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Thunder Dan Palyo examines which players to take in each stage of your draft that can help you win multiple categories in your 2024-25 fantasy basketball leagues.
The 2024-25 NBA season is rapidly approaching and chances are you've already done some drafts and may still have a few more to do before the regular season officially tips off next week!
If you're playing in a categories league (H2H or Roto), you're going to want to draft as many players as you can who can contribute in multiple categories. What you want to avoid is too many "hollow" players who are only going to contribute in categories where stats are plentiful (points, threes, rebounds).
Players who can contribute at an average or above-average rate in four or even five categories are what we are looking for in drafts. Here are some of my favorite targets for this season, sorted by how early/late you should be targeting them in your drafts.
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Peripheral Monsters: Early Round Targets in Fantasy Basketball
Scottie Barnes - SG/SF, Toronto Raptors
Yahoo ADP = 19
Do you know how many players were able to give their managers the league average or better in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks last season? Just three players accomplished that feat and Scottie Barnes was one of them (Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic were the others!).
Scottie's three-ball is the only thing holding him back from a complete 9-cat skill set, but the 23-year-old is primed for another huge year as the main guy on a rebuilding Toronto team. He posted 20 points per game to go along with six boards and eight assists last year, while also chipping in 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks.
Those numbers are impressive and we could see his scoring increase again this year as he continues to evolve his offensive game.
Jalen Johnson - PF, Atlanta Hawks
Yahoo ADP = 41
I was all over Johnson as a third-year breakout last season and he smashed his ADP as he managed to work his way into the starting lineup within the first few weeks of the season. He then posted some excellent stats until getting hurt and missing a month right in the middle of the season.
Johnson's athleticism at the power forward spot created mismatches often and his ability to handle the ball and run the floor made him a nightmare for opposing defenses. He finished the season with averages of 16.0 points, 8.7 boards, 3.6 assists, 1.3 threes, and 2.0 "stocks."
THERE IS A STORM BREWING IN ATLANTA!
This defense to offense play..
Jalen Johnson ➡️ Dyson Daniels ➡️ Trae Young ➡️ JALEN JOHNSON. pic.twitter.com/iLKB56Vh5x
— Hawks Surf (@HawksSurf) October 9, 2024
With Dejounte Murray out of town, look for Johnson to take on a bigger role in this offense, both as a scorer and a facilitator. His game is so smooth and his shot is still a work in progress, but improving.
I'm drafting him this season every chance I get as I think the Hawks are going to be a fun offense that might surprise some people out of the gates as they have a relatively young, exciting core of talented players. Johnson brings a high floor and ceiling with his fantasy skill set.
Derrick White - PG/SG, Boston Celtics
Yahoo ADP = 49
I'll probably end up with White on at least half my teams this season as I am officially addicted to the incredibly balanced and diverse production that he's produced since joining the Boston Celtics. He's not the steal that he was the last two seasons, but he is still very worthy of a pick in the fourth or fifth round of drafts this season based on his role and production with Boston.
He finished 27th last year in per-game production in 9-cat leagues. You simply don't find shooting guards who can block 1.2 shots per game while also contributing 2.7 threes on 46% shooting from the field. And did I mention he hit 90% from the free-throw stripe, too? All while keeping his turnovers down to just 1.5 per game.
White does everything well and scored over 15 points per game for the first time since his 2020 season in San Antonio. He played a career-high 32.6 minutes per game and should continue to be leaned on as Boston's glue guy.
Also consider: Fred VanVleet (PG - HOU), Jaylen Brown (SG/SF - BOS)
Peripheral Monsters: Middle-Round Targets for Fantasy Basketball
Miles Bridges - SF/PF, Charlotte Hornets
Yahoo ADP = 58
Bridges finished last season at No. 57 on the player rater in 9-cat per game value. Now, you could argue that the absence of LaMelo Ball helped aid in that solid finish, but other than a few extra assists, Bridges didn't do anything that we hadn't seen him do before.
A lot of the hype around the Hornets is surrounding the emergence of Brandon Miller in his sophomore season, but I'd much rather have Bridges, as he's better in FG% and is a much better rebounder (7.3 boards per game last season).
Tobias Harris - SF/PF, Detroit Pistons
Yahoo ADP = 66
Tobias Harris has to be in this type of article every year with the way his game is perfectly tailored for 9-cat leagues. However, this season, he has an opportunity to be even more valuable as he should take on a bigger role with a young Detroit team than he did in Philadelphia the last few seasons.
Even as the third or even fourth option in Philly last year, Harris finished 48th in per-game value with a 17-6-3 line, 1.0 steals, 0.7 blocks, 1.3 threes, and just 1.3 turnovers per game. He shot 49% from the floor and 88% from the free-throw line, too.
He gave you median production in seven categories with assists and threes being just slightly under the league average. He fits any kind of build and continues to be an underrated fantasy asset.
Jrue Holiday - PG/SG, Boston Celtics
Yahoo ADP = 74
Another Celtics guard? Yes, I mean, there's a reason they won the championship last season. And while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown get the headlines, it's the duo of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White that set this Boston team apart from their peers.
I just think it is so crazy that the Celtics have Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Been more than a year and still doesn’t feel real pic.twitter.com/2YG34oRcqY
— Champion Curt ☘️ (@CelticsCurt) October 11, 2024
Holiday, even at 34 years old, could be a star on other teams but is perfectly content to take a backseat to the younger Boston stars when it comes to scoring. He averaged just 12.5 points per game last season, which was a full seven-point-per-game drop from the 19 points per contest that he averaged in Milwaukee in 2022-23.
However, Holiday came up big in the right moments, especially in the playoffs as his defense, playmaking, and shot-making spurred this team to a title. If you toss out points, Holiday gives you median production or better in every other category other than rebounds and steals, where he's just barely below average.
He's a guy who will make your team better and more well-rounded; don't be someone who is fooled by his scoring average.
Also consider: Zion Williamson (PF - NOP), Brandon Ingram (SG/SF/PF - NOP)
Peripheral Monsters: Late-Round Targets for Fantasy Basketball
Draymond Green - PF/C, Golden State Warriors
Yahoo ADP = 102
Who needs points this late in the draft? Draymond Green averaged less than 10 points per game last year for the sixth straight season but still offered his usual seven boards, six assists, one steal, and one block. He also shot more threes last year and hit nearly one per game (0.9) with some decent shooting percentages (49% from the floor, 73% from the line).
Deni Avdija - SF/PF, Portland Trail Blazers
Yahoo ADP = 126
I've written about Deni Avdija a few times already this preseason, but he should get mentioned here again as his game is quite fantasy-friendly. With Shaedon Sharpe out to start the season, Avdija should move into the starting lineup at small forward for Portland.
DENI ➡️ DA pic.twitter.com/T6TX9ffKCQ
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 13, 2024
Avdija posted some of the best numbers of his career down the stretch last season for a tanking Wizards team, and while he won't be asked to do as much in Portland, he's still a solid fantasy asset with his ability to rebound, shoot the long ball, and be an above-average passer.
He's already drawn some strong praise from his new coach and Portland actively sought him out in a trade this offseason, so I think it is committed to getting him solid minutes this season.
P.J. Washington - PF, Dallas Mavericks
Yahoo ADP = 135
P.J. Washington is one of my favorite late-round targets. After struggling to find minutes and a solid role on a bad Charlotte team to start his career, Washington was dealt to the Mavericks midseason and flourished playing at power forward alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
He's much better suited for power forward and since Dallas has the duo of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II to split the center minutes, Washington isn't asked to play out of position.
In 29 games for the Mavs last year, Washington averaged 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 1.8 threes per game. He will be an incredible value this season based on his ADP if he comes anywhere close to hitting those numbers again this year in Dallas.
Also consider: Al Horford (PF/C - BOS), Vince Williams Jr. (PG/SG/SF - MEM)
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