Nik Stauskas

Stauskas enters his third season as a 76er buried deep on the depth chart. An influx of talent do to the draft (first overall pick Markelle Fultz), health (Ben Simmons and Jerryd Bayless, who played a combined three games last season), and free agency (sharpshooter J.J. Redick) has crashed Stauskas’ Fantasy value. Stauskas played in 80 games in 2016-17, and started 27 of them, averaging 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.7 threes in 27.4 minutes per game. Given the influx of talent around him, however, Stauskas would probably need several injuries above him on the depth chart to even come close to recreating that stat line. Stauskas will compete with Bayless and T.J. McConnell for minutes as the backup point guard, but that is a competition in which he is likely to come in third. His clearer path to minutes is as a shooting guard, where he faces a winnable battle against Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Forkan Korkmaz. Even that battle, however, is not really for a traditional backup role, as the 76ers are likely to experiment with lineups that push Fultz or Robert Covington into the role of acting shooting guard. Stauskas is an NBA survivor – his outlook also looked bleak entering the 2016-17 season, yet he managed to post his most impactful season to date – so it is too soon to count him out. Nonetheless, he figures to be far off the Fantasy radar, at least at the start of the season.

Traded to the 76ers last July following an uninspiring rookie season with the Kings, Stauskas was expected to take the reins of the starting shooting guard job and provide his new team with some much-needed three-point production. A right leg injury ended up limiting Stauskas in training camp and he never really got in a rhythm once healthy, as he was ice cold from both the field and downtown through the first two months of the season. He would heat up for a stretch in January and February, but Stauskas’ maddening streakiness resulted in him finishing the season with averages of 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 treys over 24.8 minutes per game in his 73 appearances, lowlighted by a 38.5 percent mark from the field and 32.6 percent from distance. Considering that Stauskas provides limited value on the defensive end, his lack of proficiency from three-point range was a particularly troubling development, and one that puts him at risk of losing minutes in 2016-17. With the 76ers signing Gerald Henderson in the offseason and Hollis Thompson having surpassed him on the depth chart, it’s possible that Stauskas may be on the outside looking in on a rotation spot quite frequently this season.

Stauskas was traded from the Kings to the 76ers this offseason in order to help the Kings shed payroll. Selected seventh overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, Stauskas didn't hit his stride until the Kings hired George Karl during the All-Star break last season. Playing for three coaches in his rookie season, Stauskas averaged 4.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.7 three-pointers in 15 minutes per game over 73 contests. Following typical rookie behavior, the 21-year-old Canadian struggled with his efficiency and shot 37 percent from the floor and 32 percent from downtown. Although, Stauskas course corrected under Karl and shot 42 percent on three-pointers over the final 23 games. Joining a permeable Sixers team will provide Stauskas immediate opportunity to elevate his stats and reputation around the league, and he will be able to accentuate the playmaking and ball handling skills he displayed throughout his college career. His primary competition for playing time is three-point marksmen Hollis Thompson and Robert Covington, but Stauskas' ability to create for others can help him thrive in Philadelphia's uptempo offensive system and eventually secure the starting shooting guard job.

The Kings selected Stauskas with the 12th-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. A rookie out of Michigan, Stauskas averaged 17.5 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 47 percent from the floor last season en route to being named the Big Ten Player of the Year and receiving Second-Team All-American honors. Once perceived as a three-point specialist, the 6-6 Stauskas greatly expanded his game at Michigan, becoming one of the more well-rounded players in the Big Ten. Outside shooting is still his primary strength, though, as evidenced by his 44-percent three-point shooting in two seasons at Michigan. In 75 total games, Stauskas knocked down 172 three-pointers, despite defenses keying on his perimeter abilities. Stauskas joins a Kings team that finished third-last in the league in three-point percentage last season. He'll open as the backup to Ben McLemore at shooting guard but should push the second-year Kansas product for the starting spot. If McLemore, who disappointed as a rookie, gets off to another slow start, Stauskas could have an opportunity to garner major minutes on a nightly basis.