By Ameer Tyree
The 2024-25 NBA season is a little over one month away, making this prime time for fantasy managers to prepare for their drafts. Rotoworld will have articles dropping throughout this time, beginning with fantasy-related thoughts on every team. Next up is the Central Division, with Cleveland and Milwaukee boasting the most impactful fantasy options. While those two teams and Indiana hope to play deep into the postseason, Chicago and Detroit are rebuilding.
2024-25 NBA Central Division Team Previews
Chicago Bulls
2023-24 Record: 39-43
Pace: 96.94
Offensive Rating: 114.0
Defensive Rating: 115.7
One Potential Sleeper: Coby White
White is projected outside the top 100 after notching 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last season. DeMar DeRozan has left for Sacramento, and Zach LaVine’s future in Chicago is up in the air. While Josh Giddey will likely take over a decent chunk of the ball handling as a primary facilitator, White could end up as Chicago’s top scorer. Only 19 players made more triples than White last season, and he’s shot over 37% from deep in three consecutive campaigns.
One Potential Bust: Patrick Williams
The Bulls had high hopes for Williams when they drafted him with the No. 4 pick in 2020. However, the defensive wing hasn’t lived up to expectations. He’s flashed defensive potential in spurts but hasn’t shown any progression on offense. An efficient scorer barely scratching 10 points per game without elite rebounding or playmaking upside is hardly a fringe top-100 player. Whether his breakout season is on the way remains to be seen. Two of his four seasons have been cut significantly short by season-ending injuries.
Notable Number: 12.2
The Bulls turned the ball over 12.2 times per contest last season. That was the third-best mark in the league, as only the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics topped it. Giddey might be a truer point guard than any option the Bulls had running the offense last season, so fantasy managers in 9-cat leagues might want to look for value on the Bulls.
Cleveland Cavaliers
2023-24 Record: 48-34
Pace: 97.6
Offensive Rating: 114.7
Defensive Rating: 112.1
One Potential Sleeper: Max Strus
Some people batted their eyes when Strus signed a four-year, $63 million deal with the Cavs. However, he performed well in a full-time starting role. The former Miami Heat shooter posted career highs in points (12.2), rebounds (4.8), and assists (4.0). His three-point shooting leaves something to be desired, but he could continue to grow throughout his second year with Cleveland. There’s uncertainty around Isaac Okoro’s future with the team. Strus would benefit most from additional exposure should Okoro end up with another team.
One Potential Bust: Darius Garland
Garland is far from a fantasy disaster, but he underperformed in his second season with Donovan Mitchell. He registered the lowest shot-per-game average (14.8) since his rookie year. His scoring at assist numbers went down following the additions of Strus and Caris LeVert. The one-time All-Star has a solid floor, but he might not command the top-50 draft status he did in previous years. Other point guards who aren’t necessarily stars have a chance to match Garland’s production.
Notable Number: 110.3
That was the Cavs’ defensive rating from the start of the 2023-24 season until the all-star break. Only the Minnesota Timberwolves topped that number. Injuries contributed to Cleveland’s drop-off, while other teams improved defensively. When the Cavs are healthy and firing on all cylinders, they excel at disrupting opposing teams’ offenses.
Detroit Pistons
2023-24 Record: 14-68
Pace: 100.45
Offensive Rating: 109.0
Defensive Rating: 118.0
One Potential Sleeper: Ausar Thompson
Thompson flashed elite defensive and rebounding potential toward the beginning of his rookie year before falling off the map. The Pistons wing could be in for a big sophomore season, though. He cracked the top five among rookies in rebounds (402), steals (68), and blocks (59) despite logging just 38 starts. Thompson’s also a strong passer, but his three-point percentage is outright abysmal. No fantasy manager jumps at the chance to draft a wing who shot 18.6% from deep in his first NBA season. However, a little work on his form and emphasis on his strengths could help him stay on the court more consistently in year two. He could be a category specialist on the defensive side and be serviceable with decent production when it comes to scoring.
One Potential Bust: Tobias Harris
Harris posted solid numbers for a good team in Philly last season and will return to the team with which he initially rose to prominence. Harris is now Detroit’s highest-paid player, but fantasy managers shouldn’t expect the Pistons to prioritize him on offense. He’s never truly been an elite first option, and Cade Cunningham is the future. Harris will provide consistency as Detroit looks to jump from being the NBA’s worst team in 2023-24, but could fall by the wayside and sit for the sake of developing younger players if things blow up. Harris shouldn’t fall off the map, but managers drafting him should account for the risk that he might not be much help in the back half of the year when the playoffs are approaching.
Notable Number: -9.0
Detroit’s net rating was -9.0 last season, and it’s hard to get much worse. Only the Charlotte Hornets were worst in 2023-24. The Pistons had bottom-five offensive and defensive ratings, so they struggled to keep games close. Regular blowouts could limit the ceilings of their team’s most enticing fantasy options, as reserves will receive more opportunities to step in during garbage time. Detroit could turn it around in 2024-25, but it won’t be easy after posting a bottom-five net rating in the previous three seasons.
Indiana Pacers
2023-24 Record: 47-35
Pace: 102.16
Offensive Rating: 120.5
Defensive Rating: 117.6
One Potential Sleeper: Andrew Nembhard
Nembhard’s stats didn’t pop during the 68 games he started last season. He posted 9.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. All of those figures were lower than his rookie-year averages. However, he exploded as a reliable playoff option. Nembhard posted 14.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game in the postseason. Benedict Mathurin’s season-ending injury and Buddy Hield’s move to the 76ers helped Nembhard play a more prominent role in Indiana’s most important games last season. His confidence growing following a solid showing at the 2024 Olympics as well. He might not be a top-100 player, but he could take a significant step forward as a starter who plays with and without Tyrese Haliburton on the court.
One Potential Bust: Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton has established himself as one the league’s top assist men since joining the Pacers. Only Nikola Jokic has dropped more dimes since the 2022-23 season. His scoring at the beginning of last season has people high on his potential as a late first or early second-round pick in fantasy drafts ahead of 2023-24, though. Haliburton averaged 23.6 points and 12.5 assists in 33 games without Pascal Siakam last season. He dropped to 16.9 points and 9.5 assists in 36 games with Siakam. Haliburton did struggle with a knee injury when Siakam first entered the fray, but there’s still cause for concern around Haliburton reaching his previous peak with another star to feed. He might not be a true bust by any means, but it might be hard for him to live up to his sky-high ADP.
Notable Number: 50.7
The Pacers shot 50.7% from the field from Siakam’s debut on January 19 until the end of the regular season. No team in the NBA topped this mark during that span. Siakam helped an already prolific offense get better looks, and improved chemistry over time could help several players on the team improve their shooting numbers.
Milwaukee Bucks
2023-24 Record: 49-33
Pace: 100.51
Offensive Rating: 117.6
Defensive Rating: 115.0
One Potential Sleeper: Gary Trent Jr.
Our preseason rankings place Trent just inside the top 200. The former Toronto Raptor averaged 13.7 points and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 39.3% from deep last season. He’s one of four NBA players who’ve notched at least 500 made three-pointers and 300 steals over the previous four seasons. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are still bound to attract plenty of attention around the basket, so he’ll get some good looks from beyond the arc. Trent could outperform his ADP significantly if the stars align.
One Potential Bust: Khris Middleton
Middleton’s days as a borderline star might be over. The Bucks swingman has averaged 15.1 points in two straight seasons after averaging more than 20 points per contest in three consecutive campaigns. The 33-year-old underwent surgery on both ankles in July, and it’s unclear how heavy of a load he’ll be able to carry. Fantasy managers shouldn’t be optimistic about a resurgent year from him, as his productivity has decreased over the 88 games he’s appeared in over the last two seasons.
Notable Number: 1,163
The Bucks made 1,163 three-pointers last season. Only four teams made more shots from long-range. Milwaukee needs to knock down shots from deep when opposing squads look to double up on Antetokounmpo, and Malik Beasley helped tremendously by ranking 11th with 224 made triples. He’s since joined the Detroit Pistons, though. Whether Milwaukee’s new group can convert at a similar clip will be important moving forward.