The NBA Playoffs are underway and after my year-end rookie report, I wanted to dive into some stats that caught my eye throughout the 2024-25 campaign. From breakout performances to aging vets and the 3-point revolution, here are some numbers behind the scenes that helped define another fun and productive fantasy basketball season.
229
Dyson Daniels’ 229 steals didn’t just lead the league; the total ranked him among the top 20 single-season heists in NBA history. Even more impressively, Daniels became just the 11th player in league history to average at least three steals per game. It’s a primary reason he finished 14th in 9-cat leagues this season.
He’s worthy of Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player, and fantasy managers should expect to pick Daniels in the first three rounds next season.
61
Domantas Sabonis continued to define consistency, posting 61 double-doubles this season to lead the league in the category for the third year in a row. This achievement places him in an elite group of just five players in NBA history to have three consecutive league-leading seasons in double-doubles.
However, Sabonis’ box score production couldn’t save the Sacramento Kings from missing the playoffs again. For fantasy GMs, I’ll always prefer Sabonis in points leagues to 9-cat, but any potential trade this offseason could impact his second-round ADP.
15.3
Josh Giddey’s 15.3 combined rebounds and assists per game weren’t just impressive; they placed him in elite company. This season, only Nikola Jokić and Luka Dončić matched Giddey’s mark of averaging at least 8 rebounds and 7 assists per game.
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After falling out of favor in Oklahoma City, Giddey revived his fantasy value this season and is likely looking at a hefty new deal to stay in Chicago. He had a sixth-round ADP this season, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him creep into the fifth round next year.
320
Anthony Edwards switched up his flow and became a flamethrower this season, leading the NBA with 320 made 3s. He also converted a career-best 39.5% on his 3-point attempts.
For the first time in league history, three players knocked down 300+ 3-pointers in the same season — Edwards, Malik Beasley (319) and Stephen Curry (311). Edwards and Beasley also joined an exclusive club alongside Curry, Klay Thompson and James Harden, they’re the only players to drill at least 300 3-pointers in a single campaign. One last thing on Curry — he made the 300 3s club for the sixth time in his career, while no one else has done it more than once.
2
Kel’el Ware and Zach Edey were the only two rookies from the 2024-25 NBA Draft class to crack the top 150 of 9-cat rankings. This dubious distinction makes the class the second-worst in the last decade in terms of fantasy impact.
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Previous seasons show a broader array of impactful first-year players:
Data per Basketball Monster
The 2016-17 class remains the weakest, as only one rookie (Malcolm Brogdon) cracked the top 150 — in sharp contrast to draft classes like 2018-19, which saw nine players make the cut. With a crop of new prospects entering the league in June, this season was another reminder that it’s hard for more than a handful of rookies to break out in Year 1. The 2025 class appears to be more star-studded than the 2024 class, so that’s promising.
240
The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, Payton Pritchard and Beasley, lit up the scoreboard from deep, combining for 486 3-pointers off the bench (246 from Pritchard, 240 from Beasley). This remarkable feat placed both in an exclusive group of just five players in NBA history to make 240+ 3-pointers in a season as reserves. Both players went undrafted in over 88% of leagues this season, so their shooting elevated them into game-changers for many fantasy teams.
10
Chris Paul defied expectations by playing all 82 games for the first time in 10 years. For a player whose career has been defined as much by brilliance as by untimely injuries, this was one of the more impressive stats of the 2024-25 season. Especially when considering Joel Embiid, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram combined to play 67 games this season.
While Paul displayed resiliency and durability, his age is showing, posting career lows in points, rebounds, FG% and FG attempts per game. That said, Paul remains an effective playmaker (7.4 assists per game) who gets at least a steal per game.
