Last Updated on October 18, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake

The 2024–25 NBA Season has many sleeper players who could seriously outperform their average draft position. There are numerous things I like about this season: some players have dropped weight, some players are aging and have less depth around them which makes for their teammates becoming interesting stashes, but perhaps most promising of all is the chance for several young stars to break out thanks to their talent and an increased role meeting up at the same time.

Here are my fantasy sleepers for the 2024–25 NBA Season:

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS PLAYERS

Steph Curry is getting older. One of these years, Curry’s stats are going to most likely see a considerable drop-off from his usual averages. If it happens this year, there is a lot of value to be had with his teammates who are often young but no longer first-year players. Here are the best ones in my opinion:

  • Andrew Wiggins GSW – SF, PF: Wiggins is the starting small forward for the Warriors who lost Klay Thompson over the offseason. His ADP doesn’t reflect that at all. The risk with Wiggins is that his stats have steadily declined over the last few seasons and most people like to draft players whose stats are ascending rather than descending. Nonetheless, the Warriors will need Wiggins to have a large role on the team. Wiggins will have every opportunity to produce huge stats, which is rare for a fantasy player who isn’t drafted in the top 30. For you to be able to draft him way outside of the top 100 and perhaps the top 150, and he can give you the same usage as a top 30 player…you have to draft that. His Yahoo ADP currently is 136.
  • Brandin Podziemski – GSW – SG: Like Wiggins, Podziemski is in the Warrior’s starting five this year, this time as a shooting guard. So, let’s reflect: a starting shooting guard who is playing with an aging Steph Curry and who is on a rather thin roster that recently lost Klay Thompson — an obvious buy at his current ADP of 114.
  • Trayce Jackson-Davis GSW – PF, C: Though he isn’t in the starting lineup, Jackson-Davis is playing off the bench behind an aging Draymond Green. Moreover, Jackson-Davis can be used in two positions: power forward and center. So don’t be surprised if he also plays minutes next to Green on the court at the same time.
  • Jonathan Kuminga GSW – PF: Kuminga is another member of the Warriors starting five this year. Kuminga broke out last year and there’s every reason to assume that it wasn’t a fluke. Chances are Kuminga’s numbers continue to rise. During the offseason, there was talk of Kuminga wanting big money for his next contract. But then that talk disppeared rather quickly after the Warriors said they weren’t considering paying him anywhere near that amount. I think that’s very bullish for Kuminga stock. Usually when someone is overvaluing themselves to take advantage of a team, they don’t stop talking quickly. Kuminga’s agent only mentioned it once and that was it. Why did he mention it once? I think Kuminga knows that he is a very good player deserving of a big contract. Let’s see what he does during his contract year, but his ADP of 91 on Yahoo is an easy buy low.

TORONTO RAPTORS PLAYERS

  • Immanuel Quickley TOR – PG, SG: He isn’t cheap to own, but I still think Quickley can outperform his ADP of 45 on Yahoo rather easily because he’s in his prime and had been handed the reins to the offense on a Toronto Raptors team that is looking to win now. If he stays healthy, he’ll get every chance to be a top-25 player this season.

CHICAGO BULLS PLAYERS

  • Josh Giddey CHI – SG, SF: Giddey was traded by OKC to the Bulls for …Alex Caruso. To this day, I still can’t believe that. I understand that coaches rave about what an asset Caruso is for a locker room, but he isn’t the kind of player who has a lot of value that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet in my opinion. Moreover, he’s getting old and he doesn’t have the body type that ages well. If Caruso was the defender people say he is, it won’t be for much longer. Anyhow, Giddey found himself as the starting point guard for the Bulls and he just came off an excellent offseason at the Paris Olympics (2024). When they played against one another, there wasn’t much difference in the value of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey. I think Giddey easily has a top 50 upside and his Yahoo ADP is 69. I’m not convinced that ADP isn’t a little in-joke at Yahoo either.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES PLAYERS

  • Anthony Edwards MIN – SG, SF: You could argue that Edwards wasn’t the best player in the league last year (Jokic probably was). But Jokic is past his prime and Edwards is developing into his prime. How confident am I that this is the year Edwards doesn’t overtake Jokic? Edwards put up a lot of shots over the offseason. While he wasn’t a major contributor on Team USA at the Paris Olympics, he played alongside the very best players in the NBA and some of them like Kevin Durant did some coaching for him because I saw it. Edwards will be better this year than last and could be much better value than his Yahoo ADP of 10. Edwards should be a top 5 pick this year in my opinion.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS PLAYERS

  • Evan Mobley CLE – PF, C: I’ve always advocated for Mobley since he was drafted, but he’s yet to truly break out and become an all-star caliber player. Do I think Mobley will be an all-star in his career? Yes. At what age is that most likely to occur? Right now. If Mobley is going to blossom into becoming an all-star, it means mathematically that I would expect him to have a top-20 value. Mobley’s Yahoo ADP is 38. Only an injury can have him finishing that low in my opinion because his Cavs are looking to win now and he has a high-usage role. Couple that with his talent and how can you go wrong?

DETRIOT PISTONS PLAYERS

  • Jalen Duren DET – C: I don’t ever draft rookies or bother picking them up from the waiver wire because there is too much learning to be done which means at best they will be inconsistent which is not acceptable for a fantasy team that already needs to deal with high volatility. However, out of all the rookies in recent memory who weren’t top draft picks, Duren was the guy who nearly inclined me to pick him up. He was solid as a rookie. And he isn’t a rookie anymore…far from it. This is Duren’s third season. His stats increased well during his second season and I think they’ll continue to go up on a similar trajectory this year.

ORLANDO MAGIC PLAYERS

  • Jonathan Isaac ORL – SF, PF: Isaac was a highly touted rookie whose statistics grew steadily in each of his first three years. However, his third season was cut short and he didn’t play in his fourth or fifth seasons as he recovered from a torn ACL. His potential has been limited since the injury, but he’s still a good gamble for an investment when his Yahoo ADP is 148. The Magic have a lot of depth this year, which also limits Isaac. But in the games that he played toward the end of last season, he was getting 20+ minutes sometimes. Assuming a minute restriction due to his leg, it’s plausible that this year he sees closer to 30 minutes some nights and I wouldn’t be surprised if he averaged at least 25 minutes per game. If he knows he is only playing for 25, he may put in extra effort and produce similarly to a 30-minute-per-game player.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS PLAYERS

  • Mark Williams CHA – C: Williams was arguably the best center in his draft class. However, injuries have limited his value to date. Do I think he’s a player who can stay healthy? Looking at him, I think he can. If he’s going to prove he can stay healthy, it’s going to be this year while he’s still young. I think Williams is a good gamble with a Yahoo ADP of 90.

DETRIOT PISTONS PLAYERS

  • Jaden Ivey DET – PG, SG: Ivey came into the league having a successful mother as a basketball coach. Niele Ivey is the coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s basketball team. Couple that with Ivey’s natural ability to play basketball, and I like the setup for him to succeed. Ivey’s mother will teach him how to be a professional and he’ll have the upper hand in understanding what coaches want, expect, etc. This could be a huge year for Jaden Ivey.
  • Ausar Thompson DET – SF, PF: Thompson came into the NBA as a twin along with Amen. The statistics of two family members both being very good NBA players aren’t very good, so I usually avoid players who I know are sons or brothers, etc. What are the statistics like for twins? Even worse. But out of the two of them, it’s actually Ausar Thompson that I prefer. I don’t think either of them will be great shooters or scorers, but if I am going to believe in one of them, it’s going to be the frontcourt player whose role goes beyond scoring and whose defense ability is more likely to show up on the stat sheet. The Pistons have been drafting young talent for years and are going to give what’s left of it every chance to succeed. I expect high usage for Thompson this season.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS PLAYERS

  • Trey Murphy III NOP – SF, PF: I didn’t watch much of Trey Murphy’s breakout season last year, but I did notice that Zack Lowe was impressed. I also heard Zack Lowe say that Murphy could break out to be the Pelican’s version of Klay Thompson. With a Yahoo ADP of 84, I don’t even need to watch a Pelicans game to take a gamble on that upside.

BROOKLYN NETS PLAYERS

  • Ben Simmons BKN – PG: Everyone thought that Ben Simmons was done playing basketball because he didn’t seem to want to be on the court. Things got so bad that the Australian national team didn’t want him. But then I realized that it was a contract year and then all of a sudden I started seeing prime Ben Simmons taking the court and being a top 15 fantasy player. At his current Yahoo ADP of 154, it’s worth a gamble.