Fantasy basketball: Daring predictions for the 2024-25 NBA season

Typically it takes an professional’s eye to see one thing earlier than everybody else does, corresponding to Tyrese Maxey turning into a 25.9 PPG scorer on the age of 23 or Derrick White turning right into a top-30 fantasy participant in his eighth NBA season.

After which there was Damian Lillard struggling in his first season in Milwaukee, together with his scoring dropping from 32.2 PPG in 2022-23 to simply 24.3 in 2023-24.

How many individuals noticed this coming?

In case you did, you had a serious leg up on the competitors in your fantasy basketball leagues — that is for positive!

With that in thoughts, we gathered our fantasy basketball consultants — André Snellings, Eric Moody, Eric Karabell, Jim McCormick and Steve Alexander — to element their boldest fantasy basketball predictions for 2024-25.

Cam Thomas finishes as a top-30 fantasy participant this season.

The Brooklyn Nets are in rebuilding mode and projected to be one of many league’s worst groups, however Thomas will rating quite a bit. Final season, he averaged 22.5 PPG in 31.4 MPG with 18.0 discipline aim makes an attempt. With Ben Simmons passing on open photographs, Thomas is in line for an unlimited utilization charge. He is additionally a official candidate to steer the league in scoring and can contribute to different statistical areas too, corresponding to assists. He is presently the No. 67 participant being taken off the board in ESPN drafts, which is simply too low. — Moody

No less than one out of the group of Jalen Green, Anfernee Simons and Cam Thomas will end within the high 5 within the NBA in scoring.

Final season, the fifth-highest scorer was Kevin Durant at 27.1 PPG. Thomas ranked twenty sixth within the league (22.5 PPG), Inexperienced forty second (19.6 PPG) and Simons did not play sufficient video games to qualify however would have been twenty second together with his 22.6 PPG. All are younger gamers with demonstrated stretches of mega-scoring, and all with alternatives to step into bigger roles for his or her groups this season. I consider a minimum of one, if no more, makes that leap into the elite scorers within the NBA. — Snellings

Chet Holmgren turns into a fantasy celebrity

The leap from unknown to rotation participant is at all times an intriguing growth. The uncommon surge from there to stardom can change your fantasy fortunes or the outcomes for actual NBA groups. The rarest of transitions, nevertheless, is from star to celebrity.

This may happen for Holmgren this season. My daring take is that he’ll ascend to — whereas not Wemby heights — a completely new statistical tier that features dominant protection and a rising offensive repertoire that might grow to be much more harmful given his group’s added expertise. He is the one participant that must be thought-about a peer with San Antonio’s particular middle when it comes to block charge potential, whereas the help of his gifted teammates frees him up for direct handoffs, high-efficiency cut-and-lob performs, and even spot-up 3-point work. Put it this fashion, that is the final season for seemingly a decade that you may get Chet exterior of the primary spherical. — McCormick

Andre Drummond will common a double-double in factors and boards.

OK, so Drummond is 31 now, and he hasn’t achieved this for the reason that 2020-21 season, however what an excellent alternative he has now that he is again in Philly. We all know Joel Embiid will not be going to play shut to each recreation. He did not even play in half of the video games final season. Drummond averaged 14.1 PPG and 17.9 RPG throughout his 10 begins for final season’s Chicago Bulls, ending at 8.4 PPG and 9.0 RPG general. Assuming Drummond begins a minimum of twice as a lot, and maybe much more than that, he turns into a viable possibility in deeper leagues. — Karabell

Naz Reid might be a top-75 fantasy participant this season.

Reid was a fantasy darling over the last half of the 2023-24 season and completed within the high 120, regardless of enjoying behind Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, who each stayed comparatively wholesome. Reid had a profession yr, averaging 13.5 factors, 5.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.9 assists and a couple of.1 3-pointers, however was even higher after the break, posting 16.0 factors, 6.6 boards, 1.0 steals, 1.2 blocks and a couple of.5 triples. KAT is now in New York and whereas Julius Randle (and Gobert) will nonetheless be in the best way, Randle isn’t any KAT. Minnesota is aware of how good Reid is and we’re all about to see it this season. — Alexander