Josh Hart

Hart was a complementary component of the offseason blockbuster trade with the Lakers that also saw Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram land in New Orleans. Hart's outlook for the coming season is decidedly murkier than that of his pair of teammates. To begin with, he's recovering from late-March right patellar tendon surgery as training camp approaches. Additionally, the third-year pro is somewhat buried on the depth chart at the three spots he's projected for potential time in -- point guard, shooting guard and small forward. Hart does bring plenty of experience for a player with a relatively brief professional tenure, as he logged four full college seasons at Villanova before averaging over 20 minutes per contest over his first two pro campaigns in Los Angeles. A smooth shooter during the majority of that span, Hart disappointingly saw his overall success rate from the field tumble to 40.7 percent last season, although he maintained a respectable 33.6 percent mark from three-point range. The 24-year-old is also a solid rebounder, serviceable distributor and pesky defender, so he's capable of rewarding fantasy managers with contributions in multiple categories. If he can prove his health and fit into a fast-paced Pelicans system that's similar to the one he played in with the Lakers, Hart should certainly be able to progressively carve out a solid second-unit role. However, it remains to be seen if he can approximate the 25.6 minutes he logged over 67 games prior to his injury last season with New Orleans arguably sporting a deeper overall depth chart at the positions Hart is capable of filling.

Hart, after four seasons at Villanova, was the 30th overall pick in last year’s draft. During his senior campaign, he was given the Julius Erving (Best Small Forward) Award, averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals. He also flashed impressive range, hitting 2.1 threes per tilt at 40.4 percent. Hart posted 7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest for the Lakers during his rookie campaign, but was especially impressive towards the end of the year. During his final 18 appearances (13 starts), he averaged 14.1 points (50.6 FG%, 44.0 3P%), 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal across 33.3 minutes -- showing off the potential he demonstrated in college. However, he was given that workload largely due to a myriad of injuries on the Lakers. That factor, combined with LeBron James (plus other veterans) joining the team, could result in Hart trending closer to 20 minutes per game rather than 30. Assuming that’s the case, the second-year man can probably be avoided in most standard Fantasy formats.

After leading Villanova to a national title the year before, Hart had an impressive follow-up campaign with the Wildcats as a senior, averaging 18.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting above 40 percent from 3-point range for the second time in his college career. That production was enough to keep him in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft, with the Jazz selecting the shooting guard with the 30th overall pick before trading him to the Lakers. Hart was limited to just two appearances in the Las Vegas Summer League due to an ankle sprain, but he should be back to full health by the time training camp rolls around. While Hart will be given a chance to compete for a rotation spot in the preseason, he'll likely find himself behind at least Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jordan Clarkson on the depth chart right away, making it more likely than not that the 22-year-old rides the bench early on as a professional in between stints with the G League's South Bay Lakers.