James

Ennis III

Ennis will be taking his talents overseas this season, so he’s safe to ignore in fantasy hoops.

Ennis was reportedly supposed to sign with Utah about 24 hours ago before that deal fell through, and it looks like he will now be headed to Denver. According to Charania, Ennis will be available to play for the Nuggets in Tuesday’s game against the Clippers, who Ennis also played for this season on a 10-day. He is not a fantasy candidate at the moment.

A few hours after it was reported that the Jazz planned to sign Ennis, he won’t be headed there due to being deemed a close contact to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Utah has been hit hard by the league’s health and safety protocols, so there is definitely a need for reinforcements. This will be a three-game week for the team, beginning with the end of Utah’s current road trip Monday night in Detroit. Look for something to happen relatively soon, as the Jazz are in need of players ahead of that game.

Ennis will be joining his third team of the season, as he previously signed 10-day deals with the Nets and Clippers. He’ll give the shorthanded Jazz another option in the frontcourt, but this transaction will not have an impact as far as fantasy basketball is concerned.

Ennis was playing in just his third game this season, with the first two appearances coming as a member of the Nets. The veteran forward made his most recent employer pay Saturday night, as he was one of six Clippers to score in double figures. Ennis isn’t worth picking up in any league, but it was fun to watch him impact winning Saturday night.

This will be Ennis’ second 10-day contract of the month, as he was with the Nets before the team decided against offering him a second deal. The Clippers are dealing with some injuries in the frontcourt, but it’s going to take a lot for Ennis to become a relevant fantasy option.

Ennis joins Langston Galloway and Shaquille Harrison on the Nets, who are trying to fill out their roster after having seven players enter the league’s health and safety protocols. In Orlando last season, Ennis averaged 8.4 points, 4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.8 steals in 24 minutes per game. His job isn’t guaranteed when the Nets get fully healthy, so he’s not worth a look outside of the deepest of leagues.

In late-July it was reported by The Athletic that multiple contenders were expected to pursue Ennis, but the veteran wing remains a free agent with less than three weeks to go before training camp. He’d provide additional 3-and-D depth to whichever team he signs with, but it will be difficult to consider Ennis as a viable fantasy option regardless of where he goes.

Ennis only appeared in 41 games last season, but ranked 16th in the NBA in 3-point percentage -- he shot 43.3 percent from beyond the arc. Ennis has rarely been on the fantasy radar though and it’s hard to see that changing entering his age-31 season with some contenders in pursuit.

“This is seven games [remaining in the season], I think it’ll be 12 days, and I’m not sure even if any of those guys are that close,” Clifford said. He also said the final seven games of the season are about “getting better, making progress,” and excluding Okeke there’s simply no incentive to get their injured veterans back on the court. There’s no reason to hold onto any of these guys in re-draft leagues. Okeke is well worth remembering on draft day, though, as he flirted with top-100 value over the season’s final month, displaying a specialist-level knack for steals (1.6 in under 30 minutes per game).