Love, hate and fantasy basketball: Pros and cons of the Top 50 players for 2024-25

Eric Wong: Over the past two seasons, my favorite draft kit column to write has been “Sonshine and Evil,” where Stan Son provides an optimistic outlook (Sonshine) for the Top 50 fantasy players while I dish out my pessimistic takes (Evil).

But we’re flipping the script this season.

It’s not fun always being the bad guy, and in the coming days, I’ll be unveiling my new fantasy basketball project, which will replace my “RotoEvil” moniker. No more evil takes from me. It’s going to be all love and positivity, at least for the sake of this article. Instead, Stan will take on the role of Cobra Commander.

Stan Son: I was always Team Cobra, so this brings me to a happy place. Prior to this piece, there was only one place where the sun didn’t shine. Well, now “Ain’t No More Sonshine” at The Athletic fantasy hoops… at least for one week. I could feel Eric cringing as he was writing with optimism, so he will return to the hater side soon enough.

Eric: As a reminder, I wouldn’t pay too much attention to how players are ranked below, as those rankings are merely the “average rank” from my recent cheatsheet update. Instead, the purpose of this article is for you to assess how you feel about each of the top players heading into the 2024-25 season. Are you feeling my positive vibes, or do the risks seem to outweigh the rewards? Go with whatever your gut tells you instead of relying on numbers.

Players who just missed the cut: Rudy Gobert, Derrick White, Deandre Ayton, Josh Giddey, Nic Claxton, Darius Garland, Nikola Vucevic, Myles Turner, Jamal Murray, Cam Thomas, Jimmy Butler, Brandon Miller, Kawhi Leonard.

Eric: It’s been far too long since an NBA player broke a backboard or pulled down a basket stanchion, but I would put my money on Duren being the next player to do so. To go with that elite force and strength, he also made nearly 80 percent of his freebies last year.

Stan: I love Duren’s athleticism as well, but I have serious doubts about his free-throw prowess. He made 61 percent of his freebies during his rookie season and shot 62 percent in college. Maybe he breaks the backboard from his bricks at the charity stripe!

Eric: I’ve doubted him for several seasons, yet he continues to deliver the goods. Do you know who totaled 500-plus assists, 100-plus steals and 50-plus blocks last season? Just Fred VanVleet and Nikola Jokic.

Stan: I did not know that. VanVleet has been a model of consistency over the years, but his usage rate was sub-20 percent, and his steal rate was sub-2 percent for the first time since 2018 last season. In addition, his scoring prowess isn’t needed on this Rockets squad, so the field goal attempts went from 16 to 13.9, which brought his scoring down.

48. Mikal Bridges — NYK

Eric: Look for his shooting efficiency and defensive stats to bounce back in a big way now that he’s chillin’ on the Knicks instead of trying to carry the Nets offense on his shoulders.

Stan: I really like Bridges this season for the reasons Eric stated. The one negative is that his assists will likely come back down, probably to the 2.0 range.

Eric: If he had simply made 36 percent of his threes like the season before, he would have had a field goal percentage of over 50 percent last season. He has lots of opportunities as Orlando’s secondary attacker and shot-creator.

Stan: Woulda, coulda, shoulda… What if the 3-point shooting doesn’t come back? As a result, teams sag off him like Ben Simmons, preventing him from driving, and if he can’t make the treys, it gets into his head, and he starts dating a Kardashian.

Eric: Thanks to improving his shot selection, George is no longer a field goal percentage drag. You could call him the third option in Philly, but he will be relied on heavily whenever Joel Embiid sits, which will surely happen 20-plus times in the coming season.

Stan: George has already suffered a hyperextended knee. While the injury doesn’t sound serious, PG isn’t a spring chicken at 33 years old. Even before this setback, it was highly likely that the 76ers would limit the number of games he played. That said, the dynamic in Philadelphia is different than in Los Angeles, as James Harden was willing to become the facilitator. I’m not sure Tyrese Maxey will follow Harden’s lead, which would put George third in the pecking order.

Eric: DeRozan assuaged worries that he wouldn’t fit in with the Kings, as he’s still scoring efficiently while dishing out assists on his new team. The two-man game between him and Domantas Sabonis will be very hard for opponents to stop.

Stan: I agree that DeRozan should fit seamlessly in Sacramento. The only worry is that he loses a few minutes of playing time. He played 37.8 minutes per game last season. Fox and Sabonis averaged 35.9 and 35.7, respectively, last season.

Eric: Bane knows how to get buckets, and with Ja Morant back, he’ll go back to having a field goal percentage of 48 percent and a 3-point field goal percentage of 40 percent. With Jaren Jackson Jr. already nursing a hamstring injury, Bane should start the season off hot.

Stan: Bane has played 163 games with Ja Morant and 81 games without him in his career. He has averaged over four points per game more without Morant.

Eric: The Raptors signed Quickley to a $175 million contract extension over the summer, so they’re going to give him major minutes and allow him to grow and prosper. The return of Scottie Barnes means higher-quality 3-point looks.

Stan: Quickley played 38 games with Toronto last season — 25 of those were with Scottie Barnes and 13 without. With Barnes, Quickley averaged fewer minutes (1.5), field goal attempts (1.0) and assists (2.7).

Eric: Am I missing something or didn’t Brown just win both the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and the NBA Finals MVP awards? That tells me he’s a very fine player, and still, many inferior players are getting drafted before him.

Stan: It was rigged! My biggest worry is the free-throw shooting, as he converted only 70 percent last season.

Eric: The emergence of Evan Mobley may bring Allen’s rebounds and shot attempts down slightly, but Allen is cerebral enough to figure it out. With so much attention on Mobley and Donovan Mitchell, I expect Allen’s shooting accuracy to climb back to the 66-68 percent range in field goal percentage.

Stan: The block rate has trended down every year for the past three seasons. For the first four years of his career, Allen had a block rate in the 4.2-to-4.6 range. In 2021, it went down to 3.7, then to 3.5, and was a career-low 3.0 last season.

Eric: Last season’s free-throw shooting was the outlier, as he shot over 78 percent from the line over his previous five seasons combined. Indiana’s high-powered offense is tailor-made for him, resulting in a stat boost across the board.

Stan: Siakam averaged only 31.8 minutes per game with the Pacers, his lowest number since 2018. For perspective, he played over 37 minutes while in Toronto. The fast pace that the Pacers play at mitigates some of the effect, but minutes are minutes. And it’s not just a Siakam thing. Tyrese Haliburton was the only other Pacers player to average over 30 minutes per game, and he was at 32.2.

Eric: A true shooting percentage king, now it’s time for J-Dub to increase his shot attempts and become a 20-plus points per game scorer. Adding pass-happy, low-volume shooters in Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso should aid that.

Stan: Yeah, it’s tough to find anything wrong with Jalen, and all signs point to him leveling up. He only averaged 31.3 minutes per game, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the only other Thunder player over 30, so there’s that. In addition, Williams converted 42 percent of his attempts from downtown. What if that comes down to 39 percent?

Eric: Murray will stuff the stat sheet no matter what team he’s on. The word out of New Orleans is that Murray wants to go back to being a plus defender, which means an increase in steals is coming, so the Pelicans can use their speed and play more in transition.

Stan: The Pelicans still have Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum on the squad. McCollum has averaged at least 16 shots per game in every season since 2014. Zion has averaged at least 15 shots per game in every season, while Ingram has put up at least 14 shots per game in every season since 2018. It’s a simple math problem. Murray was brought in to stabilize the offense, so while he will stuff the stat sheet, I think he loses shot attempts and, therefore, sees a decrease in points scored.

Eric: With Klay Thompson wandering around the perimeter now, inside the arc will be wide open for Irving to carve up defenses. And we know that Irving explodes whenever Luka Doncic receives a rest day.

Stan: Irving has played at least 70 games in a season just twice in his career. Last season, he played 58 games. The per-game numbers are unquestionably awesome. It’s just a matter of how many games he plays.

36. Jaren Jackson Jr. — MEM

Eric: While the presence of Zach Edey overshadows opponents, JJJ will be roaming and lurking, ready to approach three-plus blocked shots per game again. His field goal percentage should also be closer to 50 percent again due to higher quality looks with Ja Morant back.

Stan: JJJ has never shot higher than 35 percent from downtown, and with Zach Edey in the middle, he’s going to be out on the perimeter more than ever. Jackson has averaged more than six rebounds per game just once in his career. Theoretically, the block rate should increase due to the roamer role, but what if it doesn’t, and Edey is the one who racks up the swats?

35. Evan Mobley — CLE

Eric: Mobley is a more capable scorer than the 15-to-16 points-per-game player we’ve seen the past three years. Under a new head coach, a breakout fourth season should be coming.

Stan: All the talk in the offseason has been about the 7-foot unicorn breaking out and handling the ball more. But what if it’s just offseason noise? Cleveland is still Donovan Mitchell’s team.

34. Zion Williamson — NOR

Eric: Zion is in much better shape to start the season than we’re accustomed to, which could result in his finest season yet. If you’ve been one of Zion’s haters, he’ll be coming for your apologies.

Stan: Since Zion played 70 games last season, are we all in the clear now? Let’s not forget that he missed an entire season and played 24 and 29 games, respectively, in two others. Where were his apologies then?

Eric: After watching Starting 5 on Netflix, it’s apparent that LeBron’s greatness goes way beyond his talents. He’s fueled by his dedication to his craft while expertly balancing his family life. There’s no doubt in my mind he’ll be following in the footsteps of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, becoming another 40-year-old All-Star.

Stan: Father Time is undefeated. Since playing all 82 games in 2017, LeBron has exceeded 60 games just twice. He shot 41 percent from downtown last season. In his prior seasons with the Lakers, he’s posted behind-the-line percentages of 33 percent, 34 percent, 26 percent, 35 percent, and 32 percent.

Eric: Last season, he became just the fourth player in the modern era to average 23-plus points and eight-plus rebounds per game while shooting over 89 percent from the free-throw line. The others are Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Larry Bird. That’s some serious company.

Stan: Markkanen has never played more than 68 games in a season. Utah is in development mode and should be in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.

Eric: A bulldozer with handles, it’s only a matter of time before Paolo becomes an efficient scorer who averages 24 points, eight rebounds and six dimes per game.

Stan: You need a bulldozer to pick up all the bricks on the ground. Last season, Paolo shot 45 percent from the field, 33 percent from downtown and 72 percent from the line.

Eric: Atlanta had a top-5 pace last season, which helped Dejounte Murray pile up some serious counting stats. With Murray now gone, Johnson’s stat potential is sky-high.

Stan: He was partying while being a groomsman. Now he has responsibilities being the best man. Can he deliver?

29. Tyrese Maxey — PHI

Eric: With George and Embiid already nursing their bodies to start the season, the Sixers may have to lean on Maxey even more than they expected to this season. He struggled a bit when Embiid was out last year, but the addition of George should help.

Stan: I can’t say anything bad about Maxey. I don’t want to! Fine, when everyone is healthy, Maxey could see a decrease in shot attempts, and the scoring could come down a smidge.

Eric: Last year, the Warriors offense was too heavily reliant on Curry. They addressed that issue in the offseason by adding multiple veterans who can handle, pass, shoot and defend. The result should be a fresher, happier Steph and much-improved shooting efficiency.

Stan: Steph’s steal rate has decreased the past two seasons, from 1.3 to 0.9 to 0.7, and the assists went from 6.3 to 5.1. Curry is 35 years old, and the Warriors roster has been reconfigured, so there is a lot of uncertainty in terms of how everything will fit and operate.

27. Ja Morant — MEM

Eric: Ja’s revenge tour is coming, and it will make the Grizzlies a League Pass favorite to watch. I’ll set the over/under on Morant-to-Zach Edey alley-oops at 55.

Stan: Morant has never played more than 67 games in his five-year career. He’s a career 31 percent shooter from downtown and 75 percent from the line.

Eric: Big men come and go, and few are as reliable as Adebayo. Also, the Heat may not be Jimmy Butler’s team for much longer, which would make Bam their new centerpiece.

Stan: I love Bam, so I’m with you, but more offensive responsibilities and a supposed increase in hoists from downtown could impact the field goal percentage. Also, why has he never been able to block at least one shot per game?

Eric: I would be more concerned about the DeRozan addition if he were a second-year player. But Fox is a seasoned vet, and he’ll figure out how to maintain his fantasy value. The obvious areas to bounce back are his shooting percentages, which were 51 percent of field goals and 78 percent from the line two seasons ago.

Stan: Another cook in the kitchen. I’ve watched enough Gordon Ramsey to know the downside.

Eric: For a big, strong point guard comparison, look no further than James Harden’s first few years with the Rockets, when he rounded out his fantasy game and became a superstar. Cunningham could be on a similar trajectory.

Stan: Maybe if he had a beard, Eric. I don’t think Cade has the same bag as Harden, and the lack of defensive stats keeps him from entering that next tier.

Eric: For anyone saying Lillard’s washed up, he’s about to make you look foolish. I suggest you put some respect on his name or fear the consequences.

Stan: I like Lillard a lot this year as well. The only dent I can find on the hood is that the assist rate last year was sub-30 percent for the first time since 2016.

Eric: A center-eligible player who didn’t miss a game, blocked 2.3 shots in less than 30 minutes per game, drained threes and shot nearly 80 percent from the free-throw line in his first NBA season? Sign me up.

Stan: With Isaiah Hartenstein in town, Holmgren will likely be situated more on the perimeter at both ends of the court, which could affect his rebounding and field goal percentage. Also, are you projecting him to play all 82 games next season?

Eric: It’s a very small sample size, but Sengun has made 15-of-16 freebies in preseason. Houston’s offense has lots of firepower, but Sengun is the unique puzzle piece that can’t be replicated.

Stan: The “Turjokic” is about the level-up for sure, and the shooting looks much improved. There’s been chatter about utilizing him more to space the floor, but that may impact the field goal percentage and rebounding numbers.

Eric: With a new offensive-minded head coach, Booker will be encouraged to launch more threes than ever before. The assists may come down, but 28-plus points and three-plus triples per game on elite shooting efficiency would make up for it.

Stan: With Tyus Jones and Monte Morris handling point guard duties, I have Booker going from six assists down to four, and that’s a big deal.

Eric: It’s only preseason, but LaMelo looks fully healthy and even seems engaged on the defensive end. With Brandon Miller’s 3-point spacing helping to keep teams honest, Ball will have even more room to get in the paint and make some magic happen.

Stan: Did Lavar Ball hook you with some Big Baller Brand kicks or something? Melo has played over 51 games just once in his four-year career and is a career 42 percent shooter from the field.

18. Donovan Mitchell — CLE

Eric: People used to say he was an inefficient shooter and didn’t get enough stocks (steals and blocks). Well, over the past two seasons, he’s shot 47.5 percent from the field with 2.1 stocks per game.

Stan: What if Evan Mobley does break out, taking usage away from Mitchell? The 1.8 steals last season were a career-high. He had never been above 1.5 before. Steals are fickle to begin with, so they could regress.

Eric: He played out of his mind once Julius Randle got hurt last season. Guess what? Randle is now in Minnesota. Play him until the wheels fall off, Tom Thibodeau!

Stan: Yeah, Brunson was amazing without Randle, but KAT may be better than him, and what if it’s Towns who is the main beneficiary of the trade?

16. Karl-Anthony Towns — NYK

Eric: Back to his original center position, Towns will be asked to secure more rebounds for his new team this year. How do 28 boards over his first 57 preseason minutes sound?

Stan: Towns is now the last line of defense for the Knicks, which could give Thibs ulcers. The foul rate could increase, and Thibs may sub him out when he wants a more impactful defensive presence.

15. James Harden — LAC

Eric: One thing Harden has proven throughout his career is that he’s able to morph his game depending on what his team needs. Well, this year, the Clippers need him to do just about everything.

Stan: He may want to, but what if he can’t? He’s older and chunkier, so he may be unable to break down defenders like he once could.

14. Kevin Durant — PHO

Eric: Just when I thought his career might be on the downside, Durant went out and had a healthy, superb season and followed it up by torching other countries in the Olympics. His fantasy game has no weaknesses, making him the perfect player for Roto formats.

Stan: Durant is 36 years old, and the chances of the stars aligning once again are low.

13. Scottie Barnes — TOR

Eric: Chances are, if you missed out on drafting Barnes last year, it’s because you focused too much on player raters rather than trying to uncover talented stars in the making. What will he do for his encore?

Stan: Barnes shot 39 percent from downtown over the first two months. After the calendar flipped to 2024, that number plummeted to 26 percent. Also, the allure of pairing Barnes with Cooper Flagg may limit the number of games played for Scottie.

Eric: The Hawks added some serious athletes to run the floor with Young in Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels. Young will be able to carry fantasy teams in assists, and let’s not forget that he has the potential to shoot 46 percent from the field and 90 percent at the free-throw line (see 2021-22).

Stan: Young’s strengths are Tony the Tiger “Greeeaaaatttt!” — free-throw percentage, treys and assists. But his weaknesses are devastating — four-plus turnovers and poor field goal percentage.

11. Tyrese Haliburton — IND

Eric: Last season, the Pacers scored 130-plus points 25 times, 140-plus points 11 times, and 150-plus points four times. Haliburton is the man at the helm of that offense, and he’s entering the prime of his career.

Stan: The steal rate was sub-2 percent for the first time in his career last season. What if Pascal Siakam takes more usage now in his second season with the Pacers?

10. Domantas Sabonis — SAC

Eric: He’s missed fewer games over the past two seasons than Joel Embiid is going to miss in a single week. The contributions in rebounds and assists are immense.

Stan: There once was a time when Towns never missed a game.

9. Joel Embiid — PHI

Eric: When he played last year, Embiid put up truly spectacular numbers. And now that a majority of fantasy managers are likely scared to draft him, you should be able to get him at a nice discount.

Stan: Not sure the discount will be big enough because there will always be that one guy.

Eric: He’s looked excellent in preseason, suggesting that he’s fully healthy again. Lots of people are sleeping on Giannis and the Bucks, and that’s the perfect time for him to remind the NBA world just how dominant he can be.

Stan: The 65 percent free-throw shooting on massive volume is a huge obstacle to overcome.

Eric: Steve Kerr inadvertently turned Tatum into a fantasy beast for the season ahead. With a revamped 3-point shooting form that is working well in preseason, we could see Tatum’s most efficient season ever.

Stan: Tatum is one of the most solid options. Unfortunately, access to the fantasy ceiling is likely limited because the Celtics are too good and deep. After garnering a usage rate of over 32 percent two seasons ago, that number was 30.4 percent last season.

Eric: Is there anyone who doesn’t foresee an Ant breakout coming? You could quibble over how he’s going to return top-10 fantasy value, or you could sit back and enjoy the show.

Stan: It’s tough to envision Edwards not leveling up this season. That said, there is uncertainty about how he will fit with Julius Randle, who doesn’t space the floor well.

Eric: Not only did he stay healthy, but Davis helped LeBron do more of the heavy lifting last season as well. Look for even more of that this season.

Stan: JJ Redick wants Davis shooting more treys, but he’s converted at a sub-30 percent rate over the past four seasons. But it’s all about health and games played for Davis. He played 76 last season but exceeded 60 only once in the five prior seasons.

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — OKC

Eric: The only real weakness you could point to for SGA would be his mediocre threes, but that’s the easiest category to improve upon. His shooting efficiency is absurd, and the stocks are elite.

Stan: A career-high 2.8 percent steal rate, which produced 2.0 steals, could come down. Shai has only been above 1.3 one other time in his career, and that was 1.6 steals per game in 2022. If Jalen Williams levels up, that could take away usage from Shai.

3. Luka Doncic — DAL

Eric: Is this the year we see someone average 30, 10, and 10, with four treys per game? Luka could do that this season.

Stan: Luka played 72 games during his rookie season and 70 last season. He was in the 60s the other four seasons. Are the 78 percent free-throw shooting and 38 percent from downtown real? He has career marks of 74 percent from the line and 34 percent from downtown.

2. Nikola Jokic — DEN

Eric: Jamal Murray’s ailing knee is simply more reason to force-feed the ball into Jokic and let him manipulate defenses. That means he could dish out 10-plus assists for the first time or set a career-high in scoring.

Stan: He’s perfect.

Eric: Stan is concerned about Wemby’s block rate possibly coming down, but I’m sure if he only averages 3.9 blocks per game instead of closer to 4.5, his fantasy managers won’t mind. As far as his efficiency goes, the man was below the league average of 54.5 percent on 2-pointers last season. Does anyone think he’s going to be below average on twos ever again?!?

Stan: Development isn’t always linear. What if he doesn’t level up like we expect him to? There are some shooting efficiency concerns and what if the block rate decreases a bit? The 10 percent block rate was tied for the fourth-highest in NBA history. Only Manute Bol, Alonzo Mourning and Mitchell Robinson have posted a double-digit block rate.

(Top photo of Zion Williamson: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images)