"Deep. You want to go deep? I'll take you deep." -- Outkast, "Deep"
The NBA season has begun, and we are off and running for an exhilarating, exciting marathon of a campaign. Inevitably, there are players who weren't drafted in most leagues that are showing they need to be rostered and, in some cases, started.
It makes sense, too. In standard 10-team, 13-round leagues, 130 players are drafted. But, with 30 NBA teams and typically around a 10-player rotation on each team, that means there are roughly 300 players that have a realistic chance to produce at any given time. And that group is dynamic, with movement all over the place, as injuries, player development and shifting opportunities allow different players to shine.
My colleague Jim McCormick does an excellent job with the Waiver Wire column on Mondays that identifies players who make good fantasy pickups.
But, when looking to improve your team, you can't overlook the low-rostered players who have the talent to produce but may be stuck playing behind another player until an injury or shifting opportunity gives them the chance to show what they can do. That's where we'll be living in this weekly column.
We're going to really dig in, here. Go a step deeper...
"Deeper than the page of a book, let me look."
...to identify players available in more than 80 percent of ESPN leagues that should be on your radar. Some of these will be names you know, but some may be entirely new. In either case, they're all players doing things that you should be paying attention to, as they just might be worthy of a free agent pickup or a bid during an upcoming FAAB session.
Josh Giddey, PG/SG, Oklahoma City Thunder (rostered in 19.8% of ESPN leagues)
When the Thunder made Giddey the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, the thought was that he was a developmental player that could grow into a future star. But with the Thunder so deep into rebuilding mode, they're giving Giddey just about 30 minutes per game right out the gate. And he's already showing signs of what he can be. A 6-foot-9 point guard, Giddey can contribute across the board in every statistical category. He's not the purest scorer, and you'll need to be prepared for rookie inconsistency, but he should only get better as the season goes along and, with all of the minutes and opportunity he'll get with the Thunder, Giddey could be an impact player sooner rather than later.
Desmond Bane, SG, Memphis Grizzlies (17.9%)
Bane has opened his sophomore season as the starting small forward for the Grizzlies with Dillon Brooks injured, and thus far he's taken full advantage of his new role. Bane is currently second on the Grizzlies in scoring at 19.3 PPG, third in distributing with 3.0 APG, and has been both knocking down the three and crashing the boards from the backcourt. It remains to be seen how Brooks' return will impact Bane's production moving forward, but Bane's a young player that's showing what he can do and if he keeps performing he's putting himself in good position for more opportunity moving forward.
Cam Reddish, SG/SF, Atlanta Hawks (17.0%)
Reddish was widely considered one of the most talented players in the 2019 NBA draft, but the Hawks were able to get him with the 10th pick because his game needed polish and development. Two years later, Reddish has made major strides and is one of the more intriguing young wings in the league. Reddish averaged 18.7 PPG in 25.3 MPG during the first week of the season, and is slotting in as one of the more productive sixth men in the league. He's knocked down three 3-pointers in all three games thus far, and has been a positive on the glass and in the defensive categories as well.
Alperen Sengun, C, Houston Rockets (16.8%)
Sengun was one of the more intriguing players in the 2021 NBA draft. ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony described Sengun as "arguably the most productive 18-year old in high-level European basketball history," and Sengun backed up this scouting report with a very productive stint in the 2021 Summer League. He's continued to build on this in the early part of the season, posting excellent per-minute numbers in his first week of full NBA action. Sengun is currently playing less than 19 minutes per game, but still averaging 8.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.3 SPG and 1.0 BPG. If you roughly doubled those numbers, Sengun's per-36 numbers would be amazing early on. And, considering he plays on a very young Rockets team that is deep into rebuild mode, Sengun seems to have an eventual path to a larger role and the opportunity for more impressive volume numbers as the season goes along.
Precious Achiuwa, PF, Toronto Raptors (13.2%)
When the Raptors traded Kyle Lowry to the Heat, everyone noticed one of the most decorated players in the league moving south to play next to Jimmy Butler. Quietly, though, the Raptors received Achiuwa and Goran Dragic in return. Achiuwa in particular has been making noise early, starting at center for the Raptors while Pascal Siakam is sidelined. Achiuwa has notched points-rebounds double-doubles in three straight games, and seems to have found a niche as the tough, rugged player on an almost position-less Raptors squad. It isn't clear how Siakam's eventual return could affect Achiuwa's minutes, but right now he's a double-double machine that's worthy of a look.