Mason Plumlee

Mason Plumlee

34-Year-Old CenterC
Phoenix Suns  NBA  
Phoenix Suns
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Having bounced around the league, Plumlee will open the 2024-25 season as a member of the Suns, likely operating as the primary backup center behind Jusuf Nurkic. Despite having pockets of fantasy value throughout his career, Plumlee has never been considered a priority, something that is unlikely to change. He averaged 18.0 minutes per game during the 2023-24 season, compiling 6.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.8 combined steals and blocks. He should play a very similar role in Phoenix, providing energy off the bench on both ends of the floor. If Nurkic is forced to the sideline at any point, Plumlee could become a sneaky short-term pickup, especially for anyone who can overlook his offensive shortcomings. Beyond that, he is better suited for deeper formats, serving as a team's fourth or fifth center option. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Current Season
From Preseason
#243
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Suns in July of 2024.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary

In 1990, Mason Plumley was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His father, Perky, played basketball at Tennessee Tech, and his mother, Leslie, played at Purdue. Mason has two brothers and a sister. His brothers, Miles and Marshall, also played in the NBA. For high school, Plumlee first attended Warsaw Community in Warsaw, Indiana. After his freshman year, he transferred with his brother Miles to Christ School, a boarding school in Arden, North Carolina. Marshall joined his brothers at Christ School a few years later. Learn more about Mason on Twitter (@masonplumlee). For seven straight seasons, there was a Plumlee patrolling the paint for Duke. Mason Plumlee is the middle brother of the three Plumlees and perhaps the best. He joined his brother Miles (who was then a sophomore) as a freshman in 2009-10. Plumlee only started one game, but he played in 34 and contributed 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds. The 6-10 forward moved up the depth chart as a sophomore and started 31 games. He averaged 7.2 points and 8.5 rebounds with six double-doubles, including 10 points and 11 rebounds in an ACC tournament win over Maryland. Plumlee was more confident as a shooter as a junior. He provided 11.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. His 12th double-double occurred in the NCAA Tournament, but it was not enough to keep the Blue Devils from losing to Lehigh in the first round. Plumlee was an All-ACC First-Team performer as a senior. He put up 17.1 points (on 59.9 percent shooting) and 9.9 rebounds per game, helping the Blue Devils advance to the Elite Eight. Plumlee was selected with the 22nd overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Solid all-around outing Thursday
CPhoenix Suns
November 1, 2024
Plumlee finished with eight points (3-7 FG, 2-4 FT), six rebounds, two steals and one block across 17 minutes during Thursday's 125-119 win over the Clippers.
ANALYSIS
The veteran big man stuffed the stat sheet in his limited run, serving as Jusuf Nurkic's primary backup. Plumlee tied his season high with eight points and set a new season best in steals. Through five regular-season outings, the 34-year-old has averaged 5.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 stocks while shooting 64.3 percent from the field across 17.4 minutes per game.
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Stat Review
How does Mason Plumlee compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
  • True Shooting %
    An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
  • Effective Field Goal %
    A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
  • 3-Point Attempt Rate
    Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
  • Free Throw Rate
    Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
  • Offensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Defensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Total Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Assist %
    An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
  • Steal %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Block %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Turnover %
    An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
  • Usage %
    An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
  • Fantasy Points Per Game
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
  • Fantasy Points Per Minute
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
60.6%
 
Effective Field Goal %
61.9%
 
3-Point Attempt Rate
0.0%
 
Free Throw Rate
76.2%
 
Offensive Rebound %
9.8%
 
Defensive Rebound %
20.8%
 
Total Rebound %
15.7%
 
Assist %
9.7%
 
Steal %
1.0%
 
Block %
3.4%
 
Turnover %
9.6%
 
Usage %
11.0%
 
Fantasy Points Per Game
14.1
 
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.9
 
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Total
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NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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Suns Depth Chart
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Suns Rotation: Minutes Breakdown
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Average Fantasy Points
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Mason Plumlee was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Mason Plumlee See More
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2016
2015
2014
2013
After re-signing with the Clippers for one more season, Plumlee should assume the role of backup center behind Ivica Zubac. After starting the 2022-23 season as a must-roster player in Charlotte, Plumlee's appeal fizzled following his mid-season trade. With that said, he did still offer a small amount of upside for anyone needing boards and out-of-position assists. While it appears as though Zubac has the starting role secured, he is not an elite option by any means. Plumlee is unlikely to top 20 minutes on most nights, but an uptick at some point is definitely not out of the question. Plumlee is not worth drafting in most standard formats but does warrant consideration for streaming purposes, especially if the Clippers do opt to roll with him as a makeshift offensive hub at times.
During his first year with the Hornets, Plumlee was the team's full-time starting center, getting the nod in all 73 of his appearances. However, his numbers suffered with his role in the offense being reduced compared to his time in Detroit in 2020-21. Plumlee's 12.7 percent usage rate was the lowest of his career. His value also plummeted due to his atrocious free-throw shooting -- 39.2 percent on 2.3 attempts per game -- which was so bad that he changed his shooting hand late in the year. Overall, he ranked 243rd in per-game fantasy value behind 6.5 points on 64.1 percent shooting, 7.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 combined steals-plus-blocks in 24.6 minutes. Plumlee should be in the same role again this season. He has upside for standard-league relevance if he can break out of his free-throw slump. He managed to rank 163rd in 2018-19 in just 21.1 minutes, but his free-throw percentage was a much-better 56.1 percent. It's much less risky to select Plumlee in points leagues due to the issue.
Plumlee is coming off the best season of his career as the Pistons' starting center. In 26.8 minutes per game, he averaged 10.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 combined blocks-plus-steals. He also shot 61.4 percent from the field and a career-high 66.9 percent from the free-throw line. All together, that resulted in him ranking 96th in fantasy on a per-game basis. During the 2021 offseason, he was dealt to Charlotte in what was essentially a salary dump by Detroit. With the Hornets, Plumlee again projects to be a starter, but P.J. Washington and Bismack Biyombo figure to see time at center, as well. With that in mind, it seems safe to assume Plumlee should have a similar role and could put up comparable numbers to last season. He's a low-upside pick, but there's a decent chance he'll again return top-100 value.
Plumlee may have found himself what would have been deemed a rather unexpected starting opportunity before free agency, as he secured a three-year, $25 million deal from the frontcourt-needy Pistons in late November. How Plumlee will fit into a true starter's role remains to be seen, as he's yet to average more than 26.5 minutes per game in any of his seven seasons and has been under 20.0 per contest in two of the last three campaigns specifically. Plumlee's ability to rack up stats across the board has always been impressive, with last season's per-36 averages of 14.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals serving as the most recent example. However, he's often garnered those numbers against fellow second-unit players, so it will be interesting to see if his production remains up to par over a 72-game grind as a regular member of the first unit. If Plumlee is up to the task, he could serve as a sneaky source of later-round value in drafts.
Plumlee averaged 7.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 21.1 minutes for the Nuggets last season, shooting 59.3 percent from the floor and adding 3.0 assists and 1.7 combined blocks/steals. Much like his teammate Nikola Jokic, Plumlee is an adept passing big man, which boosts his overall value. Plumlee is the clear backup to Jokic, but in 17 starts last season, he averaged a healthy 10.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 combined blocks/steals per contest. He has upside as an all-around player, and he displayed that with seven games of at least 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. He was one of only five centers to average at least 7.8 points, 6.4 boards and 3.0 assists last season, and he played the fewest minutes of any of them. For now, he is stuck firmly behind Jokic, but he is a high-end backup who could provide immediate production if the latter misses time. Ultimately, Plumlee has some standalone value in deeper leagues.
During his first full year in Denver, Plumlee played a mostly bench role (26 starts), seeing 19.4 minutes per tilt. He was a solid rebounder (5.4) and defender (1.8 combined blocks/steals) in those minutes, and also made sure to take shots within his range (7.1 points on 60.1 percent). The Duke product also showed proficiency in the Nuggets’ offensive scheme where big men do much of the passing, averaging 3.6 assists per 36 minutes. However, given the presence of both Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap, there’s little room for Plumlee’s role to expand. As a result, he projects to have nearly identical Fantasy value heading into 2018-19, and will be mostly a deep league option and DFS play in the event of injuries.
Acquired from the Nets last summer, Plumlee was one of several Trail Blazers who thrived in 2015-16 while ascending into expanded roles in place of the team's departing talent. In Plumlee's case, he ended up replacing Robin Lopez as the team's starting center, suiting up for all 82 games and providing stability for the team at both ends of the floor. The 26-year-old relied on his considerable athleticism and advanced play-making skills to generate 9.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 block and 0.8 steals in 25.4 minutes per game, while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor. That assist figure stands out as an exceptional mark for a center and carried over to the postseason, when Plumlee dropped 53 dimes in 11 games to help Portland upset the Clippers in the first round and take the Warriors to five games in the second round. Going forward, Plumlee still needs to add more strength in order to prop up his interior defense, but from a fantasy standpoint, he looks like a player on the rise. His near-double-double production and elite passing already make him a nice asset in points leagues, and the improvement he showed from the charity stripe last season (64.2% on 335 attempts) offers hope that he'll develop into a more reliable commodity in rotisserie formats.
Coming off a steady rookie season and stint with USA Basketball at the FIBA World Cup, Plumlee found difficulty securing consistent run under new coach Lionel Hollins until Brook Lopez sustained a lower back strain in early December. For the next 41 outings, Plumlee effectively spelled Lopez as a starter, averaging 12.4 points (on 63 percent shooting), 7.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal, and 1.0 block in 27 minutes. When Lopez retained the starting center gig on Mar. 8, though, Plumlee's workload dried up slowly but surely, culminating with eight minutes per game in the Nets' first-round series loss to the Hawks. Plumlee was given a new start following a draft-night trade to the Blazers, who soon suffered frontcourt casualties (LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez) in the free-agent marketplace. Portland general manager Neil Olshey has since expressed confidence that Plumlee will start at center in the upcoming campaign, but a few caveats remain unexplored. Of the 791 field goal attempts in Plumlee's first two seasons, 76 percent occurred within three feet of the basket, meaning he'll likely leave the floor when the similarly-constrained Ed Davis enters. Furthermore, Plumlee has cobbled together a career 55-percent clip from the foul line, which could keep him confined to the bench in crunch time. If he's unable to buck either trend, he'll hold far more value in head-to-head formats than rotisserie leagues in 2015-16.
The 22nd overall pick in the much-maligned 2013 draft, Plumlee emerged as one of the top rookies in the NBA last season. He appeared in 70 games (starting 22), averaging 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 18 minutes per game. Plumlee connected on nearly 66 percent of his field goals en route to All-Rookie First Team honors. The 6-10 Plumlee helped to fill the void left when Brook Lopez was lost for the season with a broken foot and spent the majority of his minutes at center, despite having prototypical size for the power forward position. With Lopez back in the fold this season, Plumlee will likely spend more time at power forward and should push Kevin Garnett for the starting job. While new head coach Lionel Hollins has a reputation for favoring veterans, Garnett is 38 years old, and Plumlee is coming off of a very impressive summer that saw him qualify for the United States' FIBA World Cup squad over several well-known talents. Even if Garnett or fellow-veteran Andre Kirilenko starts, it will be difficult for Hollins to keep the athletic Plumlee off the court.
The first-round pick out of Duke has the strength and athleticism to succeed in the NBA, but his lack of polish offensively will likely limit his role as a rookie. Plumlee could spend time in the D-League as he adjusts to the professional game.
More Fantasy News
Not in starting lineup Thursday
CPhoenix Suns
October 17, 2024
Plumlee is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's preseason game against the Lakers.
ANALYSIS
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Gets starting nod again Friday
CPhoenix Suns
October 11, 2024
Plumlee totaled six points (3-4 FG, 0-1 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 18 minutes during Friday's loss to Detroit.
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Starting in preseason opener
CPhoenix Suns
October 6, 2024
Plumlee will start in Sunday's preseason game against the Lakers, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
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Heading to Phoenix
CPhoenix Suns
June 30, 2024
Plumlee agreed to a one-year deal with the Suns on Sunday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
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Not starting Sunday
CLos Angeles Clippers
April 21, 2024
Plumlee will come off the bench for Sunday's Game 1 against Dallas, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Targeting January return
CLos Angeles Clippers
December 26, 2023
Plumlee has begun participating in drills as he recovers from a knee injury that has kept him sidelined since early November, and the center remains on track to return to the Clippers' lineup sometime in January, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register reports.
ANALYSIS
"He's feeling pretty good," coach Tyronn Lue said over the weekend. "Still has a couple of boxes to check before he gets back on the floor, but he's trending in the right direction." Plumlee will likely be eased back into the lineup once he's cleared, a luxury the Clippers have thanks to the solid play of Ivica Zubac in the 33-year-old's absence.
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