The 2024-25 NBA season is officially underway after Tuesday’s games, which featured Jayson Tatum and the Celtics dismantling the new-look Knicks, as well as JJ Redick securing his first win as a head coach in the NBA.
That means that it’s finally the time of year where all of your hard work as a dynasty manager pays off. Every Wednesday this season, you’ll find a new edition of this column, where we’ll discuss a variety of topics to help you gain an advantage in your dynasty league.
There are 10 games this Wednesday, so we’ll take a look at 10 players that I’ll be keeping an eye on this season. I tried to do one from every game, but some of these veteran-heavy teams aren’t that exciting when it comes to potential in dynasty formats. So it’ll be 10 players from the eight games that aren’t being nationally-televised, that way if you’re watching with NBA League Pass, you’ll have a player to watch in every game. This isn’t a full list of everybody that I’ll be keeping a close eye on, but it certainly includes some high-upside guys that could drastically change the dynasty hoops landscape.
Jaden Ivey (Pacers @ Pistons, 7pm ET)
Ivey had an incredible preseason, and all eyes will be watching to see if it means anything. His preseason numbers didn’t pop since he only played 21.2 minutes per game, but he shot 61.4% from the floor, 85.7% from the free throw line and 52.9% on 3-pointers across their four exhibition games. That’s after he shot 42.9% from the field last season. It’s a small sample size, so managers shouldn’t expect that drastic improvement to last the entire year, so we’ll be keeping tabs on what his shooting splits look like in year three.
Dyson Daniels (Nets @ Hawks, 7:30pm ET)
Daniels has been a coveted asset in dynasty leagues since he was drafted, and now he is finally in a situation where he can show why. Daniels was limited to a reserve role during his two seasons in New Orleans, but he started during the preseason with the Hawks and should retain that spot during the regular season. The steals should be there, which gives him value in redraft leagues. However, if he can continue to develop as a passer and improve as a shooter, his value could skyrocket and give Atlanta an exciting lineup to build around.
Nikola Jovic (Magic @ Heat, 7:30pm ET)
Jovic became a full-time starter down the stretch last season, but that wasn’t a role that had him playing typical starter minutes. We’ll see if that changes this year, because if his role expands, Jovic could be in for a breakout season. Jovic has played at least 30 minutes seven times in his career and averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.0 triples per game. The main question is whether or not Erik Spoelstra will play him enough to produce those numbers.
Immanuel Quickley (Cavs @ Raptors, 7:30pm ET)
Managers expected a breakout from Quickley after he was traded to Toronto last season, and he did provide a miniature version of that. However, we might now be in for a true breakout year for the young point guard. In 38 games with the Raptors last season, he averaged 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.8 triples per game, though those numbers were much better down the stretch of the season. It’s not a matter of if IQ will improve, but by how much. If he can see a statistical leap like his college teammate Tyrese Maxey, Quickley will become a fantasy superstar.
Brandon Miller (Hornets @ Rockets, 8pm ET)
Coming off a strong rookie season, let’s see how much Miller can improve in year two. He was much better as a rookie than his favorite player Paul George, and if he can continue to grow and eventually be as impactful as PG in fantasy hoops, he’ll be a superstar. He’ll be spending more time alongside LaMelo Ball, which may also help raise his ceiling. Miller isn’t really a question mark, but his ascension is worth watching this season, even if the Hornets struggle to win games once again.
Reed Sheppard (Hornets @ Rockets, 8pm ET)
In a weaker rookie class that is sandwiched between two drafts featuring generational talents, Sheppard is the most exciting player from this class. It’s unclear what kind of role he will have in year one, but his ceiling is tremendously high. His statistical profile in college was elite, and he showed plenty of flashes during both Summer League and the preseason. Houston is loaded with talent, but Sheppard is too good to keep off the floor. We’ll see how Ime Udoka utilizes him on both ends of the floor.
Josh Giddey (Bulls @ Pelicans, 8pm ET)
Last year couldn’t have been more disappointing for Giddey, but now he has the chance for a fresh start in Chicago. He had some ups and downs during the preseason, but the assists and rebounds were still there. Can he bounce back on a new team and once again become a valuable dynasty asset? He’s more effective in an on-ball role, but the Bulls also have guys like Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball demanding touches. We’ll see if he can adjust as a player, or if Chicago is forced to adjust to him.
Walker Kessler (Grizzlies @ Jazz, 9pm ET)
After an incredible rookie season, Kessler didn’t see his role increase in year two, which prevented him from having the typical sophomore breakout. However, it seems likely that he’ll start at center for Utah this season. We know he’ll block shots, shoot a high field goal percentage and rebound pretty well, but he’ll need to play more minutes to truly become a force in fantasy basketball. Of course, that’s up to Will Hardy, not Kessler. That may come down to what else he can do aside from blocking shots. Can he hold his own when forced to defend on the perimeter? What can he bring on offense outside of being a lob threat? We’ll see how well he can answer those questions.
Scoot Henderson (Warriors @ Trail Blazers, 10pm ET)
Despite all of the hype entering the draft, Henderson’s rookie season was messy. It takes time to learn how to play point guard in the NBA, so you can’t write him off yet, but his poor field goal percentage and high turnover rate were alarming. However, especially down the stretch, his production was encouraging, especially as a playmaker. He’ll eventually figure out how to either be more efficient or be so good that efficiency doesn’t matter. Still, we want to see him take steps in year two to still feel confident that he’ll be the superstar that he was supposed to be entering the draft.
Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors @ Trail Blazers, 10pm ET)
Kuminga was one of the few players from the 2021 draft class that didn’t receive a new contract ahead of the deadline on Monday. He figured things out during the second half of last season, and he should be locked in as a starter for the Warriors. Now, he’ll have to prove that he’s deserving of a new contract next summer. For fantasy, we’ll see if he can do enough to truly become impactful in 9-cat leagues, since he’s only been semi-productive in points, rebounds and field goal percentage. Can he become a fantasy star?
