Ryan

Kelly

Gadzuric may still have some value to an NBA team as a back up big man off the bench, but chances are his NBA days have come to an end. He last played for the Knicks in 2011, and he’ll give the Lakers a big body in camp with rookie Ryan Kelly still not ready to go.

Kelly is going to be a punching bag defensively at the NBA level, but he can shoot and the Lakers are not exactly deep at power forward. He’s not on the fantasy radar in most formats until he can show something on the court.

He has continued to have problems with his right foot since his surgery in April. Kelly’s slow recovery may have been the catalyst for the Lakers recently signing both Marcus Landry and Shawne Williams, but all three could miss out on a roster spot. When he was drafted, Kelly looked like a good fit for D’Antoni’s offense, but he is not even close to being on the radar right now.

He is dealing with a foot injury, but is believed to be asymptomatic. Kelly will join the Lakers at training camp and will attempt to make the final 15. The Duke product is more of a stretch four and can shoot, but his defense needs work. He’s off the fantasy radar.

Trainer Gary Vitti said Kelly is “completely asymptomatic,” so his rehab is progressing well, but even at full health he’ll need an impressive training camp to make the Lakers’ roster. His contract is fully unguaranteed.

He’s getting close to being active for the Lakers, but he’s not expected to play in any of the eight preseason games. Kelly is off the fantasy radar.

It was his second day of doing on-court work, but the rookie still hasn’t been fully cleared for contact. While Kelly does have a guaranteed contract, his minutes figure to be sparse this year.

He was taken with the 48th pick in the draft and doesn’t project to see many minutes with the Lakers. Kelly has legitimate NBA range, but he’ll likely have to develop other areas of his game this year.

They are also reportedly “discouraged” with his progress this summer, which is important because the Lakers are already so thin at small forward. That raises the question of whether or not they’ll go after Michael Beasley, who was waived by the Suns earlier on Tuesday. Either way, it appears that Kelly’s NBA career has gotten off on the wrong foot (literally), and we see no reason to draft him this year, even in deeper formats.

He brought the ball up a little bit tonight and he’s seemed to gain some of coach Mike D’Antoni’s trust. D’Antoni did give Jordan Hill a little more burn in the loss, but Kelly should still be able to hold fantasy value at around 26 minutes per night.