Fantasy Basketball Late-Round Sleepers: One-Trick Pony Category Specialists to Target in 2024-25

Mike's fantasy basketball late-round sleepers and category specialists for 2024-25 drafts. He discusses NBA players who can contribute in specific categories.

The beginning of the NBA regular season is rapidly approaching. That means it’s time to draft your fantasy basketball teams.

It’s important to begin your draft with well-round players. Taking players like Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, and Paolo Banchero can set fantasy managers up for success in multiple categories.

Those types of players are not available in the mid-to-late rounds of drafts. At that point, it’s important to hunt for players who can help your squad in particular categories. Let’s highlight five of these “one trick ponies” and discuss which categories they can be helpful in.

Klay Thompson, Dallas Mavericks (SG/SF)

Thompson landed with the Mavericks during the offseason, ending his illustrious tenure with the Warriors. He has been one of the premier three-point shooters in the league during his time in the league, shooting 41.3% from behind the arc for his career.

BREAKING: Free agent Klay Thompson plans to join the Dallas Mavericks on a three-year, $50M deal with a player option, sources tell ESPN. Thompson ends his historic Warriors run as part of a multi-team sign-and-trade that’ll also send Josh Green to Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/4GJ5hR3H5o

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2024

Thompson has never been one to contribute a ton outside of the scoring column. For his career, he has averaged 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. Last season, he averaged 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks.

Despite Thompson not being the player that he was in his prime, he averaged 17.9 points and 3.5 three-pointers per game last year. He has not averaged fewer than 3.1 three-pointers per game since the 2013-14 season. With Luka Doncic likely to set him up with plenty of quality looks, Thompson can still be an asset in points and three-pointers for fantasy managers.

Mike Conley, Minnesota Timberwolves (PG)

Conley will be 37 years old at the start of this season. Still, he is a key member of the Timberwolves’ starting five. He has a great relationship with Rudy Gobert since their time together with the Jazz, which was likely why the Timberwolves acquired him in a trade during the 2022-23 campaign.

Conley isn’t going to play a ton at this stage of his career. Last season, he averaged 29 minutes per game. The Timberwolves want to keep him healthy for the playoffs, so a similar workload could be in the cards for him this season. Even with his somewhat limited time on the floor, Conley averaged 5.9 assists per game last season. Despite his 16.0% usage rate, he averaged 2.4 three-pointers per game.

While Conley provided virtually nothing in terms of blocks and very little in the way of rebounds, keep him in mind late in drafts if you need to pad your assists total. He can do so while also helping out from behind the arc.

Norman Powell, Los Angeles Clippers (SG/SF)

Powell only averaged 13.9 points per game last season, which was the first time that he averaged fewer than 16.0 points in a season since the 2018-19 campaign. It wasn’t because of a lack of efficiency because he shot 48.6% from the field and 43.5% from behind the arc. The problem was his 20.0% usage rate.

There is the possibility that Powell plays more minutes and has a higher usage rate this season. Paul George is now a member of the 76ers and Kawhi Leonard is still recovering from offseason knee surgery. Even James Harden has a checkered injury history. If either or both of the Clippers’ stars were to miss time, Powell would immediately step in as one of the better scoring options on the team.

Powell has averaged 2.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.3 blocks per game for his career and will likely continue to be a drag in those departments. Still, he has averaged at least 16.0 points per game four times in his career and at least 2.1 three-pointers in four of the last five seasons. He should continue to be an asset in both categories this season.

Alex Caruso, Oklahoma City Thunder (PG/SG)

The Thunder bolstered their chances of making a push for a championship by adding Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein during the offseason. They desperately needed to add size to help Chet Holmgren, which is why Hartenstein is such a key addition. Caruso is one of the best defenders in the league and his ability to guard multiple positions could make him key in the playoffs.

Thunder GM Sam Presti said today they will look to sign Alex Caruso to a long-term contract extension, once he becomes eligible for a four-year deal on December 21.

Oklahoma City traded Josh Giddey to the Bulls for Caruso this summer. pic.twitter.com/jRTC71H4Sy

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) September 25, 2024

Last season, Caruso averaged 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game for the Bulls. He also showed dramatic improvement from behind the arc, averaging 1.9 three-pointers per game. That might be difficult for him to duplicate, but he has averaged at least 1.5 steals in each of the last three seasons. Defense is his strong suit, so expect him to remain valuable in that category.

Andre Drummond, Philadelphia 76ers (C)

Drummond is still one of the best rebounders in the league. Last season, he averaged just 17 minutes per game with the Bulls. Still, he hauled in 9.0 rebounds per game. In the 10 games that he started, he averaged 14.1 points, 17.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks.

Now a member of the 76ers, Drummond is ticketed for a role off the bench behind Joel Embiid. Embiid only played 39 games last season because of injuries and has never appeared in more than 68 games in a season during his career. Drummond is a great backup who can fill in whenever Embiid is injured or needs a night off.

Even if Embiid is healthy and approaches 70 games played, Drummond proved last season that he can still be an asset on the boards, even with limited playing time. Fantasy managers who draft Embiid should make it a priority to also select Drummond. Even those who don’t draft Embiid should consider taking a chance on Drummond to help them out on the glass.

Other Specialists To Target

• Grayson Allen (SG/SF) - Threes
• Marcus Smart (PG/SG) - Steals
• Dereck Lively II (C) - Blocks
• Tyus Jones (PG) - Assists