Devonte' Graham

Graham saw his playing time dip a bit in his first season with the Pelicans, averaging just 28.4 minutes per contest after topping 30 per contest in his two previous campaigns with the Hornets. Even more concerning is that Graham averaged only 12.7 minutes per contest over his last 15 appearances and started just two of them. That shift to the bench occurred following the team's acquisition of CJ McCollum before the trade deadline. With McCollum still in tow for 2022-23, Graham likely slides into a depth role for the Pelicans. Graham's role will likely decline heavily as a result, and that comes on the heels of his least efficient campaign to date, hitting just 36.3 percent of his attempts from the field and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc -- his lowest percentage marks since his rookie campaign in 2018-19. Graham does offer some value as a three-point threat, racking up 2.5 per contest last year, but that too trailed off to just 0.6 per contest due to a lack of playing time late in the season. And given Jose Alvarado's breakout in the postseason, Graham may not even be the first man up if McCollum, Ingram or Herbert Jones suffer an injury.

Graham was one of the best fantasy pickups of 2019-20, as he had a breakout season out of nowhere and ended up ranking 54th on a per-game basis. However, the Hornets selected Rookie of the Year, LaMelo Ball, in the 2020 Draft, which severely cut into Graham's usage and overall effectiveness. Despite seeing nearly the same workload, Graham dropped to 113th in fantasy with averages of 14.8 points, 5.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds. He also had an abysmal field-goal percentage, shooting just 37.7 percent from the field -- hardly better than his 37.5-percent mark from deep. Graham is one of the more unique point guards in the league, as he takes just 10 percent of his shots at the rim and makes them at an awful 41 percent mark. For reference, Terry Rozier -- not exactly known for his driving ability -- took 24 percent of his shots at the rim and made them at 58 percent. Regardless, Graham will have the opportunity for a bounceback season in 2021-22. During the offseason, he was sign-and-traded to the Pelicans, who sent Lonzo Ball to the Bulls. As a result, Graham will be the Pelicans' true starting point guard. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect an immediate jump back up to his 2019-20 numbers since Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram will handle the ball plenty, but Graham is in position to improve upon his numbers from last season. He's worth an exploratory selection inside the top 100 for managers looking for upside.

Sophomore slump? Far from it. Graham made a strong case for Most Improved Player in his second season, seeing his scoring balloon from 4.7 points per contest as a rookie to a healthy 18.2 in 2019-20. The Kansas product attempted three times as many shots as he did in his rookie season, though that noticeable increase in volume did not come with a decline in efficiency. Graham enjoyed career highs in shooting by posting 38.2/37.3/82.0 splits and made a name for himself as one of the league's most prolific three-point shooters. Graham's 3.5 triples per game ranked seventh in the NBA, and he was one of only eight players to knock down 200 shots from beyond the arc. His 7.5 assists and 3.4 boards were career highs as well, showcasing his ability to contribute as more than just a scorer. If he can take another step forward in 2020-21, Graham could be a top-40 player. He'll have more competition for usage this season, however, as the Hornets added LaMelo Ball in the draft and signed Gordon Hayward in free agency.

Graham spent most of his rookie season going back and forth between the Hornets and their G League affiliate in Greensboro, but he ended up being a quality contributor for Charlotte for a large portion of the season. He appeared in 46 NBA games, making three starts and averaging 4.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists across 14.7 minutes per game. He did that while shooting 28.1 percent from behind the arc and 34.3 percent from the floor overall. In his three starts, however, Graham saw 26.9 minutes per game and his numbers grew significantly as a result, as the point guard posted averages of 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 40 percent from three. Now, heading into his sophomore season, Graham should be in line for a more consistent role in the team's backcourt following the departure of Kemba Walker to Boston. While Terry Rozier is essentially a lock to be the starting point guard after signing a lucrative deal with the team this offseason, Graham, as of now, is the team's most reliable option to back him up. Should Graham secure that role, he will likely see some boost in production across the board in 2019-20.

Graham, after four seasons at Kansas, was drafted by the Hawks with the 34th overall pick in the 2018 Draft, but then dealt to Charlotte in exchange for two future second-rounders. During his senior campaign, he was named Big 12 Player of the Year on the back of 17.3 points, 7.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per tilt. He also hit 2.8 threes per game at 40.6 percent. Graham showed off his passing ability during summer league, averaging 6.0 assists in 25.9 minutes, but failed to knock down a three on 12 attempts. Considering the presence of Kemba Walker, Tony Parker and Malik Monk, it seems unlikely Graham will be able to make a significant Fantasy impact during his rookie campaign.