Marco Belinelli

Belinelli opened the 2017-18 campaign with the rebuilding Hawks and was expected to serve as a mentor for the team's younger players. However, he ended up becoming a significant contributor and averaged 11.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.9 rebounds across 23.3 minutes. In addition, the sharp-shooter hit 1.8 three-pointers at a 37.2 percent clip. That strong of showing in the first half of the season made him a hot item at the trade deadline and he was ultimately dealt to the playoff contending 76ers. In 28 games with Philadelphia, Belinelli actually upped his scoring production and averaged 13.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.0 three-pointers across 26.3 minutes. Between the two teams combined, it was one of Belinelli's most productive seasons to date and resulted in a plethora of interest during free agency this offseason. The 32-year-old opted for a reunion with the Spurs and received a two-year, $12 million deal. He heads into a surprisingly strong situation in regards to his potential workload. The Spurs unloaded Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors and also let Kyle Anderson walk in free agency, which means there's going to be a ton of minutes available at the small forward position. Newly-acquired DeMar DeRozan is locked into the starting shooting guard spot, but Belinelli will still see plenty of time at that position as well. As a result, it wouldn't be surprising if he was able to put up a similar stat line to last year's combined averages between Atlanta and Philadelphia. Belinelli will only be on the radar in deeper Fantasy leagues, but his three-point totals and impressive percentages while playing in a favorable situation with the Spurs could get him selected in the later rounds.

Belinelli spent the 2016-17 campaign with his third team in as many seasons, but the journeyman was able to keep a relatively consistent stat line form a year prior. Across 74 games with the Hornets, he essentially matched his 2015-16 production, posting averages of 10.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 three-pointers over 24.0 minutes. He was nothing more than an average role player off the bench, which should be the case once again after joining the Hawks in free agency. The Hawks are in the middle of a rebuild and a lot of playing time should be available for Belinelli, so he should be able to match or surpass the 24.0 minutes he saw with the Hornets. He'll likely open the season as the backup shooting guard to Kent Bazemore, with the majority of his value coming from his three-point shot, which finished at 36 percent last season. Still, the fact that he's a just a minor role player and doesn't provide much more than points and three-pointers, should limit Belinelli's impact in Fantasy circles.

After a three-year stint with the Kings, Belinelli was traded to the Hornets in a draft-day deal that sent the No. 22 overall pick back to Sacramento. The 30-year-old averaged 10.2 points per game last season but shot just 38.6 percent from the floor and 30.6 percent from distance, both career worsts by a fair margin. Charlotte essentially bought low on a player with a proven track record of shooting well from the outside, and coach Steve Clifford and company will be banking on Belinelli showing some improvements in that capacity. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist returning from injury, Nicolas Batum will shift down to shooting guard this season, so Belinelli will battle with Jeremy Lamb for minutes off the bench. Belinelli is the more experienced commodity, but the 24-year-old Lamb is coming off of the best overall season of his four-year career. If he's able to rediscover his stroke from beyond the arc, Belinelli could be a decent source of three-pointers, but he's unlikely to provide significant value in other counting stat categories.

Belinelli saw a small downtick in production in his final season as a Spur. He averaged 22 minutes and 9.2 points while shooting 42 percent from the field, 85 percent from the line, and 37 percent from beyond the arc. His primary strength is as an elite catch-and-shoot specialist who can hit three-pointers in bunches and shoot a high free throw percentage. Belinelli's main weakness is his lack of defensive ability, particularly against some of the more athletic wing players in the league. He's penciled in as one of the first rotation players off the bench along with Omri Casspi, and there's upside that Belinelli could unseat Ben McLemore at shooting guard if the third-year guard struggles as a starter to begin the season. Belinelli remains a solid source for three-pointers for fantasy owners but should continue to offer little else in terms of overall fantasy value as a sixth man.

Marco Belinelli is entering his eighth NBA season. Last year was his first with the Spurs, and he averaged 11.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 1.6 three-pointers in 25 minutes per game through 80 games. He shot 49 percent from the field on 8.7 attempts per game and 85 percent from the line on 1.6 attempts per game. Playing in the Spurs' system helped Belinelli set career highs in rebounds, assists, and field goal percentage. Prior to last season, Belinelli's career high in field goal percentage was just 44 percent, so it'll be interesting to see if the 49 percent he shot last season was an anomaly or something he can sustain in the Spurs' elite ball-movement offense. Despite playing off the bench for the majority of last season, Belinelli posted a career high 15.0 PER (player efficiency rating). With Patty Mills (shoulder surgery) expected to be sidelined until February, Belinelli may be called upon to shoulder more of the scoring load early on. He's a reliable source of three-pointers of the waiver-wire even in standard leagues of late.

The Italian guard has matured into a valuable bench contributor, but his fantasy value will be limited by Popovich's glut of options at the two. The best case scenario for Belinelli could be a repeat of his Chicago campaign, but the veteran is not a truly elite three-point shooter (35.7%) and his one-on-one defensive efforts won't do too much to fill out a stat sheet.

Belinelli, who played with New Orleans last year and averaged 11.8 ppg, gives the Bulls a decent shooter off the bench, replacing Kyle Korver in the role. He could become a relevant fantasy option for three-pointers and more playing time if Richard Hamilton gets hurt - something that has happened regularly in recent years.

Belinelli enters 2011-2012 as one of the Hornets’ best shooters, coming off a career-best in shooting percentage (43.7 percent), three point shooting (41.4 percent), points (10.4) and rebounds (1.9). Belinelli started much of the season, and although he was not the scorer most would want as their starting shooting guard, he quietly put up a solid campaign. With the acquisition of a high profile shooting guard, Belinelli should face significantly less pressure and less talented defenders coming off the bench.

It's a shame Belinelli doesn't get more run in the NBA, as his name is just a lot of fun to say. Unforunately, when a player only averaged 17 minutes per game-as the Italian did last year-there aren't a lot of reasons to talk about him, especially in terms of his fantasy value. Belinelli was traded to the Hornets for Julian Wright in August. Hornet Coach Monty Williams said that the starting shooting guard spot could be a toss up between second-year player Marcus Thornton and Belinelli. Barring an injury to Thornton, however, that's probably not worth the necessary 30 minutes per game that Belinelli would need.

The Raptors need offense off the wing and Belinelli's shooting and ball-handling could allow him to provide it, but he played in just 42 games last season with Golden State thanks to an ankle injury and defensive struggles. The Raptors' Euro-styled offense should be a good fit for Belinelli's skill set and the starting two guard job is available, but he'll need to show some effort at the other end of the court if he wants to be more than an offensive spark off the bench.

Belinelli was a popular sleeper last year after his impressive Summer League play, but it became apparent in the preseason that his defense wasn't close to being "NBA-ready". As a result, he only played in 33 games last year, averaging a meager 2.9 points per game. Belinelli has had a year to get stronger and improve his defense, and will battle with Kelenna Azubuike for backup shooting guard minutes.

Belinelli was the talk of the Las Vegas Summer League, where he made Warriors games into a “how to shoot the J” clinic for fans and opposition players alike. There’s a good chance that he could emerge as this year’s version of Jorge Garbajosa – an experienced European player who steps in and contributes far more quickly than expected. Some other factors working in Belinelli’s favor – the trade of Jason Richardson moves Monta Ellis into the starting lineup, which frees up a sixth man/bench scorer role. And there’s even the possibility that Belinelli could get starter’s minutes if Ellis moves to the point when Baron Davis suffers his annual injury.