2024-25 Fantasy Basketball Month 1 Risers and Fallers

Aidin Ebrahimi looks at four risers and four fallers from the first month of the 2024-25 NBA season as we get ready for the start of the NBA Cup!

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to the first edition of my monthly fantasy basketball risers and fallers series for the 2024-25 season!

The second NBA Cup is about to start, and teams are looking to etch their name in history and win the competition. If things haven't gone your way yet in your fantasy leagues, don't lose hope! Every month, I'm here to help you assess the value of some players who are seeing major production swings during the year.

With that being said, let's look at the risers and fallers from the first month of the NBA season.

Fantasy Basketball Risers: Month 1

Ivica Zubac - C, Los Angeles Clippers

One month ago, I said Ivica Zubac was going to have a career year. Zubac has not let me down so far and is making the most of his new opportunities. The Clippers are holding on well without Kawhi Leonard, and Zubac has been a big part of their success.

Zubac tonight:

22 PTS
14 REB
3 BLK

Leading the league in OREB. pic.twitter.com/EUMUGejcvf

— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 12, 2024

The Croatian big is putting up 16.9 points and 12.8 rebounds a night while also averaging career-highs in stocks (2.5 steals + blocks) and assists (2.5).

There's still no timetable for Leonard's return, and even when he does come back, he'll need a period to get up to speed. I don't expect to see the typical dominant version of Kawhi until January, so that's good news if you have Zubac on your team.

Payton Pritchard - G, Boston Celtics

Payton Pritchard went on a huge run in the 2023 preseason, but the Celtics didn't give him a chance until the final stretch of the 2023-24 season.

In the last 20 games of that campaign, Pritchard averaged 14.8 points and 5.8 assists per game. He also had several solid performances in the playoffs, which included two buzzer-beaters in the NBA Finals where he helped his team win an NBA championship.

Pritchard's hard work didn't go unnoticed by head coach Joe Mazzulla, who recently called him a "purist competitor." Mazzulla has trusted Pritchard so far this season, and Pritchard has repaid that trust by putting up 17.9 PPG while shooting 50.9% from the field and 46.2% from three over his last 10 games.

Christian Braun - G, Denver Nuggets

Speaking of NBA Finals heroes, Christian Braun won an NBA championship as a rookie after scoring 15 points off the bench in Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals. Braun showed glimpses of his potential as a sophomore but is finally breaking out this season.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's departure in the offseason opened the door for Braun to become a starter, and he has not disappointed so far.

He is scoring 16.3 points a night with a 67.2% true shooting percentage and has shown good chemistry with Nikola Jokic and the rest of Denver's stars, which means his numbers could be sustainable.

Norman Powell - G, Los Angeles Clippers

Ivica Zubac's value has skyrocketed due to Kawhi Leonard's absence, but no one has benefited more than Norman Powell. Powell has always had the potential to be a superstar but never got to show it because of all the stars he has played with.

Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac continue to put up CRAZY numbers for the @laclippers! 👏

Powell posted a team-high in scoring while Zubac grabbed a game-high in rebounding versus the Thunder. #GLeagueAlum pic.twitter.com/JPB7fySBeb

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 12, 2024

But now that Kawhi is out and James Harden is getting older, Powell is finally getting to know what it feels like to be "the man." He is putting up 26.0 points a night while shooting 52.7% from the floor and 50.5% from deep.

His ridiculous efficiency might not be sustainable -- something like 47% from the field is a bit more realistic -- but he will be the Clippers' main man until Kawhi returns.

Fantasy Basketball Fallers: Month 1

Anfernee Simons - G, Portland Trail Blazers

Remember when Eric Bledsoe tweeted "I don't wanna be here" and was traded from the Suns in 2017? I wouldn't be surprised if something similar happened to Anfernee Simons this year. Simons is in his prime but is being wasted on a bad team, and he knows it.

Y'all HAVE to see this defense from Lu Dort. Back to back possessions Anfernee Simons goes full speed at him and Dort engulfs him both times forcing two turnovers.pic.twitter.com/82uyeijdnm

— Hot Hand Theory (@HotHandTheory) November 2, 2024

It's clear by watching his body language that he's no longer giving it his all. Simons is shooting 38.1% from the field and is only averaging 17.5 points per game. I doubt that we're going to see more effort from him until he's traded.

Klay Thompson - G, Dallas Mavericks

Klay Thompson's legendary tenure with the Warriors ended in the offseason. He had his worst season in a decade, was benched for a rookie, and played the worst game of his life in the Warriors' play-in loss to the Kings.

But after a great start to life in his first three games in Dallas, there were high hopes for Thompson. Unfortunately, the future Hall of Famer has crashed back down to earth in his last seven outings.

He is averaging just 11.3 points per game while shooting 38.5% from the field and a putrid 28.6% from three. While things will certainly get better for Thompson, it's clear that his best days are behind him.

Deni Avdija - F, Portland Trail Blazers

Deni Avdija had the best year of his career last season, but it still wasn't enough for the Wizards to keep him. Washington pulled the plug on the Avdija experiment, and while many thought a fresh start in Portland would bring out the best in him, that has been far from the case.

Avdija has gone 6-of-35 from beyond the arc and is shooting just 34.8% from the field. He has failed to show enough improvement to stay as a starter and was finally benched after 10 games.

His numbers could get even worse off the bench, though he might have some late-season fantasy potential if Portland trades Anfernee Simons and/or Jerami Grant.

Gary Trent Jr. - G, Milwaukee Bucks

Just a few years ago, people were raving about Gary Trent Jr.'s "superstar potential" when he was traded from Portland to Toronto. Trent had a couple of good seasons as a Raptor but never reached his true potential and left after a disappointing final season.

Sources: Milwaukee Bucks expected to make a change by inserting high-flying Andre Jackson Jr. into the starting lineup in place of Gary Trent Jr. for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz. pic.twitter.com/SIe2ct9hYg

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 7, 2024

He signed a cheap, short-term contract with the Bucks to try and win a ring, but this season has been a disaster for both the player and the team.

GTJ got benched after going 2-of-17 from the field in his last two games as a starter and suffered an injury in his first game off the bench. Things are not looking good for the former Duke Blue Devil.