Arron Afflalo

Afflalo's stat line of 12.8 points (on 44.3% shooting from the field), 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 three-pointers in 33.4 minutes per game last season didn't vary dramatically from what he provided between stints with the Nuggets and Trail Blazers in 2014-15, but the Knicks still seemed to view his performance as a disappointment. The veteran shooting guard was equally displeased with his employer by season's end, as he wasn't thrilled about interim coach Kurt Rambis' decision to bring him off the bench late in the year behind a less skilled player in Sasha Vujacic. Unsurprisingly, Afflalo declined his $8 million player option for 2016-17 to become an unrestricted free agent and quickly landed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Kings. It's presumed that Afflalo will bump the underwhelming Ben McLemore to a reserve role in his new locale, but expecting the 31-year-old to return to the mid-to-high teens scoring he displayed a couple seasons ago may be too much to ask. DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay are the clear top dogs on the Kings' roster, leaving Afflalo no better than third in line for offensive usage, barring a trade or long-term injury to either of the aforementioned players. Afflalo is also a middling performer on the defensive end, so he could be at risk of yielding minutes in certain situations to Garrett Temple, who the Kings also brought in this offseason primarily for strengthening the team’s perimeter D.

Afflalo signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Knicks this summer after averaging 13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 three-pointers in 32 minutes per game across 78 combined appearances for the Nuggets and Blazers last season. Afflalo's expiring contract was dealt to Portland at last season's trade deadline, but he struggled once arriving in Portland, managing just 10.6 points per game while shooting 41 percent from the field in 25 games. That regression hurt Afflalo's fantasy stock, which entered last season at arguably an all-time high following a career-year in 2013-14 for the Magic. That being said, the stability from a new contract, as well as his fit next to former teammate Carmelo Anthony, could enable Afflalo to reap benefits for the Knicks. An established veteran that will turn 30 years old this season, Afflalo seems a virtual lock to start at shooting guard, where his reliability should be a welcomed upgrade from the cast of characters that paraded the position last season. Carrying a career 39-percent three-point mark, Afflalo's catch-and-shoot consistency is well suited for playing off Anthony in New York's offensive scheme, where the absence of a ball-dominant point guard could also help his assist numbers improve compared to last season.

Afflalo is returning to Denver, where he spent 2009-12 before signing with the Magic as a free agent. The Nuggets acquired the UCLA product in a June trade that sent Evan Fournier and the 56th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft to the Magic. While Orlando struggled mightily as a team last season, Afflalo enjoyed the best individual season of his career, averaging 18.2 points to go with 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He shot 46 percent from the field and an impressive 43 percent from three, a major improvement over his 30-percent mark in 2012-13. As he enters his age-29 season, Afflalo figures to be one of the more productive players at the league's shallowest position. He won't be asked to do as much offensively, which will likely lead to a slight decline in production, but it's difficult to imagine a significant regression. The question is whether the combination of Randy Foye (last year's starter at shooting guard) and rookie Gary Harris will cut into Afflalo's playing time.

Like Nelson, Afflalo also set a career high for minutes that enabled career highs in other categories. For Afflalo, those were rebounds, assists, and points. Like Nelson, Afflalo's raw totals for 2013-14 will be hurt by a significant reduction in minutes, but that might be where the similarities end. For Afflalo, the minutes reduction is likely to be less severe than for Nelson, and Afflalo's is more likely to bring with it enhanced field goal efficiency. For all the Magic's improved depth, they remain short on scorers, so when Afflalo is on the court, his primary occupation will be making buckets – especially when they try Oladipo at the point. Afflalo will remain a centerpiece of the Magic's rotation and a productive fantasy option, just don't expect a repeat of his 2012-13 campaign.

Afflalo will be the starting shooting guard for the Magic this season after he was one of the principal pieces acquired in the blockbuster Dwight Howard trade. After playing with the high-octane Nuggets last season, Afflalo joins a new-look Magic team that figures to play at a much slower pace and with an inferior collection of talent. Afflalo’s supporting cast may be weaker, but from an individual standpoint, he figures to play a more integral role with his new team and could very well be the team’s top scorer. The 26-year-old proved hungry even after inking a five-year, $43 million deal with the Nuggets last offseason, improving his points per game by 2.6 and tying his career-bests in steals and assists per game. A consequence of his increased shot attempts was a drop in his shooting percentage, particularly from three-point range, where he dropped nearly three percentage points to 39.8 percent. Even with the regression, 40 percent from three-point range is nothing to scoff at, nor are Afflalo’s 1.4 threes per game. As perhaps the best player on a likely lottery-bound Magic team, Afflalo should see a bump in his minutes and improve upon his scoring and rebounding totals accordingly.

Afflalo’s career path took a dramatic upswing when he was traded from the Pistons to the Nuggets prior to the 2009-10 season. He’s a restricted free agent, meaning there’s the possibility he could be playing somewhere other than Denver, but that’s unlikely to happen unless someone signs him to a ridiculously bloated contract at which the Nuggets would be forced to balk. With that understanding, it’s expected he’ll once again be the Nuggets’ starting shooting guard this season. Through 69 games played last season, Afflalo averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 three-pointers, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 1.0 turnovers in 34 minutes. He doesn’t make mistakes, plays good defense and is efficient on offense, making him a coach’s dream. But he also doesn’t do anything that makes him irreplaceable, which is why he serves in a specified role for the Nuggets. He spots up to shoot any open threes that are available and attacks the rim when a defender over pursues him at the three-point line. Beyond that, he’s limited offensively. There isn’t much room for him to grow unless the Nuggets create more plays to open up threes for him.

If J.R. Smith played defense to Denver coach George Karl's liking-that, and maybe didn't display such maddening shot selection-then Afflalo probably wouldn't be a Nugget at all. As it is, Afflalo averaged about 27 minutes per game last season. He's basically Thabo Sefolosha, with more range on his jumper but fewer rebounds. His most notable quality is that he's blocking a player with more fantasy value.

Afflalo was brought in specifically to fill the void left by defensive stopper Dahntay Jones. That means he'll likely start, give way early to J.R. Smith and average anywhere from 15-20 minutes a night. That being said, Afflalo is a much more complete ballplayer than Jones so we expect more from Afflalo than the 5.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, and 1.0 apg Jones contributed last year.

Afflalo was the less-heralded rookie in Detroit's backcourt last season, but he made his mark far earlier, starting in the regular-season opener and in eight other games. Although he's a good rebounder given his size and relative lack of minutes, he's not much of an assist guy. However, with Flip Murray, Juan Dixon, Jarvis Hayes, and Lindsey Hunter all out of the picture, the path to playing time for Afflalo is a little easier.

Afflalo was a First Team All-America at UCLA last year, averaging 16.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, and 1.9 apg. What's hidden in his stats is a great motor and strong defensive presence. The Pistons envision him to be the second or third guard off the bench this season, and see him and fellow rookie Rodney Stuckey to be Detroit's backcourt of the future.