Brandon Rush

There was a good feeling when the Warriors inked Rush last summer to a two-year deal. It didn't take much to recall his 2011-12 in the Bay Area when he was Golden State's sixth man (9.8 ppg, 45% 3Pt). He may not be living up to expectations placed on a 13th-overall pick (2008), but Rush can drain the three-ball and play some defense on the wing. Entering 2014-15, he was two years removed from ACL surgery and was ready to be an important piece off the bench. Alas, it never worked out for Rush. A back injury slowed him early, and by the time he was ready to play, he lost all shooting touch. The mechanics were off, and that wasn't surprising. From 2012 to 2014, he'd attempted a grand total of 99 field goals. That was due to the injury suffered early in 2012-13 and from little playing time the following year in Utah. In 33 games for Golden State in 2014-15, Rush averaged 0.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and 0.2 steals in eight minutes per game. He shot an abysmal 20 percent from the field and 11 percent from three-point distance. Golden State is looking for a perimeter threat off the bench, which plays to Rush's strength. He may have a bigger role this coming season.

The Warriors brought Rush back to the Bay Area after one under-used season in Utah. In 38 games for the Jazz, Rush averaged 2.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 11 minutes per game. His best season by far was his 2011-12 season with the Warriors, for whom he shot a dazzling 45 percent from three-point distance while averaging 26 minutes per game. He was the team's sixth man and rotated in at both wing spots. A similar role is in store for Rush entering this season, though the minutes won't be quite as abundant. He'll back up Klay Thompson at shooting guard and Andre Iguodala at small forward. Depending on Iguodala's health – Iggy had knee and hamstring injuries in 2013-14 – and whether or not Harrison Barnes eventually develops consistency, Rush could become a bigger factor as a scorer off the bench. At the very least, he'll be another three-point gunner in the Golden State backcourt.

The former Jayhawk is coming off a gruesome knee injury and was brought in more for salary cap reasons than basketball. He might provide some sharpshooting off the bench, but not much more.

Coach Mark Jackson’s playing time situation in Golden State is a little murky right now, but Rush will be given the chance to compete for the starting small forward job, along with Richard Jefferson and rookie Harrison Barnes. Even if he doesn’t land the starting job, Rush is sure to get plenty of minutes, with Klay Thompson as the only legitimate shooting guard on the roster. Rush doesn’t have any real upside, but what you can expect is extremely efficient shooting percentages. Last season Rush shot 50 percent from the field, 45 percent from three and 79 percent from the line. Those percentages were all career highs for Rush, most notably his field goal percentage. He had never shot better than 42.3 percent from the field heading into last season. Despite his career year in efficiency, he was right around his typical counting stats, averaging 9.8 points, 3.9 boards and 1.5 three-pointers per game in 2011-12.

Rush was traded to the Warriors from the Pacers in exchange for Louis Amundson during training camp. He’s behind several players on the depth chart, but a fresh start could be exactly what Rush needs to try and revive what was once a lot of promise.

The Pacers had some problems with health last season. Their star player, Danny Granger, missed 20 games. Their other, star-ish player, Troy Murphy missed 10. Mike Dunleavy, T.J. Ford: they missed their fair share, too. But not Rush, no sir. Rush played all 82 games last season – the only one on the Pacers to lay claim to that feat. At this point, that's probably the most attractive quality about Rush as a fantasy player – that he played 30 minutes per game for 82 games. Nor should that be considered a total slight – health is a skill – but Rush's upside isn't fantastic. Even when given those 30 minutes, the former Jayhawk wasn't able to do a whole lot with them, averaging only 9.4 points per contest. If you squint, Rushs's 1.5 threes, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks begin to create an outline of an interesting player. But until he augments those cats further, he's likely an end-of-the-bench player.

Rush went through a stretch where he was afraid to shoot and fell out of coach Jim O'Brien's playing rotation halfway through season. But after Mike Dunleavy Jr. went under the knife, Rush really took off, averaging 18.3 points (on 78-of-141 shooting from the field), 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 treys over his final 10 games. Dunleavy already had a setback at the start of training camp, and both Marquis Daniels and Jarrett Jack are elsewhere. The Pacers will need Rush to produce immediately this season – he's a bit of a sleeper.

The Pacers are stockpiling shooters to help mold to coach Jim O'Brien's fast-paced system. Rush is just that, and he's a pretty good defender to boot. One thing he'll need to improve is his assertiveness – often at Kansas he'd get lost in the flow and not demand his shot. In O'Brien's system, passing up shooting opportunities is a cardinal sin. Rush will often be used when the Pacers go small, playing at the same time as Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy. One quick injury note – Rush hurt his knee in April 2007; otherwise he would have gone in the 2007 draft.

The Pacers are stockpiling shooters to help mold to coach Jim O'Brien's fast-paced system. Rush is just that, and he's a pretty good defender to boot. One thing he'll need to improve is his assertiveness – often at Kansas he'd get lost in the flow and not demand his shot. In O'Brien's system, passing up shooting opportunities is a cardinal sin. Rush will often be used when the Pacers go small, playing at the same time as Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy. One quick injury note – Rush hurt his knee in April 2007; otherwise he would have gone in the 2007 draft.