Cory Joseph

Joseph closed the 2021-22 season as the 237th ranked player, averaging 8.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.6 steals in 25 minutes per night. With the Pistons building a nice young core, Joseph could see his role reduced even further, especially as the season progresses. He can be safely left for those in very deep formats given his inability to produce 12-team value, even when handed significant playing time.

Joseph was on his way to another typical season as a backup point guard with the Kings. But, he ended up being traded to the Pistons at the deadline. There, he was given an expanded role -- though often rested -- which allowed him to post some of the best numbers of his career. In his 19 appearances (11 starts) with Detroit, he averaged 12.0 points on 51/37/88 shooting, 5.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 26.4 minutes. Surprisingly, the veteran is back with the Pistons on a two-year, $10 million contract. His role will likely be smaller this season, as the Pistons' focus will be on the development of both No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham and last year's No. 7 selection Killian Hayes. Plus, Josh Jackson, Saben Lee, Frank Jackson and Hamidou Diallo are still in the mix. With that in mind, Joseph should only be targeted in deep leagues, and he probably makes the most sense as a pairing with Hayes or Cunningham in a best ball format in case one suffers an injury.

After two seasons with the Pacers, Joseph landed with the Kings this offseason, signing a three-year, $37 million deal. Joseph continued to play a bench role last season, but he has averaged 25.7 minutes per contest over the last four years. He's a durable player, having appeared in at least 79 games in each of the last five seasons, playing all 82 over the last two years. He averaged 6.5 points last season to go along with career highs in assists (3.9), rebounds (3.4) and steals (1.1). His stats weren't particularly remarkable, and he will come off the bench once again, backing up De'Aaron Fox. Sacramento has one of the most talented backcourts in the NBA with Fox and Buddy Hield, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Joseph on the court for at least 20 minutes per game this season due to his defense and ability to play off-ball. His usual production can be expected, and Joseph is best reserved as a deep-league fantasy selection.

The always reliable Joseph played in all 82 games during his first year in Indiana, marking his fourth straight season of missing less than four total contests. As expected, Joseph was locked into a backup role behind Darren Collison for much of the year, but still saw plenty of court time (27.0 MPG) and actually picked up 17 starts when Collison dealt with some injuries. The 26-year-old averaged just 8.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists across 32.3 minutes when working with the top unit, which was only slightly better than his numbers as a reserve. For the entire season, Joseph managed per game numbers of 7.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists across 27.0 minutes, while also playing solid defense with a career-high 1.0 steal per game. Joseph also finished just over 35 percent from deep for a second straight season. Heading into the 2018-19 campaign, Joseph is the favorite for backup duties once again, but the Pacers brought in a couple of other backcourt pieces that threaten some of his workload. Point guard Aaron Holiday was selected in the first round of the draft and most notably, Tyreke Evans was signed during free agency. Holiday will likely be groomed behind Joseph and Collison, who are both on expiring deals, but Evans poses a significant threat considering he is more than capable of handling the ball is coming off a bounce-back season where he averaged 19.4 points across 30.9 minutes. That will likely make it hard for Joseph to match his workload from a season ago, so Fantasy owners in deeper leagues considering a late-round selection may want to temper expectations.

Joseph, who spent the past two seasons in Toronto, was dealt to the Pacers over the summer in the sign-and-trade that moved C.J. Miles to the Raptors. Joseph played a sixth-man role during both his seasons with the Raptors, posting 9.3 points, 3.3 assists and 2.9 steals across 25.0 minutes per game during the 2016-17 campaign. The 6-foot-3 combo guard also shot 45.2 percent from the field and went 48-for-135 (35.6 percent) from beyond the arc. While those aren’t eye-popping numbers, the 26-year-old has shown promise when given more responsibility. For example, during the 22 games he started last season, he averaged a solid 12.2 points, 5.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds across 32.4 minutes per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 17-for-58 (29.3 percent) from deep. That said, he’ll likely occupy a similar sixth-man role in Indiana this upcoming season as he did back in Toronto, considering the presence of (presumed) starting point guard Darren Collison on the Pacers. While it’s tough envisioning a scenario where Joseph’s Fantasy value sees a significant spike for the 2017-18 campaign, he’s a quality draft option in deeper leagues and could often play a legitimate role in DFS when a fellow backcourt member is sidelined.

Following a four-year apprenticeship in San Antonio, Joseph returns home to Toronto after signing a four-year, $30 million contract. More of a combo guard than a pure scorer or distributor, he posted career highs in most categories last season, averaging 18 minutes, 6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 0.2 three-pointers in 79 games while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 73 percent from the free-throw line. In 14 starts when Tony Parker was out of the lineup, however, Joseph averaged 35 minutes, 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 0.3 three-pointers while shooting 56 percent on field goals and 75 percent on free throws, giving a glimpse of his capabilities in a bigger role. Unlike previous guards coming off the Raptors' bench, Joseph is a strong defensive player who should be able to minimize the second-unit breakdowns the team has dealt with in the past, but he hasn't shown the ability to contribute at a high level on offense the way his predecessors did. As long as Kyle Lowry is healthy, Joseph's court time will be limited, but if Lowry breaks down Joseph could get a chance to shine.

Cory Joseph is entering his fourth season in the league after being selected in the first round by the Spurs back in 2011. Last season, Joseph averaged 5.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 0.2 three-pointers in 14 minutes per game through 68 games. He shot 48 percent from the field on 3.9 attempts per game and 82 percent from the line on 1.4 attempts per game. Joseph posted a career-best PER (player efficiency rating) of 14.7 on the back of a career high in scoring. He also started a career-best 19 games, filling in whenever starter Tony Parker was out. When Parker played, however, Joseph was used as the third-string point guard behind Patty Mills. With Mills (shoulder surgery) expected to be sidelined until February, Joseph will be in line for a bump in minutes, but by looking at his per-36 statistics, he doesn't project as a very valuable fantasy option. His major fantasy contribution comes from his solid percentages and solid rebounding numbers for a guard, but he's most likely to be used as a spot starter and plug-and-play option throughout the season.

Apparently, the word out of Spurs camp is that the 22-year-old Canadian point guard has 'first dibs' on the backup slot behind Parker. Still, the Texas product hasn't done enough to fully secure the role, and will likely struggle to win substantial minutes in the second unit.

Joseph was picked in the first round of the draft this year, and while he does have some upside, he doesn’t project to play much for the Spurs this season if he makes the roster.