Get ready for your fantasy basketball drafts with Dan Titus’ division previews for the 2024-25 NBA season. On today’s slate: the Central.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Evan Mobley’s utilization and output have 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 go off.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson says he’ll be featuring Mobley more as a playmaker, and he’s been working to extend his range all offseason. A breakout is incoming, and Mobley’s services will be well worth the price of admission as an early fourth-rounder.
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The most significant question mark here is Darius Garland. Injuries limited Garland to just 57 games last season and his production was down in nearly every category. Assuming last year was an outlier, his sixth-round ADP has reached a low enough point where I’d buy back in.
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo comes with warts in category formats, but he’s a top-four option for points leagues. Damian Lillard finished just outside the top 24 for the first time in a decade, so expect him to bounce back after an entire offseason to train, rest and recover without external distractions.
Brook Lopez’s age is catching up with him, so he’s an easy fade for me at his current ADP. One player to watch for in the later rounds is Bobby Portis Jr. Portis’ usage rate eclipsed 25% under Doc Rivers and he ranked 79th in per-game value over the season’s final three months.
Indiana Pacers
As one of basketball’s most fast-paced and efficient units last season, the Pacers turned heads as a solid hub for fantasy production. Tyrese Haliburton played in 69 games despite battling injuries and averaged at least 20 points with 10 assists for the second consecutive year. He’s an easy first-rounder in fantasy drafts.
Myles Turner is still an effective shot-blocker to grab in the fourth round, while Pascal Siakam has a safe 20-7-4 floor. I prefer Turner over Siakam in category leagues because Siakam’s defensive numbers are trending down, along with his free-throw percentage. In points leagues, go for Siakam.
Two late-round guys I like are Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard. Both are efficient from the field, scrappy defensively and their services come at a reasonable cost. Bennedict Mathurin is a microwave bucket, but he’s yet to prove to be a viable fantasy asset outside of scoring.
Chicago Bulls
Zach LaVine spoke about his approach to the season and I was left convinced he’ll restore his basketball value in real life and fantasy. You gotta feel like the Bulls will feature him more in the hopes of moving off his contract. That said, 23-5-4 is a safe floor for LaVine after DeRozan’s departure. Nikola Vučević is declining, but he remains an asset for points, boards and assists from the center spot.
Josh Giddey is stepping into a larger role for the Bulls and can produce in a variety of ways in fantasy. Career year incoming.
I assume Coby White will play more off-ball when he shares the court with Giddey and Lonzo Ball, so his usage may dip. Still, grabbing a scorer of his caliber in the eighth round is worthwhile. You can scratch 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 keep doing this in limited minutes, he may find his way back on some fantasy basketball rosters this season.
Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham is one of my favorite picks in the third round this season. If his preseason is any indication of what to expect, fantasy managers are in for 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. The stocks and 3s will come, but it’s time to board the motorCade.
Jalen Duren is a big man 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’ll finish among the leaders in double-doubles and a bump in stocks will push him inside the top 50 in fantasy this year.
Tobias Harris continues to be a boring pick but remains consistent in fantasy. He finished in the top 65 in 10 consecutive seasons, yet his ADP is 67 — underrated as usual.
Ausar Thompson (illness) hasn’t been cleared for contact yet, while Jaden Ivey put together one of the best preseasons in the league. That efficiency won’t hold, but he’s certainly worth a late-round flier with a modest ADP of 133.
