Luke Walton

Walton might see more minutes this year than his skills would normally dictate just because of the Lakers' lack of depth. Last year, Walton shot 33 percent from the field and averaged 1.7 points, 1.3 boards and 1.1 assists in nine minutes per game. Even with more minutes, Walton is unlikely to be relevant from a fantasy perspective.

A back injury essentially wiped out Walton’s season last year, and it’s unclear as to whether his career will ever recover. Last year’s addition of Ron Artest made Walton somewhat redundant, and this year’s pickup of Matt Barnes makes him even more statistically insignificant. Avoid him on draft day.

A heady player, Walton's numbers continue to dive from his best season in 2006-07. Walton will see the floor even less this year behind Artest, but his passing and outside shooting are always assets to the Lakers.

A good passer and decent three-point shooter who has little to no value because of Odom, Radmanovic, and Ariza.

Small forward is a position where fantasy teams can score in a lot of categories, simply by selecting guys like Luke Walton. Walton doesn’t do any one thing well enough to merit fantasy attention – but when you factor in his contributions all over the box score, suddenly you’ve got a very nice roto player. Walton became an integral part of the Laker offense last season, often initiating plays from his position on the wing. That allows him to generate a nice assist average of 4.3 per game. Meanwhile, he’s active on defense (1.0 steals) and on the glass (5.0 boards), hits the occasional three (.8 per game) and scores enough (11.4 ppg) that he’s not a complete liability in the category.

Walton is one of those players who provides much more value a real team than to a fantasy team. His averages of 5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 2005-06 should discount him from any fantasy consideration.

Walton has no speed, very little range on his jumper, and can't play any defense. His best attribute is his heady play and his passing abilities. Walton will start the year behind Jumaine Jones and Brian Cook on the bench and won't be productive this season.

Walton is the big loser in the crowded small forward scene in Los Angeles. Although he's a smart player, Walton will play behind Butler and George and might find himself buried deep on the bench if Tomjanovich prefers footspeed over game smarts.

Walton comes into the NBA after an impressive college career at Arizona. Walton will back up starter Devean George while Rick Fox is recovering from a torn tendon in his foot. During this time, Walton may see quite a bit of playing time - most likely around 20 minutes a game, depending on how George plays. Walton could be a sleeper if he gets enough playing time, but with the likes of Malone, O'Neal, Payton, and Bryant on the court, that's not too likely.