With the 2024-25 NBA season at its halfway point, it’s time to make predictions for fantasy basketball award candidates.
*Category rankings are from Hashtag Basketball and points rankings are based on ESPN’s scoring system.
Mid-Season 2024-25 Fantasy Basketball Award Predictions
Most Valuable Player
The best player.
Candidates: Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Nikola Jokić is the frontrunner for the Fantasy Basketball MVP award, as he’s ranked in the top two in category and points leagues. The 29-year-old is having a career year, setting new personal bests in points, assists, steals and threes. He also doesn’t hurt any stats besides turnovers. The triple-double machine’s versatility, consistency, and durability contribute to his dominance.
Despite being a sophomore, Victor Wembanyama has already become a fantasy cheat code and is one of the most exciting players. The Frenchman is the leading shot-blocker in the NBA and is highly touted for his defensive production. He has also made tremendous improvements to his offensive game, namely three-point scoring and free-throw shooting.
The current real-life NBA MVP leader, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is very well-rounded in his production. His offensive leadership, efficient shooting and defensive impact are elite. The Canadian leads the league in points per game and ranks third in steals. He has only missed one match this season and is posting one of his best campaigns.
Most Improved Player
The player who made the most improvement to their game.
Candidates: Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell
Josh Hart is inside the top 30 in category leagues for the first time in his career. For the past two seasons, he finished outside the top 100. The 29-year-old is averaging career-highs in five categories and is known as a Swiss army knife for his versatility. Despite the New York Knicks’ stacked starting lineup, Hart has the second-highest fantasy ranking on the team.
Tyler Herro is vastly outperforming his ADP in the 80s. He’s elevated his offensive game to another level, notably setting new bests in points, assists, threes, field goal percentage and more. The shooting guard is leading the Miami Heat in points per game and is one of the top three-point scorers in the league. Herro’s also managed to stay healthy all season.
With one of the Los Angeles Clippers stars missing a chunk of the season, Norman Powell stepped up after two disappointing years. While he’s not the most well-rounded player, his increases in points, threes, efficiency and steals have skyrocketed his value. Likewise, his assists and rebounds don’t jump off the page, but they are among the best marks of his career.
Rookie of the Year
The best performing rookie.
Candidates: Alex Sarr, Yves Missi, Jaylen Wells
Second-overall pick Alex Sarr was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December. He’s had some issues with consistency and efficiency, but his shot-blocking, rebounding and scoring are positives. Among rookies, the center/power forward ranks in the top three in points, rebounds and blocks and in the top 10 in assists and threes.
The injury-plagued New Orleans Pelicans have relied more on guys like Yves Missi, and he’s provided. December’s Western Conference Rookie of the Month leads all rookies in double-doubles (8) and rebounds and averages the third-most blocks. The big man stands out most in the defensive categories and is efficient from the floor.
Jaylen Wells earned Rookie of the Month honours in November and has had many opportunities to shine with the injury-prone Memphis Grizzlies. The second-round pick has displayed his ability to score and rack up threes while also contributing some rebounds and steals.
Biggest Breakout
The player who made the most significant improvement and vastly outperformed their ADP.
Candidates: Dyson Daniels, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner
The Atlanta Hawks traded one of their stars over the offseason, giving new acquisition Dyson Daniels a big opportunity. The 21-year-old is averaging career bests almost entirely across the board. Most impressive has been his defensive contributions, leading the league in steals. His offensive game has also grown, doubling his points and threes from last year.
The Orlando Magic have a plethora of guards, but the loss of one this summer was enough for Jalen Suggs to break out. He started every game in 2023-24 and is doing the same this year, except with more playing time, leading to jumps in multiple stats. The guard’s ability to make an impact on both ends of the court has boosted his overall value.
Franz Wagner ran the show in Orlando with his co-star suffering an oblique injury early in the season. As a result, his offensive contributions in points, assists and threes are the highest in his career. He also set new personal bests in the defensive categories. The 23-year-old suffered his own oblique injury and only played 25 games but is set to return soon.
Best Waiver Wire Pickup
A player who largely went undrafted but proved to have great value off the waivers.
Candidates: Dyson Daniels, Payton Pritchard, Christian Braun
Daniels is in the midst of a breakout season (see biggest breakout award).
Despite the star power on the Boston Celtics, Payton Pritchard is recording his best season to date. The 26-year-old’s ranking of 97 is the first time he’s placed inside the top 200 in his career. His unexpected surge in points and threes, as well as his solid numbers in efficiency, assists and steals, contributed to his surprising success despite never starting a game this year.
Christian Braun entered the starting lineup this season and is making the most of his opportunity. After finishing outside the top 300 in his previous seasons, he’s currently placed 91. His numbers in the main categories are the best of his career. The shooting guard has improved his scoring, free throw shooting, rebounding and stocks.
Biggest Disappointment
The player who is vastly underperforming from their ADP.
Candidates: Nic Claxton, Kyle Kuzma, Jrue Holiday
With an ADP in about the 60s, Nic Claxton is ranked almost three times lower for the year. His numbers in the categories managers drafted him for are lower than his solid campaigns in the past two seasons. The center’s rebounds and blocks have dropped significantly, and his limited offensive game hasn’t improved. His minutes are also down as health has been a factor.
Kyle Kuzma was typically drafted between 70s and 90s but didn’t have high expectations of him. However, his current ranking of 320 is much, much lower than anyone could have thought. Part of the blame can be placed on injuries, but he’s still disappointed when he’s on the court. Most of his numbers are among the worst of his career, particularly in efficiency.
The Celtics have a stacked starting lineup, yet Jrue Holiday still had a solid season last year. In 2024-25, he’s ranked about three rounds lower than his 80-ish ADP. His offensive output and production in the main categories have regressed and his stocks are similar to 2023-24 but slightly down. The guard’s lack of consistency also contributed to his decline.
Biggest Surprise
The player who has a very unexpected ranking, either high or low.
Candidates: Nikola Vučević, Tyrese Haliburton, Malik Monk
Nikola Vučević has been on a tear this season. His fantasy value in previous years was solid, but he took a leap to rank in the top 20 in category leagues for the first time since 2020-21. The big man’s increased offensive output is the main reason behind this, but his ability to maintain his production fairly consistently is surprising.
Mid-late first-round pick Tyrese Haliburton hasn’t returned his ADP value yet. The two-time All-Star had an extremely low ranking at the beginning of the season. He currently places 32, and his numbers in points, assists, field goal percentage and steals are down. He’s started to pick things up, but he still isn’t where fantasy managers need him to be.
The Sacramento Kings added a star over the offseason, but it resulted in Malik Monk posting his best fantasy ranking in his career (67). While his value hasn’t been this good for the whole season, he’s exploded over the past few months. The 26-year-old earned a spot in the starting lineup in December and has been a great source of points, threes, assists and stocks.
Biggest Bust
A player who was highly drafted but ended up being a drop.
Candidates: Jusuf Nurkić, Bogdan Bogdanović, Terry Rozier
Jusuf Nurkić’s rough season quickly led to him falling out of favour for the Phoenix Suns. He was demoted to the bench in December and later racked up some DNP’s. The only positive category for the big man is rebounds, though they’re down from 2023-24. Moreover, the team’s latest trade addition further hurts Nurkić’s value.
Health issues prevented Bogdan Bogdanović from having the big season many expected him to have. Across 20 games, his minutes and numbers are down except for his free throw percentage. Most managers rely on his scoring, three-point shooting and decent contributions in other categories, but that hasn’t been the case in 2024-25, as he’s ranked outside the top 200.
With an ADP in the 100s, managers didn’t have high hopes for Terry Rozier but still wanted value better than his current 194 ranking. The most glaring drop-offs are his points, three-pointers, assists and steals. The guard’s lack of consistency and dip in minutes have also made him a drop.
Most Frustrating Player
The player who frustrated managers most with injuries/availability.
Candidates: Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, Immanuel Quickley
Fantasy managers knew what they were getting into when drafting Joel Embiid. Still, his injury-proneness has been extremely frustrating. The former first-overall-ranked fantasy player has only appeared in 13 games, and his availability for the rest of the season is grim. While his ADP fell to the second round, managers have had difficulty receiving similar value by trading him.
After most drafts were completed, it was reported that Kawhi Leonard was sidelined indefinitely. After a long-awaited return, the two-time NBA champion finally made his debut on January 4. While this was positive, missing a chunk of the season, needing time to ramp up, and concerns about his future availability are annoying.
Immanuel Quickley was hyped up to have a breakout after his strong play with the Toronto Raptors last season. Instead, he’s been limited to appearing in just nine outings due to injuries. The 25-year-old has teased his potential but can’t stay on the court consistently, upsetting managers who used a mid-round pick on him.
