Get ready for your fantasy basketball drafts with Dan Titus’ split previews for the 2024-25 NBA season. On today’s program: the Central.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Evan Mobley’s usage and production has been consistent throughout his first three seasons in the league – nothing crazy, but just enough to see the potential. Well the 23 year old is about to leave disabled.
Atkinson says he will further introduce Mobley as playmakerand he worked for extend its reach all offseason. A breakout is imminent, and Mobley’s services will be well worth the price of admission as an early fourth-rounder.
(Fantasy Hoops Draft Kit: One-stop shop for rankings, strategy and more)
The biggest question mark here is Darius Garland. Injuries limited Garland to just 57 games last season and his production was down in almost every category. Assuming last year was an outlier, his sixth-round ADP hit a low enough point that I would buy back.
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo comes with warts in bracket formats, but he is a top-four option for point leagues. Damian Lillard just finished outside the top 24 for the first time in a decade, so expect him to bounce back after an entire offseason of training, resting and recovering without outside distractions.
Brook Lopez’s age is catching up with him, so he’s easy to fade away for me at his current age. ADP. One player to watch in the later rounds is Bobby Portis Jr. Portis’ usage rate eclipsed 25% under Doc Rivers and he ranked 79th in value per game over the final three months of the season.
Indiana Pacers
As one of the fastest and most efficient units in basketball last season, the Pacers turned heads as a solid hub for fantasy production. Tyrese Haliburton played in 69 games despite injuries and averaged at least 20 points with 10 assists for the second year in a row. This is an easy first round in fantasy drafts.
Myles Turner is still an effective shot blocker to grab in the fourth round, while Pascal Siakam has a safe floor of 20-7-4. I prefer Turner over Siakam in category leagues because Siakam’s defensive numbers are trending down, as well as his free throw percentage. In points leagues, go with Siakam.
Two late round guys I like are Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard. Both are efficient on the field, scrappy defensively and their services come at a reasonable cost. Bennedict Mathurin is a microwave bucket, but he has yet to prove himself to be a viable fantasy asset outside of scoring.
Chicago Bulls
Zach LaVine spoke about his approach to the season and I was convinced that he would restore the value of basketball in real and fantasy life. You have to feel like the Bulls will feature him more in hopes of getting out of his contract. That said, 23-5-4 is a safe floor for LaVine after DeRozan leaves. Nikola Vučević is in decline, but he remains an asset in points, rebounds and help from the central square.
Josh Giddey is playing a bigger role for the Bulls and can produce in a variety of ways in fantasy. Career year ahead.
I suspect Coby White will play more off-ball when he shares the field with Giddey and Lonzo Ball, so his usage might decrease. Still, grabbing a scorer of his caliber in the eighth round is worth it. You can cross Patrick Williams off your draft list, while Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith are players to watch.
And shout out to Lonzo, man. If he can stay healthy and continue to make This in limited minutes, he could find his way back on some fantasy basketball teams this season.
Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham is one of my favorite third-round picks this season. If his preseason is any indication of what to expect, fantasy managers are expecting a productive season from the fourth-year guard. Cunningham is averaging 14.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists with just two turnovers in 24 minutes this preseason. Stocks and 3s will arrive, but it’s time to board the motorCade.
Jalen Duren is a big guy to target in the fifth round of drafts. Duren is one of four players in NBA history to average at least 13 points and 11 rebounds per game before turning 21. He will finish among the double-double leaders and an increase in stock will propel him into the top 50 in Fantasy this time around. year.
Harris continues to be a boring pick but remains consistent in fantasy. He’s finished in the top 65 for 10 straight seasons, but his ADP is 67 – underrated as usual.
Ausar Thompson (illness) has yet to be cleared for contact, while Jaden Ivey has put together one of the best preseasons in the league. This efficiency will not holdbut he’s certainly worth a late-round steal with a modest 133 ADP.
