Martin Jr., opening up more playing time for Eason. Across 13 games in which Eason has played at least 20 minutes, he has averaged 11.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.2 three-pointers while shooting 50.5 percent from the field.
