NBA Fantasy 2024-25: Non-Star, Nine-Category Specialists

Herbert Jones is awesome.

As a rookie, he forced his way into the starting lineup, despite having been drafted almost 20 picks behind teammate and fellow wing defender Trey Murphy just three months earlier. A former second-round pick, Jones has finished as a top-100 fantasy producer in each of his first three seasons. The much-hyped 2021 draft class has been as impressive as advertised, yet only two other members can boast such an accomplishment (Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes). 

How does Jones maintain his lofty fantasy status? In part by ranking among the best thieves in the league. Nobody’s idea of an All-Star, Jones’ skills as a defensive specialist have skyrocketed him up the fantasy ranks.

Though Jones’ steals rate dropped slightly last season, it was accompanied by an improvement in most other categories, and he still averaged a combined 2.2 stocks per game. With an ADP down near 100, Jones is a perfect choice to headline today’s list of non-star, nine-category specialists to target: he’s a near-lock to provide a profit that late in drafts.

Assists

Chris Paul

, Spurs

SAS

Assists hold a key strategic role in fantasy. They aren’t the first category to effectively disappear from the draft board (that’s points), and they aren’t the scarcest (blocks). However, assists are the second-hardest category to find after the first few rounds, and they are the hardest to supplement through the waiver wire. That makes Paul an unusual draft-day gem – someone who could finish in the top five in assists and yet is still available at pick 100. Paul is long past his prime. It’s been three years since the 39-year-old made an All-Star game, but even during a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, he remained one of the best passers in the NBA. He was sixth in assists per minute and finished 15th in assists per game despite playing just 26.4 minutes. His minutes should increase while starting alongside Victor Wembanyama, and Paul will likely provide a big boost in steals, too.

Keyonte George

, Jazz

UTA

The national media (and the Jazz’ extended rebuild) have made it easy to ignore the Jazz, but fantasy managers need to pay attention to…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-fantasy-2024-25-non-084400624.html

Author : RotoWire.com

Publish date : 2024-10-04 08:44:00

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