Josh Huestis

Three years after being drafted, Huestis got his first significant NBA minutes last season, recording 982 regular season minutes versus a mere 86 prior to that point. He appeared in 69 games and started 10 of them; he was however also removed from the rotation come playoff time, as Corey Brewer (below) took the role Huestis had once assumed as Andre Roberson's replacement on the wing. Brewer took this role because Huestis didn't fill it - while his length and determination saw him win possessions on the defensive end, he contributed incredibly little offensively and was overall a distinct net negative. The defensive profile intrigues enough for Huestis to be on NBA team's radars, but to get another contract right away, he will need to find a team that can both mask his deficiencies and commit to fixing them.

[...] That said, the struggles without him were only partly due to Roberson's own impact. In large part, they were also due to the lacklustre options that replaced him. Abrines was a timid shooter who had too many nothing games, Terrence Ferguson took even fewer dribbles than he, and although he was the best defender of the bench, Josh Huestis was somehow even less of an offensive threat that Roberson, while not being the tour de force on defence. Singler wasn't trusted at all, and ultimately, two point guard line-ups featuring Felton became a turned-to option, such was the plight at the position sans Roberson. Brewer shined in relative terms by virtue of being able to play both ends of the court capably, not because he was especially good. [...]

Josh Huestis
SF, 6’7, 230lbs, 25 years old, 2 years of experience

Now the fifth small forward after various trades, Huestis has yet to find minutes or a role on an NBA court, and does not look like he is about to any time soon either. He has played 86 minutes over two seasons, and was best known this season for being a statistical anomaly; until the Gibson trade, Huestis’s 7.0 ppg average (in two games) was the fifth highest on the team. On the plus side, his third straight D-League season was by far his best, shooting a .541% true shooting percentage along with career highs in total rebound rate (10.4%), assist rate (6.4%), turnover rate (7.3%), along with steals, blocks, usage and offensive rating. But none are particularly good numbers in what is now a 25 year old prospect still playing minor league basketball. Huestis was always going to be a role player, especially offensively, but if he is not going to board, shoot, handle or post to a high level, he will have to make it with defence, and yet the reason he does not get off the bench is because he does not defend his own position well. Time is short now.

Player Plan: Two years of rookie scale salary remaining, the next of which has a cap number of the minimum. Might as well keep him for that so as to get something for this pick, but there is no reason to exercise the option, and he has a lot to prove if he is to survive beyond the end of next season.