James Ennis

Ennis spent most of the 2019-20 season with Philadelphia before being dealt to the Magic at the trade deadline, where he saw his minutes and production jump significantly. He appeared for his fourth and fifth teams in three seasons, as he was once again part of a mid-season trade. Ennis was an end-of-the-bench rotational guy in Philly, logging just 15.8 minutes per game and averaging 5.8 points and 3.1 boards. As a member of the Magic, he became a rotational fixture, averaging 8.5 points, 4.8 boards, and 1.1 dimes across 24.5 minutes while starting 18 of his 20 games with the Magic, including all five playoff games against Milwaukee. Heading into the 2020-21 season, Ennis looks poised to remain Orlando's starting small forward. He'll face competition from newcomer Dwayne Bacon for minutes, but for now, it looks like the job is Ennis' to lose. He's a deeper-league fantasy player this season who doesn't need to be drafted in 12-team leagues.

For the third time in the last four years, Ennis suited up for more than one franchise in the same season. Splitting time with the Rockets and 76ers in 2018-19, he appeared in 58 games and collected averages of 6.7 points (46.9 FG%, 35.3 3P%, 71.6 FT%), 3.1 rebounds, 0.9 threes, 0.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.4 blocks in 21.2 minutes. Ennis was actually having a decent campaign for Houston. However, salary cap concerns led to him being traded to the 76ers, where his averages (5.3 points, 3.6 boards, 0.8 dimes, 0.6 treys, 0.4 blocks and 0.2 steals in 15.6 minutes) took a sizable dip across 18 regular-season contests. Then again, the veteran stepped up in 11 playoff games, filling in as the lone reliable wing off the bench and posting 7.5 points (48.4 FG%, 28.1 3P%, 63.2 FT%), 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 threes, 0.4 steals and 0.3 blocks in 21.1 minutes per night. Ennis re-signed with the 76ers this past summer, but he'll be competing with sophomore Zhaire Smith and rookie Matisse Thybulle for minutes off the bench. As a result, Ennis has a low ceiling in terms of potential statistical production, which likely limits his appeal to deeper leagues.

Ennis split the 2017-18 season between the Grizzlies (45 games) and Pistons (27 games), but kept fairly similar averages between both squads. In 72 games combined, he finished with 7.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assist across 22.3 minutes, while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. Those numbers kept him out of the Fantasy discussion in the bulk of leagues and that's unlikely to change as he heads to an even more talented roster. Ennis joined the Rockets as a free agent this offseason and will look to help fill the void of departed players such as Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Corey Brewer. That said, Ennis appears to be slated for a reserve role that would at best, mirror his previous year's workload, so his production isn't likely to increase. Look for him to battle Gerald Green for minutes behind the likes of James Harden, Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker on the wing.

Ennis, during his third year in the league last season, saw his most substantial role yet, playing a career-high 23.5 minutes per game. He also started a career-high 28 games out of the 64 he appeared in. On the season, he posted 6.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist per contest while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 51-of-137 (37.2 percent) from deep. While he was an efficient player, the 6-foot-7 forward is a low-volume scorer (and producer in general), limiting his overall Fantasy impact. His role likely won’t expand next season, either, as the Grizzlies brought in Ben McLemore and Tyreke Evans over the summer. Chandler Parsons will begin the season healthy as well. While it’s possible Ennis sees an expanded workload and/or an uptick in production, most signs point to a similar season from the 27-year-old. As a result, he can probably be safely avoided in the majority of Fantasy drafts, though the possibility does remain for him to be a solid waiver wire pickup in deeper leagues depending on how things play out in Memphis.

Ennis appeared in 62 games for Miami last year but saw most of his action when the team was riddled with injuries, averaging 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17 minutes per game. He now enters his second NBA season under a non-guaranteed contract with the Heat, and given that the team extended Ennis' guarantee date on his deal, his future with the team looks rather bleak. Ennis presents himself as a long, athletic wing and even served as a stand-out talent when he played overseas, but during his brief stint in the NBA, he hasn't shown the ability to do any one thing particularly well. With that said, even if Ennis should secure a roster spot before the season starts, how he would fit into the team's rotation will remain a big question mark, especially with the acquisition of both Justise Winslow and Gerald Green this offseason, both of whom are versatile wings. Unless this Miami team becomes plagued with injuries, Ennis' impact over the course of the 2015-16 season will be rather minimal, and he may even find himself in the D-League from time-to-time during the year.

Ennis was drafted by the Hawks with the 50th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft but was then traded to the Heat. He spent the gap year playing abroad in Australia and Puerto Rico, all the while waiting for the Heat to create roster space for the 24-year-old. The pride of Long Beach State excelled In his season in Australia and ultimately finished third in MVP voting while averaging 21.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He then spent a short time in Puerto Rico before participating in the NBA's summer league. Ennis exceeded expectations in six summer league performances as he shot 48 percent from the field with averages of 15.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. At times, he looked better on the court than fellow rookie Shabazz Napier and gave coach Erik Spoelstra reason to believe he could contribute to the Heat's rotation this season. While his expectations for this season should still be curbed, he has an outside chance at proving he deserves time off the bench if he's able to duplicate some of the outings we've seen from him overseas and in the summer league this past season.