New Orleans Pelicans forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is getting converted from a two-way deal to a two-year standard NBA contract according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. The 23-year-old has appeared in 21 games for the Pelicans this year and has operated mostly in a third-string big-man role. He's averaging 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds across 10.0 minutes per game while shooting 51.7% from the floor and 36.4% from beyond the arc. He's not much of a fantasy asset at the moment, but he could become a streaming option if the Pelicans frontcourt experiences any injury issues down the stretch.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it?Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, the opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA. 

Introduction

I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2023 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2023-24 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.As I will frequently emphasize and reiterate: in 2023, there is very little difference between the vast majority of second-round draft picks and undrafted free agents--it always all comes down to the skillsets they possess, their capacity for growth, and the situations they've landed in.Seasons will be made and broken with early identification of the diamond-in-the-rough rookies. I used to list out the many examples from the past season in this introduction portion, but we are now in a beautiful era where there are just too many to count. There is also very little separating the featured players below and those dubbed "Honorable Mentions"--so put in the work and keep an eye out throughout the regular season for who is receiving and seizing their opportunities. 

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle) is available for Monday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The 22-year-old has been cleared to play for the first time since December 12th. That being said, it's uncertain how much playing time Robinson-Earl is going to see during his first game back. However, he was producing nearly top-150 value when healthy. His return could cut into the playing time of Jaylin Williams and Dario Saric. Between the three players, Robinson-Earl has the most upside, so fantasy managers should watch out for him.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Heat due to a sprained right ankle that he sustained Monday. Robinson-Earl's role has fluctuated throughout 2022-23, but he has managed to average 8.5 points and five boards in just 21.1 minutes per contest. His absence in the frontcourt paves the way for Aleksej Pokusevski to see an elevated workload, with Mike Muscala also a candidate to garner added looks. Irrespective of who plays the five for Oklahoma City, it will be a difficult matchup with Miami yielding the fewest DFS points per contest to opposing centers this season.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward/center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl left Monday's game against Dallas early with an apparent right ankle sprain. He was injured in the fourth quarter and exited after scoring six points and grabbing two rebounds in 14 minutes. Robinson-Earl has been one of the main frontcourt contributors for the Thunder this season and he's popped up with some very good performances as of late. We should know more about his injury prior to Wednesday's meeting with Miami. Should Robinson-Earl miss time, Darius Bazley is in line for a nice boost in playing time and Aleksej Pokusevski looks set to benefit as well.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA.Plus, I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games, or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2022 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2022-23 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence. ... [More]

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace that fits best with their path to the NBA.Plus, I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games, or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2022 second-round picks and undrafted free agent (UDFA) signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2022-23 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.... [More]

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA.Plus, I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games, or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2022 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2022-23 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence. ... [More]

Oklahoma City Thunder center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had a double-double during the win over the Warriors in Vegas on Friday evening. The big man logged 29 minutes of work, amassing 15 points and 14 rebounds. The 21-year-old is coming off a rookie season where he averaged 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds while making 36 appearances as a starter. Although Chet Holmgren is now on the roster, Robinson-Earl is someone to watch, primarily since he could see more than a handful of starts in 2022-23.

Oklahoma City Thunder forwards Aleksej Pokusevski (illness) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (foot) will both be suiting up for Sunday's game against the Phoenix Suns. As strange as it is, this development has some major fantasy implications, primarily with Poku being made active. Pokusevski saw 29.1 minutes per game in March and averaged 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while attempting 11.0 field goals per game. He's a must-start player as long as you can roll the dice with field goal percentage. He's shooting 40.5% from the field on the year. Jaylen Hoard and Lindy Waters III were both great producers with Poku out on Friday, but they each take a hit with Poku being active. Waters is still a potential start if you're in a pinch, but Hoard should be avoided.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has landed in the league's health and safety protocols. He'll join Darius Bazley, Tre Mann, Aleksej Pokusevski and Aaron Wiggins in protocols right now. That being said, Derrick Favors, Kenrich Williams and Isaiah Roby should all see more minutes coming their way. The Thunder are shorthanded at the forward spot, but none of them are great fantasy options. All of them could have some deep league appeal, but none are must-have options while Robinson-Earl is sidelined.

Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had a good game on Monday against Atlanta and came through with his first career double-double. He scored 13 points on 4-for-9 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds. The 21-year-old hit 2-for-5 from downtown and added one steal, one assist and one block to his line in 32 minutes. The Villanova product has now scored 13 points in back-to-back games while picking up 18 rebounds. Robinson-Earl has rolled with the starters quite often lately and looks ready to burst onto the scene. Hopefully, he can avoid the fate of Moses Brown, who looked like an exciting prospect in Oklahoma City last season but now can't get a game in Dallas.

Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl nearly posted a double-double off the bench in Saturday's loss to Boston, scoring 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting and grabbing eight boards. He also had one assist in 27 minutes of action with 3-for-7 shooting from downtown. The 21-year-old rookie has forced his way into the rotation this month, showing plenty of upside. He's gone close to a double-double a few times now and seems to have a good eye for steals. Robinson-Earl is definitely a guy to monitor, as he could play a more prominent role during the second half of the season which will help him boost his numbers.

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie forward/center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will be in the starting five for the team's game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. This will be his fourth start of the year. Derrick Favors, who has been the team's primary starting center, will be coming off the bench in the game. JRE has gotten a good amount of run so far this year, playing over 16 minutes per game. However, he hasn't been doing much from a statistical standpoint, averaging just 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.