Ace Bailey and Kon Knueppel Among First-Round NBA Picks Who Could be Fantasy Basketball Busts as Rookies

We just took a look at some NBA first-round picks from Wednesday who might have good fantasy basketball outlooks heading into their rookie seasons.

Now, we're going to go through the first round of picks and identify some potential fantasy busts, at least for their rookie seasons. We will keep our focus on the most notable players, not guys who will play sparingly, or are buried on depth charts right now.

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Kon Knueppel - Charlotte Hornets

Many fantasy owners are going to see this landing spot as a win for Knuepel, but I'm actually thinking the No. 4 overall pick is going to struggle a bit as a rookie because of the landing spot.

Charlotte has LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges in place (for now), so Knueppel might be the fourth scoring option, if he even starts the season as a starter. There's a chance Knueppel's role increases if Ball is out an extended period of time again, but Miller and Bridges are still likely to produce ahead of Knueppel.

In time, or with other moves, I could see Knueppel starring for Charlotte, but right now, I don't like this landing spot for him and his fantasy outlook.

Ace Bailey - Utah Jazz

Bailey didn't seem too enthused to be drafted by the Jazz at No. 5 overall (look it up if you haven't seen his remarks and reaction). I'm not thrilled about it either, and don't see a big fantasy outlook for him right now.

Utah already has a pretty solid starting five with Isaiah Collier, Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Walker Kessler. Keyonte George, Jordan Clarkson and Kyle Filipowski are among the backup options.

Bailey might have been a top-five pick, but I don't see a super clear path to playing time, unless there's injuries to a couple players, or additional moves this offseason that clear the logjam of players in front of him. His dynasty value is still strong, but his redraft outlook for 2025-26 is rather weak, in my opinion.

Collin Murray-Boyles - Toronto Raptors

Another instance of a player who didn't seem too thrilled about the team that drafted him. Murray-Boyles went ninth overall to the Raptors.

Toronto has quietly assembled a good starting lineup, and roster overall, and I think Murray-Boyles might struggle to crack the rotation regularly. Add in that he's maybe not thrilled to be going there and his fantasy outlook isn't looking the best at the moment.

In time, things could shift in Murray-Boyle's favor, but right now, I'm not loving this landing spot for him.

Noa Essengue - Chicago Bulls

This was kind of an odd pick to me, especially because Matas Buzelis was taken in last year's draft and looks like a future star. Essengue went 12th overall to Chicago last night.

Essengue is more of a project than anything, but I don't like this landing spot. He's likely not going to get consistent minutes in his rookie season, and Buzelis will block him from getting a ton of minutes if Essengue plays well.

He's got more dynasty value than redraft value by a good amount. We'll see if the Bulls have another gem on their hands and can prove me wrong along the way.

Kasparas Jakucionis - Miami Heat

This was another weird pick to me. Jakucionis went 20th overall to the Heat.

Miami has Tyler Herro and Davion Mitchell as guards, and they are both fairly young. Jakucionis could play well enough to move one of them off the team, but he's going to be stuck behind them in his rookie season.

Throw in that the team also currently has Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson and Pelle Larsson, and I think Jakucionis will have a hard time cracking the rotation. Injuries or roster movement could get the rookie into a better fantasy spot, but his outlook doesn't look great right now.

Asa Newell - Atlanta Hawks

This was another interesting landing spot. Newell is joining the Hawks after being drafted No. 23 overall.

Newell is insurance in case Jalen Johnson isn't quite ready to go after his big injury. In time, Newell could also play center alongside Johnson, but he'll be stuck behind Kristaps Porzingis after the team added him in a trade a few days ago.

Atlanta also still has Onyeka Okongwu, Clint Capela and Mouhamed Gueye on the roster still, so I think Newell will have a hard time carving out playing time this season.

In time, he could become a big fantasy asset, so I like his fantasy outlook, but I'm not thrilled about his outlook for the 2025-26 season.