Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (back) still isn't ready to make his season debut on Monday against Atlanta. The 28-year-old is kept out of the lineup by lower back spasms. The Thunder have played decently without Williams, going 3-3, but he would be a versatile extra body to throw on the court. Williams averaged a career-high 8.0 points and 4.9 rebounds with 2.0 assists in 22.8 minutes a season ago. Rookie Cason Wallace has received the most minutes off the Thunder bench so far, with sniper Isaiah Joe not far behind. The second unit will be expected to carry a heavier load on Monday, as Thunder leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee) will miss a second consecutive game.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (back) has been ruled out for the team's first two games of the season. The Thunder start their campaign Wednesday versus Chicago and have a meeting with Cleveland scheduled for Friday. Williams has been a jack of all trades for OKC and averaged career-highs for both points (8.0) and rebounds (4.9) last season, mostly coming off the bench. With Jaylin Williams (hamstring) also out and unavailable for a couple of weeks, Oklahoma City will have two rotational pieces missing for the start of the year. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has been full of praise for Olivier Sarr lately, and he could be the biggest beneficiary in the situation.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it?Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, the opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA. 

Introduction

I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2023 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2023-24 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.As I will frequently emphasize and reiterate: in 2023, there is very little difference between the vast majority of second-round draft picks and undrafted free agents--it always all comes down to the skillsets they possess, their capacity for growth, and the situations they've landed in.Seasons will be made and broken with early identification of the diamond-in-the-rough rookies. I used to list out the many examples from the past season in this introduction portion, but we are now in a beautiful era where there are just too many to count. There is also very little separating the featured players below and those dubbed "Honorable Mentions"--so put in the work and keep an eye out throughout the regular season for who is receiving and seizing their opportunities. 

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (wrist) is reportedly fully healthy ahead of the 2023-24 NBA campaign. His season was cut short by a left-wrist injury last term. Williams ended up having multiple procedures to fix the issue, but it was all planned, and he made a full recovery over the summer. Before getting shut down in March, Williams managed to register a career-high 4.9 rebounds per game and matched his record with an eight-point scoring average. He's not an outstanding talent but does many things well and should maintain a regular spot in the Thunder rotation.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams initially underwent a wrist procedure a few months ago that ended his season. On Tuesday, he had another one to remove the hardware originally put in during his first procedure to fix the scapholunate ligament. There still hasn't been a firm timetable for his return, but having the hardware removed this early before next season is a promising sign. The 28-year-old signed an extension this past year and is under contract for four more seasons.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (wrist) suffered a scapholunate ligament rupture in his left wrist during Tuesday's game against the Sacramento Kings. Unfortunately, that means he has to undergo surgery that will end his 2022-23 season. The 28-year-old averaged 8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across 22.8 minutes per game. With Williams sidelined the rest of the way, Jaylin Williams and Dario Saric should see an increase in time while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl may see some opportunities as well.

The NBA trade deadline has officially come and gone and we had one of the most active deadlines in recent memory with some big stars being dealt. Kyrie, KD, and Westbrook are all heading to new teams and we have been covering those trades and their fantasy impacts here at RotoBaller.But there were plenty of other lesser-known players who were dealt in the last few days and I wanted to go through and make sure we don't overlook some of these trades as some of those deals may even have more fantasy impact than the big moves.So here are some other trades that went down and my two cents on the increase or decrease in value that we should expect from the players involved for the remainder of the 2022-2023 fantasy basketball season. 

Moves That Matter

These are very much in order of how much they matter. Let's start with the Spurs sending their starting center back up North where he started his career.Jakob Poeltl to the RaptorsI am a huge Poeltl fan and was close to acquiring him on multiple teams before the deadline. It was a curious move by Toronto to be buyers instead of sellers at the deadline, but Poeltl gives them the presence at the five they have been lacking all season and allows Siakam to shift over and play PF where he belongs.Poeltl is no longer a shutdown candidate and has legit top-50 upside with his multi-category abilities. His departure also makes ... [More]

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (knee) is available for Saturday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Williams will be back in action for the first time since December 3rd. The expectation is that Williams is going to be on a minutes limit during his first game back. However, he could still have streaming value with the Thunder shorthanded on Saturday. Both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (back) and Josh Giddey (illness) are sidelined for this game. Williams might be able to carve out decent streaming value even in a limited role on Saturday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed forward Kenrich Williams to a four-year extension. He has spent each of the last two seasons with OKC. He has played fairly well in a limited role, so the Thunder will keep him around. They've decided to give him a four-year deal worth $27.7 million. Williams has mentioned he wants to retire with the Thunder, so he might get his wish. This team doesn't appear to have any desire to compete next season, so Williams might see consistent playing time. Regardless, it's tough to imagine Williams having reliable fantasy value in OKC.

Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kenrich Williams (ankle) is anticipated to miss at least the team's next two games due to a sprained right ankle. Williams was held out Monday against Houston due to the ailment, which marked his first absence of the season. A quintessential glue player for OKC's second unit, Williams is coming off having scored in double figures in back-to-back outings for the first time all year. It's unclear how head coach Mark Daigneault will allocate Williams' minutes, although it's unlikely to earn any specific player season-long fantasy relevance. Fantasy managers can check back next week to see if Williams has any update to his status.