The heart of fantasy basketball draft season is fast approaching. Ranking players is key because it helps make the drafts easier to navigate. However, not all players are easy to rank. Let’s discuss five players who are challenging to rank as we enter the 2024-25 season.
Kawhi Leonard
Los Angeles Clippers
Leonard was very productive again last season. He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.1 three-pointers per game. He was also efficient, shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 88.5 percent from the charity stripe. Even his 68 games played were his most since the 2016-17 season.
The downside for Leonard was that he suffered yet another knee injury in the playoffs and ended up having surgery in the offseason. The expectation is that he will be limited at the start of training camp, but he has already said his plan is ready for Opening Night.
The Clippers desperately need Leonard to be healthy and productive with Paul George gone for the 76ers. The Clippers didn’t bring in a big name to replace George, instead adding role players including Derrick Jones Jr. and Nicolas Batum. If Leonard is healthy, he has top-20 potential. However, he could also end up playing fewer than 55 games for the fourth time over the last five seasons due to injuries. Leonard is a high-risk, high-reward fantasy option.
LaMelo Ball
Charlotte Hornets
Ball’s skill set makes him very attractive in fantasy. He can contribute in a multitude of areas and is one of the leading scorers for the Hornets. Last season, he averaged 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.2 three-pointers per game. The problem was that he played in only 22 games due to an ankle injury.
Ball played more than 51 games in a season only once during his first four seasons in the league. The last two seasons, he played a combined 58 games. The top with him is off the charts. He is only 23 years old and he has a usage rate of 28.8 percent for his career. His current ADP is 26.5, so if you want to draft him for your squad, you’ll need to do so early. If he can stay healthy, he’ll probably be worth it. If the early part of his career is any indication, though, asking him to stay healthy is tough.
Bradley Beal
Phoenix Suns
Beal saw his scoring production take a significant hit during his first season with the Suns. He averaged 18.2 points per game and finished with a 22.7 percent usage rate. That was the first time he averaged less than 22.6 points per game since the 2015-16 season. It also ended his streak of five straight seasons with a usage rate of at least 28.4 percent. To top it off, he appeared in just 53 games due to injuries. On the plus side, he averaged 4.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
The Suns finally added a true point guard this offseason in Tyus Jones. The expectation is that Jones, Beal and Devin Booker will all start together alongside Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic. With Booker and Durant in the fold, Beal would probably need one of them to get hurt to see his usage improve. With Jones in the fold, Beal could take a hit in assists. However, Jones has plenty of experience coming off the bench throughout his career, so if this small lineup doesn’t work out early, he could shift to the second unit, adding more ball-handling responsibilities for Beal. Beal’s skill set gives him a top-75 upside, but he could also end up outside the top-100 based on the Suns’ new lineup and his injury concerns.
Jordan Poole
Washington Wizards
Poole seemed destined for a breakout season as one of the leading scoring options for the Wizards. No longer in the shadow of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the Warriors, he really only had Kyle Kuzma to compete with for shot attempts. However, Poole only finished with a 26.4 percent usage rate which was nearly three percentage points lower than his final season with the Warriors. His efficiency also took a hit with him shooting just 41.3 percent from the field.
The Wizards are lacking in scoring options again this season behind Poole and Kuzma. With Jones gone, they will turn to the oft-injured Malcolm Brogdon at point guard. He played in more than 67 games only once during his career. There is a path for Poole to average at least 20.0 points and 5.0 assists in the same season for the first time in his career. However, there is also the potential that his lack of efficiency continues to drag down his fantasy value.
Cameron Johnson
Brooklyn Nets
A rebuild is underway for the Nets. After he averaged 19.6 points per game last season, Mikal Bridges was dealt to the Knicks. Cam Thomas is poised to take over as the undisputed top scoring option for the Nets, but someone else will have to step up to fill the void created by Bridges’ departure. Nic Claxton is back, but he’s not a scorer. Other debilitating veterans still remaining in the fold are Ben Simmons, Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith. Bojan Bogdanovic (foot) came in the Bridges trade, but it is unclear when he will be ready to play again.
The stars could be aligned for Johnson to have the biggest opportunity of his career. The question is, can he stay healthy long enough to take advantage of it? He has played in a total of just 100 games the last two seasons and he has never played in more than 66 games in a season during his career.
Last season, Johnson averaged a modest 28 minutes per game. Given the options around him, there’s a chance Johnson averages at least 30 minutes per game for the first time in his career. If so, he could blow away last season’s averages of 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 three-pointers per game. However, Johnson will turn 29 in March, so if the Nets don’t view him as part of their long-term plans, he could be dealt to another team where he would play a smaller role at some point in the season.
Fantasy Basketball Draft Strategy
Check out RotoWire’s How to Play Fantasy Basketball guide for a complete walkthrough, but here are some basic tips:
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Check out custom NBA Fantasy Projections
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Check out Fantasy Basketball Mock Drafts
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Listen to Fantasy Basketball Podcast
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Check out Fantasy Basketball Player News
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Read Fantasy Basketball Articles
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Dive into RotoWire’s Fantasy Basketball Draft Kit
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Study NBA Depth charts
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See RotoWire’s Fantasy Basketball Dynasty Rankings
