2024-25 Fantasy Basketball Preview: Central Division

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…

Source link : https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/2024-25-fantasy-basketball-preview-central-division-172140168.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-18 17:21:00

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