D.J. Augustin

After starting 81 games and averaging 28.0 minutes for Orlando in 2018-19, Augustin saw his role decrease last season with the arrival of Markelle Fultz. Fultz took over starting point guard duties, and Augustin shifted to the bench, where he averaged just 24.9 minutes. The 12th-year pro averaged 10.5 points, 4.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds, and despite losing some playing time and his starting role, Augustin's stats weren't too far off the prior season's averages. Augustin stepped up his play in 13 bubble games (eight regular season, five playoff) by averaging 11.8 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 40/40/90 splits. Heading into 2020-21, Augustin has joined the contending Bucks on a three-year, $21 million contract. It's possible he starts for Milwaukee but even if he comes off the bench, he should see a similar workload to last season with the Magic. If that's the case, he probably won't see a massive boost in fantasy value. Augustin is a fine late-round option in deeper fantasy drafts.

Augustin will return for his fourth season in Orlando after having his best season as a member of the Magic in 2018-19. Augustin posted 11.7 points, 5.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 28.0 minutes per tilt -- all career highs in his Orlando tenure. He also had the best shooting season of his entire career, going for new bests in field-goal percentage (47.0), three-point percentage (42.1) and threes made (1.6). The 32-year-old guard has been reliable, appearing in at least 71 games in six of the last seven seasons. Augustin had a firm grip on the starting point guard job last season, and he seems locked into that job again, unless Markelle Fultz can turn his fortunes around. While that is a possibility, it shouldn't be enough to completely scare fantasy owners off of Augustin.

Augustin’s leap into Fantasy relevance began once Magic brass opted to deal starting point guard Elfrid Payton to the Suns in exchange for a second-round pick. Post All-Star break, Augustin started all 25 games he appeared in and averaged 12.8 points, 5.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and drilling 1.9 threes per game at 45.3 percent. While Augustin being 30 years old doesn't quite fit Orlando’s rebuild, the only other point guard the Magic acquired over the offseason is Jerian Grant, a 25-year-old who saw 22.8 minutes per contest with the Bulls last season. As a result, it’s possible that the two split time during the 2018-19 campaign, unless Grant takes a significant leap. Considering the situation, drafting Augustin in standard Fantasy leagues is ill-advised, though he might be worth a flier in late rounds of deeper leagues as a consistent and efficient source of stats.

Augustin, a 29-year-old journeyman currently on his eighth different team, will be staying with the Magic for a second season during the 2017-18 campaign. Last season, he posted 7.9 points, 2.7 assists and 1.5 rebounds across 19.7 minutes per game while shooting 37.7 percent from the field and hitting 1.2 threes at a 34.7 percent clip. The 6-foot point guard drew 20 starts in his 78 appearances, though it was largely due to coach Frank Vogel switching up the starting five when the team wasn’t performing up to his standards, rather than Augustin performing at an elevated level. It seems unlikely he’ll see an elevated role next season, considering the Magic are in a rebuilding phase and Elfrid Payton has shown steady improvement throughout his first few years in the league. There is a slight chance, even, that Augustin’s minutes take somewhat of a hit due to the Magic signing Shelvin Mack, another reserve point guard, during the summer. All in all, Augustin has little Fantasy value in the vast majority of year-long formats considering he’s a legitimate backup point guard.

Augustin signed with Pistons in free agency last summer, but at the trade deadline in February, the Thunder acquired Augustin and Kyle Singler in exchange for Reggie Jackson. The Thunder were desperate for a consistent backup point guard to absorb some of Russell Westbrook's minutes, and Augustin filled that role. Through 28 games with the Thunder, he averaged 7.3 points, 1.3 three-pointers, 2.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 0.6 steals in 24 minutes per game while shooting 37 percent from the field, 35 percent from three, and 86 percent from the line. Augustin is a nice backup point guard, but he's a system player, only finding success in running pick-and-rolls and brutalizing second-string players. Unless Westbrook suffers a serious injury, Augustin's value will be limited to deep leagues this season, and his terrible shooting from the field should be avoided in most rotisserie leagues that count field goal percentage. He is in a contract year, so there's the potential that he'll improve his efficiency this season in an effort to cajole another team into giving him a contract next summer. This will be Augustin's eighth year in the NBA, so he's a known commmodity. Leave him on the scrap heap unless you play in a deep league.

After a miserable 2012-13 season in Indiana, Augustin hoped to rebound in Toronto as Kyle Lowry's backup. Augustin's time with the Raptors turned out to be even rougher than his stint with the Pacers, and Augustin was cut after just 10 games. He signed with the Bulls shortly after clearing waivers and immediately began the bounce-back campaign that surprised many fantasy experts. The 26-year-old vet served primarily as a spark plug off the Bulls bench, but he saw enough run (30 minutes per game) to put together arguably his best season as a pro. Augustin averaged career-highs in points (14.9), steals (0.9), three-pointers (2.2), and three-point field-goal percentage (42) in his 61 appearances with Chicago. He also helped pick up the slack from an absent Derrick Rose (knee) by dishing out 5.0 assists per night. His strong play with the Bulls led to an offseason contract with Detroit, where the seven-year vet will serve in a similar role as a scoring punch off the bench. First-year Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy deployed a strategy with Orlando that surrounded Dwight Howard with solid three-point shooters, and based on the Pistons' moves this offseason, it appears he wants to do the same with Andre Drummond, a role Augustin fits into perfectly. Augusting will be the clear-cut backup to Brandon Jennings at point guard, so some regression from Augustin's production in Chicago is expected, but his three-pointers and assists could still hold value in deeper formats.

Augustin got lost on the Pacers' bench last season, averaging career-worst numbers across the board, but as the backup to the fragile Kyle Lowry he's got a better shot at seeing consistent minutes and regaining the form he flashed in 2010. Even if Lowry stays healthy, Augustin should help provide a three-point shooting element that the Raptors' second unit lacked last season.

The Pacers needed a backup point guard and Augustin was their man for the job. His four years in Charlotte were unremarkable, but Augustin’s development was stunted by coach Larry Brown and a bad roster of talent. Getting out of that situation will help revive his career. He’s entering his age-25 season and is a high-IQ player with good court vision. Augustin maintains a career 2.75:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Coming off the bench with the Pacers will be an adjustment and we’ll need to see how well the second unit comes together.

Augustin isn’t anyone’s idea of a prototype point guard, least of all Larry Brown’s. He’s more of a classic “two guard in a point guard’s body.” But he won the starting job in training camp last season, and held it down well enough that no one expected the Bobcats – a team with needs at just about every position – to use a lottery pick on another point. But general manager Rich Cho threw everyone a curve by selecting Final Four hero Kemba Walker – another undersized scoring lead guard – with the ninth overall pick. It’s awfully hard to see how Charlotte could play the 6-0 Augustin with the 6-1 Walker and defend opposing twos, but that’s apparently the plan. The Bobcats have said they’ll rely more on zone defense to minimize the vulnerability of their very small backcourt. If that doesn’t work, don’t be surprised to find Augustin on the trading block.

With Raymond Felton movin' on up to the East Side, the point guard spot in Charlotte will fall to either Augustin or newly-signed Shaun Livingston. Neither seems to be an ideal fit. Augustin is undersized at 6-0, 180, and his best NBA skill is his shooting – hardly the prototypical Larry Brown floor general. Livingston, on the other hand, has excellent size and court vision, but is still recovering from a grisly knee injury. There's no guarantee his body can stand up to playing starter's minutes. The suspicion is that Augustin ends up with the lion's share of the job in what may become a "shooting guard on offense, point guard on defense" arrangement that has Stephen Jackson initiating the offense. If so, Augustin could become a handy source of threes.

When the Bobcats drafted Augustin, the easy assumption was that Larry Brown planned to groom the ex-Longhorn to take Raymond Felton’s place as lead guard. Problem is, Augustin isn’t a “Larry Brown point guard,” either. Augustin’s got legitimate three-point range (43.9 percent from distance as a rookie) and the quickness and handle to penetrate and score in the paint, but he’s not what you’d call a floor leader (1.7 turnovers to 3.5 assists), and he’s on the small side (listed as 6-0, he’s closer to 5-10). Augustin actually played his best ball as a sub for shooting guard Raja Bell late last season – his best role going forward may be as a Ben Gordon/Nate Robinson style bench scorer, though he’s smaller than Gordon and not quite as quick as Robinson.

The Bobcats surprised a lot of people by using the ninth-overall pick on a point guard, just three years after using the fifth-overall pick on Raymond Felton. Apparently new Bobcats coach Larry Brown wanted another lead guard prospect; if Augustin plays well in the pre-season he has a decent chance to earn some minutes as a rookie. Augustin is a quick, athletic point guard with excellent passing skills and legit three-point range on his jumper. He's a good scorer who also finishes well in traffic and draws fouls, but at his size (about 5-10) he may not be big enough to do that in the NBA.

Signed a rookie contract with the Bobcats in July of 2008.