Category: Basketball

While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, now is a good time to recap the fantasy basketball season for all 30 teams.

In the following weeks, we will provide a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the NBA champion in June.

Today, we’re looking at a team that overachieved thanks to a deep and talented young roster.

Houston Rockets 2024-2025 Season Recap

Record: 52-30 (2nd, West)

Offensive Rating: 114.9 (12th)

Defensive Rating: 110.3 (5th)

Net Rating: 4.6 (7th)

Pace: 99.03 (18th)

2025 NBA Draft Picks: 10th pick, 59th pick

The Rockets exceeded expectations with a 52-win season and the No. 2 seed in a highly competitive Western Conference. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun continued to play well, while Amen Thompson had a breakout campaign and looks like a franchise cornerstone.

Houston played strong defense thanks to length, speed and athleticism up and down the roster, and the Rockets boasted a top-12 offense led by Thompson and Fred VanVleet as primary facilitators.

Houston’s depth and a top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft point to the team making a bid for a superstar this summer, and the Rockets’ offseason moves could dramatically reshape the roster.

Let’s recap last season’s fantasy performances and look ahead to 2025-26.

Fantasy Standout: Amen Thompson

Sophomore slump? Never heard of it. The second-year man took a major leap in Year 2, showcasing his ability to operate as a point forward and make a major impact on the defensive end of the floor.

Thompson averaged career highs across the board with 14.1 points, 8.2 boards, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.3 blocks and just 2.0 turnovers while shooting 55.7% from the floor. His 68.4% mark from the charity stripe and just 0.4 triples per game were the only blemishes on an otherwise pristine fantasy season.

As a pass-first forward and elite defender, Thompson has a unique skillset that lends itself well to the world of fantasy hoops. He recorded double-digit assists four times and double-digit boards 24 times. He racked up 20 double-doubles and three triple-doubles along the way.

Thompson set new single-game marks with 33 points against the Celtics on January 27, 16 rebounds (twice) against the Lakers on January 5 and the Cavs on January 22, 11 assists three times, and seven steals against the Heat on March 21.

The athletic young forward finished his second season ranked 55th in per-game fantasy value, tops on his team. He’ll turn 23 next season, and his best basketball is certainly in front of him. If Houston moves on from Fred VanVleet in the offseason, Thompson could see more run as a facilitator, only sweetening his fantasy appeal.

Thompson is an easy mid-round selection in 2025-26 fantasy drafts, and he could easily blow past his ADP and finish inside the top 25.

Fantasy Revelation: Tari Eason

Eason enjoyed the most productive season of his three-year career, averaging 12 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.9 blocks, 1.1 triples and 1.1 turnovers across 24.9 minutes per game. He shot 48.7% from the floor and 76% from the charity stripe.

After appearing in just 22 games a season ago due to injuries, Eason logged 57 games in 2024-25. He started 16 and fared well in those contests, going for 5.1 points, 6.8 boards, 1.9 assists, 1.9 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 triples.

The LSU product recorded a career-best six swipes on November 20 against the Pacers, and he dropped a career-high 30 points against the Mavericks on March 14.

Eason boasts elite athleticism and defense, and he can score effectively when given the chance. The only thing holding him back from being a regular mid-round fantasy option is playing time. If he can earn more minutes in the Rockets’ rotation in 2025-26, he can be a quality contributor.

Fantasy Disappointment: Fred VanVleet

Though VanVleet finished 67th in per-game fantasy value, it was a disappointing finish considering he finished in the top 25 in five straight seasons and inside the top 20 in four straight.

FVV averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.4 blocks and 2.7 triples while committing just 1.5 turnovers. VanVleet knocked down 37.8% of his shots from the field, 81% of his shots from the charity stripe and 34.5% of his three-point attempts. The field goal percentage was the second-lowest mark of his career, and the free throw percentage was the lowest.

VanVleet appeared in 60 games and logged 35.7 minutes per game. The minutes, points, assists and rebounds were his lowest marks since the 2018-19 season when he was with Toronto.

Set to make $44.89 million in 2025-26, VanVleet could be included in any trade package that Houston sends for a superstar to match contracts.

Bill Simmons floated the idea of Houston trading VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and the No. 10 pick for Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday. It’s a wild proposal, but this is just an idea of the type of deal we might see VanVleet included in this summer.

Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads

Alperen Sengun:

Sengun continued his run as “Domantas Sabonis Lite,” finishing with averages of 19.1 points, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.8 blocks, 0.3 triples and a career-high 10.3 boards. The big man shot 49.6% from the floor, 69.2% from the free throw line and 23.3% from downtown.

Houston’s point center logged a career-high 76 games while his playing time slipped from 32.5 minutes last season to 31.5 this season. His fantasy finish of 88th in per-game value was his lowest in three campaigns, though not too far off of his best.

The highlights of his season came on February 4 against Brooklyn when he dropped 24/20 and on December 27 against Minnesota when he finished with 38/12/1/1.

Sengun should continue to thrive as a mid-to-late-round fantasy center with triple-double upside. Target him in that range in 2025-26 drafts.

Jalen Green:

Green finished his fourth NBA season with averages of 21 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.9 triples. His 42.3/81.3/35.4 shooting splits left much to be desired, but his marks from the charity stripe and from distance were the best of his career.

Green finished 135th in per-game fantasy value, the best finish of his career. He showcased his durability with a second straight 82-game campaign.

Despite a strong regular season, Green struggled mightily in the postseason, going for 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 triples while shooting 37.2% from the floor, 66.7% from the charity stripe and 29.5% from beyond the arc.

Green signed a three-year extension with Houston in October, and he’s likely to be back in a similar role in 2025-26 as the Rockets’ starting two guard. He’s worth a look in the later rounds of fantasy drafts, and he’s got room to grow if he can improve his efficiency.

Jabari Smith Jr.:

Last season wasn’t great to Smith Jr., as he saw his minutes fall slightly to start the campaign and then dry up in the playoffs.

The third-year man finished the 2024-25 campaign with averages of 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.7 blocks - all career lows. He shot 43.8% from the floor, 82.5% from the charity stripe and 35.4% from beyond the arc, while knocking down 1.7 triples per game.

Injuries limited JSJ to a career-low 57 games. He started just 39 of those after starting every one of his appearances across the last two seasons.

In the seven-game series against Golden State, he averaged just 20.4 minutes and didn’t start a single game. Heading into the final year of his contract, the 22-year-old could be an attractive trade piece in a deal to secure Giannis Antetokounmpo. A change of scenery could do wonders for Smith Jr.’s fantasy appeal.

Dillon Brooks:

Brooks finished his second season in Houston with averages of 14.1 points, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals and career highs in rebounds (3.7) and triples (2.5). He shot 42.9% from the floor (second-best mark of his career), 81.8% from the charity stripe and a career-best 39.7% from beyond the arc.

Brooks operated as a 3-and-D option for the second-place Rockets, attempting a career-high 6.3 triples per game and acting as a nuisance on the defensive end.

He scored 36 points on January 27 against the Celtics, dropping his most points in over three years and finishing just one point shy of his career high. In that game, Brooks stroked a career-high 10 three-pointers.

Brooks finished 170th in per-game fantasy hoops value, as he offers little outside of scoring and triples. Fantasy managers looking at him in 2025-26 drafts can target him with a final pick if production in those categories is needed.

Cam Whitmore:

The second-year man saw his playing time fall from 18.7 minutes as a rookie to 16.2 in 2024-25. He posted 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 triples per game across 51 outings.

Whitmore started three games and averaged a 25/8/2/1 line with four triples. The highlight of his season came on April 11 against the Lakers when he went off for 34/8/1/1/1 with seven triples.

The young forward is set to turn 21 over the summer, and he’s got a bright future if he can carve out a more meaningful role in Houston’s rotation.

Reed Sheppard:

The No. 3 pick out of Kentucky played a muted role in his inaugural campaign, logging 12.6 minutes per game across 52 appearances.

Sheppard averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.9 triples while shooting 35.1% from the floor and 81.3% from the charity stripe.

Sheppard played well in three starts, with averages of 19.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 4.3 triples. He dropped a career-high 25 points at Oklahoma City on March 3.

Sheppard can be a solid contributor if given significant minutes, but meaningful playing time may be hard to come by in 2025-26 due to Houston’s deep backcourt rotation.

Steven Adams:

Adams saw a dramatic cut in playing time during the 2024-25 campaign, logging just 13.9 minutes per game and averaging 3.9 points and 5.7 boards.

The big man made his presence known with additional minutes in three starts, posting 10 points 9.7 boards, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks across 23.7 minutes.

Adams had a solid postseason, and perhaps he was auditioning for his next team. He’s set to hit the open market this offseason, and he’ll surely have no problem finding a new team should he choose to leave H-Town.

Restricted Free Agents: Jack McVeigh, N’Faly Dante, David Roddy

Unrestricted Free Agents: Jeff Green, Jae’Sean Tate, Steven Adams

Club Option: Fred VanVleet, Aaron Holiday

Player Option: None

This felt like so many of Oklahoma City's games during the regular season. In particular, the 68 wins.

The Thunder's elite pressure defense forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 31 points. Oklahoma City's defense took away the paint, giving up just 20 points on 43.5% shooting in the key. The Timberwolves tried to shoot over the top of it and that got them an early lead when they shot 8-of-19 to start the game, but the math caught up with them and Minnesota shot 7-of-32 (21.9%) the rest of the way.

Then came the run. Sparked by that defense, the Thunder took the lead with a 10-0 run using their small-ball lineup in the third quarter. That was stretched out to 17-2 with Kenrich Williams hitting some big shots off the bench. By the start of the fourth, Oklahoma City was up by 10, 76-66, and they pulled away late.

Then Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, after a rough 2-of-13 first half, found his groove, shot 8-of-14 in the second half, drew fouls, and finished with a game-high 31 points.

The result was a comfortable 114-88 win at home, which has Oklahoma City up 1-0 in the Western Conference Finals. Game 2 is Thursday night in the same building.

This defense is why Oklahoma City is the title favorite, holding Anthony Edwards to zero points in the fourth quarter and the Timberwolves team to a 92.6 offensive rating for the game. It's not just that the Thunder have elite defenders like Lu Dort and Alex Caruso, it's their teamwork — they can have two or three players swarming the ball trying to force a turnover, yet still seem not to leave anyone else open. By the end, the swarming defense had the Timberwolves hesitant and second-guessing before making a pass. That defense led to offense.

Also in the second half, the Thunder started to get inside the Timberwolves' stout defense, which led to dunks and open 3-pointers.

It was a rough night for Edwards, who picked up a foolish early technical for tossing the ball at Gilgeous-Alexander.

Later in the first quarter, Edwards went back to the locker room after turning his ankle on a landing. Fortunately, he returned to the floor midway through the second quarter and looked like nothing had happened.

Julius Randle was Minnesota's offense in the first half scoring 20 points and shooting 5-of-6 from 3. Minnesota was an impressive 7-of-17 on above-the-break 3-pointers in the first half, but that dried up after the break. The Timberwolves' defense focused more on Randle, who scored eight points in the second half.

Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren came on in the second half for the Thunder, finishing with 19 and 15 points respectively.

Edwards finished with 18 for Minnesota as only he and Randle scored in double figures.

As has been said even before last year’s NBA draft, this wasn’t the most impressive rookie class to come through the league. However, it does have some quality players who are going to help their teams going forward. Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle is at the top of that list.

Those players were rewarded by being named to the NBA All-Rookie Teams, which were announced on Tuesday.

NBA All-Rookie Teams

First Team

Stephon Castle (Spurs)
Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)
Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks)
Zach Edey (Grizzlies)
Alex Sarr (Wizards)

Second Team

Matas Buzelis (Bulls)
Yves Missi (Pelicans)
Donovan Clingan (Trail Blazers)
Kel’el Ware (Heat)
Bub Carrington (Wizards)

If you’re looking for a snub (which is a dubious argument with this class), look no further than Utah, where Isaiah Collier (who had a strong second half of the season) and Kyle Filipowski were both were left off the teams. Here is a look at the voting (done by a global panel of 100 media members).

After a 64-win season behind a core four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the Cleveland Cavaliers were penciled in as a lock Eastern Conference Finals participant. After cruising in the first round past Miami, it looked like making the Finals was within reach.

Then Indiana — and injuries — came in with an eraser and wiped out those plans, leaving only questions behind.

Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman answered those questions saying the Cavaliers were going to run it back, speaking with the media Monday, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

"We’re disappointed how it ended. But it was a remarkable year on so many fronts and you guys were all invested in this. We’re not going to go anywhere. We’re going to keep fighting for that championship and this window is wide open, we believe...

“I love our foundation. I love our core. Our starting lineup, the average age is 26.8. We have two All-Stars that are 25 (Garland) and 23 (Mobley), respectively, and they’re going through it, they’re going through these experiences, they’re going through these battles and we’re sustainable in a lot of ways, not just because guys are under contract, but our youth... Us figuring out our offensive identity happened this year and so I’m really high on and optimistic about our future. That being said, it can’t just be 82 games. We have to figure out this next 16, we have to figure out how to get over the hump."

There had been calls in some quarters for the Cavaliers to do something radical — try and trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo? Trade Jarrett Allen? — to improve their chances. Don't bet on anything drastic happening.

“If we were going to be reactionary, it would have been last year after everything that was written about that group, and all the rumors and all this and that and we stood pat and look what happened, right? I think the same thing now as you lean in even more to what we’re building, the culture that we have here, the internal growth, the youth, the sustainability of that. I think there’s a championship window that we have here that’s wide open and that’s one that we’re going to try to pursue next year and the year after and the year after and so forth. We’re not done by any stretch."

Considering the Jayson Tatum injury throwing the Celtics' ability to contend next season into serious doubt, and with Antetokounmpo possibly being traded out of the conference, this is the right play by Altman. Don’t break this thing up now, the East should be down next season. That doesn't mean there is an easy path past the Knicks, Pacers, and improving teams like Orlando and Detroit, but the Cavaliers were held back this year by injuries — especially Garland suffering turf toe — and the team could use a little more veteran grit. However, these Cavaliers should not be one-and-done.

Do expect Altman to make some changes. It's possible that after a strong season, the market for free agent Ty Jerome may be too rich for the Cavaliers, and they will be looking for veterans and win-now guys to help round out the roster.

However, expect the Cavaliers' core to be back for another run at a ring.

New York is a Knicks town, and that fan base has been starved for a winner for decades, getting fed mostly scraps in the James Dolan era. That has changed in the last couple of years, as the Jalen Brunson-led Knicks are winning — and New York went wild after the Knicks knocked off the Celtics to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since Shaq and Kobe started winning titles together.

That celebration turned on a fan, Hanz Perez, who wore Pacers gear in New York — the team the Knicks will face in the next round. It wasn't pretty.

Monday, Perez went on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" and talked about being a firefighter and a lifelong Pacers fan (complete with a Pacers tattoo on his arm). That's when Tyrese Haliburton joined the conversation and did what franchise icons do, stepping up and offering to fly Perez and a friend out to Indianapolis for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

"Everybody in our organization wants to make sure you're taken care of. All the team's excited to meet you. It's all we've been talking about," Haliburton said.

Well played by Haliburton and the Pacers.

Perez is in for what should be an intense, incredibly even game and series — this one is a genuine coin toss. In that case, the Pacers could use all the good karma they can get, and Haliburton got them some.

New York is a Knicks town, and that fan base has been starved for a winner for decades, getting fed mostly scraps in the James Dolan era. That has changed in the last couple of years, as the Jalen Brunson-led Knicks are winning — and New York went wild after the Knicks knocked off the Celtics to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since Shaq and Kobe started winning titles together.

That celebration turned on a fan, Hanz Perez, who wore Pacers gear in New York — the team the Knicks will face in the next round. It wasn't pretty.

Monday, Perez went on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" and talked about being a firefighter and a lifelong Pacers fan (complete with a Pacers tattoo on his arm). That's when Tyrese Haliburton joined the conversation and did what franchise icons do, stepping up and offering to fly Perez and a friend out to Indianapolis for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

"Everybody in our organization wants to make sure you're taken care of. All the team's excited to meet you. It's all we've been talking about," Haliburton said.

Well played by Haliburton and the Pacers.

Perez is in for what should be an intense, incredibly even game and series — this one is a genuine coin toss. In that case, the Pacers could use all the good karma they can get, and Haliburton got them some.

While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, now is a good time to recap the fantasy basketball season for all 30 teams.

In the following weeks, we will provide a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the NBA champion in June.

The Clippers were finally healthy for a playoff run, but they weren’t able to get past the Nuggets in the first round. However, there’s no reason to think this team isn’t going to run things back again, though the clock certainly continues to tick.

Los Angeles Clippers 2024-25 Season Recap

Record: 50-32 (5th, West, lost first round)

Offensive Rating: 1146.7 (15th)

Defensive Rating: 109.4 (3rd)

Net Rating: 4.9 (5th)

Pace: 98.24 (22nd)

2024 Draft Picks: 30, 51

After Paul George left for Philadelphia in free agency, Norman Powell called it “addition by subtraction.” Well, the Clippers ended up winning one less game and finishing one spot lower in the standings, but they lost in seven games instead of six games in the first round. Improvement? Perhaps, but either way, it’s difficult to lose a player as talented as George (well, at least the player he was for them last season) and still be just as competitive, which made this season impressive. However, that doesn’t mean it was a successful year. When your team is built on stars that are 35 and 33 years old, it’s championship or bust.

That doesn’t mean that it was a waste of a season. Both Ivica Zubac and the aforementioned Powell had the best years of their careers, and Kawhi Leonard had a lot of success after he finally made his season debut. James Harden was excellent after a down 2023-24 season. Still, it wasn’t enough for them to make it out of the first round of the playoffs once again. This was their third straight first round exit, and they haven’t made it to the second round since the 2020-21 season.

Fantasy Standout: James Harden

Despite a poor postseason, Harden was awesome during the regular season. He struggled in his first year with the Clippers, but he averaged 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.5 steals and three triples per game this season. The 4.3 turnovers per game and 41 percent shooting from the field were poor, but he was still able to provide top-20 value in nine-cat leagues.

The only narrative that will come out of this season is that the 35-year-old Harden couldn’t get it done in the playoffs once again. His lowest-scoring performance of their series against Denver came in Game 7; he had seven points on eight shots. However, that shouldn’t alter how he is viewed in fantasy basketball. He isn’t vying for the top spot in the rankings anymore, but he is still fantastic during the regular season. The turnovers and poor field goal percentage aren’t going anywhere, which makes it important to account for them in category leagues. Harden isn’t slowing down, and he played 79 games during the regular season this year. There were no signs that would indicate he isn’t ready to repeat his production from this season once again.

Fantasy Revelation: Ivica Zubac

For years, head coach Tyronn Lue simply refused to play Zubac like a typical starter. He had him splitting the center minutes with multiple different players, including Isaiah Hartenstein and Mason Plumlee. Even when there wasn’t another quality center, Lue opted to play smaller lineups that featured Nicolas Batum at center. However, that changed this season, and the results were fantastic. Zubac’s minutes jumped from 26.4 per game last year to 33.1 this season, and he averaged 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game, which resulted in him providing third-round value in nine-cat leagues.

The 28-year-old proved that it’s never too late to enjoy a breakout season. Zubac has long been a solid option, but at his Yahoo! ADP of 86.8, he was one of the steals of the draft and a true league-winner. Zubac was the runner-up for the Most Improved Player award and finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He’ll go significantly earlier in fantasy drafts next season and should be in for another strong year, assuming Lue doesn’t reduce his role or put him in another minutes split at center. With the way he played this year, that seems unlikely.

Fantasy Disappointment: Bogdan Bogdanovic

Since making his NBA debut during the 2017-18 season, Bogdanovic has been a strong producer in fantasy basketball, especially as a three-point threat. However, this was a down year for him, and he ended up being traded to LA after starting the year with the Hawks. Though he was slightly better with the Clippers than he was with Atlanta, he only averaged 11.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and two triples per game for LA. That ranked outside the top 150 after he was a top-75 player in nine-cat leagues the year before.

The 32-year-old was mostly ineffective during the playoffs as well, though he was able to knock some shots down during Games 5 and 7. Still, he didn’t miss any games with the Clippers after making his debut just before the All-Star break, but he was sidelined a lot early on when he was with the Hawks. Bogdanovic will hopefully enjoy a healthier season during the 2025-26 campaign, which will give him a chance to bounce back.

Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads 

Kawhi Leonard

Though he didn’t suit up until January, Leonard was productive during his time on the floor. In 37 appearances, he averaged 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.1 triples in 31.9 minutes per game. He was eased in slowly after missing the start of the season due to the same knee issue that kept him from playing in the Olympics last summer and forced him to miss Games 4-6 against the Mavericks in the playoffs last year.

The injury concerns and questions aren’t going anywhere, but Leonard remains effective when he is on the floor. He’ll be 34 at the start of next season, and with his injury history, there have to be concerns about how much longer he’ll keep playing. Still, he was productive during the playoffs and after the All-Star break, he was able to provide first-round value in nine-cat leagues. Leonard will likely continue to slip in fantasy drafts because of the headache that he has caused for managers over the past half-decade. However, that just makes him an excellent value pick.

Norman Powell

Powell was certainly a candidate for “Fantasy Revelation” with his breakout performance this season. He averaged 21.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals and three triples in 32.6 minutes per game, which led to arguably the best season of his career. Powell really took advantage of Kawhi’s absence early on and was in the conversation to make the All-Star Game. However, he only played one game in a month-long stretch from mid-February to mid-March and wasn’t able to produce at the same level over the final month of the regular season. Still, It was an impressive year for a 31-year-old, and he’ll continue to be an excellent source of offense for them, assuming he remains in a starting role like he did this season after being LA’s sixth man the last few years.

Kris Dunn

The former top-five pick has bounced around the league without finding a consistent place to call home. This was his first season with the Clippers, and he started 58 of his 74 games while averaging 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 steals and one three-pointer per game. Dunn’s steals were valuable, but he wasn’t able to do much else for fantasy managers. LA had him in the starting lineup for his defense, but he was able to provide some points and assists occasionally. Still, his role in fantasy basketball next season will be as a steal streamer once again.

Derrick Jones Jr.

Early in his career, Jones Jr. was known as a dunk specialist, but he has reinvented himself over the last two seasons. After an excellent year in Dallas, he earned a three-year deal with the Clippers. He started 55 of his 77 appearances, averaging 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, one steal and one triple per game. Jones Jr. was a solid defender in the rotation, but his limited offensive game prevents him from being dominant in fantasy basketball. He’ll continue to play heavy minutes, but he makes more of an impact on the court than he does in the box score.

Ben Simmons

After playing 90 games across two and a half seasons with the Nets, Simmons’ contract was bought out in February, and he signed with the Clippers for the rest of last season. In his 18 games, he averaged 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 16.4 minutes per game. Simmons’ fall from grace has been well documented, and the once-dominant fantasy player doesn’t provide much optimism for the future. Sure, he’s still talented, but it’s going to take a lot more than that for him to be a reliable player.

Amir Coffey

Coffey has spent six years with the Clippers, and this was his best yet. Across his 72 appearances, he averaged 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 triples in 24.3 minutes per game. He has had some stretches as a starter where he has been effective, but he was out of the rotation for the final two weeks of the regular season and didn’t see the floor during the playoffs. He’ll continue to be a rotation piece for LA, but he won’t make much of an impact in fantasy basketball.

Nicolas Batum

While speaking with BeIN Sports, Batum said that the 2025-26 season will likely be his last year in the league. He has a player option, so he could finish out his career with the Clippers. However, he likely won’t see his role increase after averaging 4.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 threes in 17.5 minutes per game this year. Batum will be a solid veteran presence again next season, but he shouldn’t be considered in any fantasy format.

Kobe Brown

Since they took Jerome Robinson in the 2018 draft, Brown has been the lone first-round pick made by the Clippers that also suited up for them. However, his role decreased in his second year with the team. He averaged 1.9 points and 1.6 rebounds in just 6.8 minutes per game while suiting up 40 times. The 25-year-old is one of the few young pieces on this Clippers team, but it is unlikely they pivot to a youth movement next season. He’ll continue to try and develop from the bench.

Jordan Miller

The 2023 second-round pick saw his role increase in year two, but not by much. He played 11.4 minutes per game across 37 appearances and averaged 4.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Miller played a larger role than Brown last season, but it was still insignificant. That is unlikely to change next season.

Restricted Free Agents: Jordan Miller, Trentyn Flowers

Unrestricted Free Agents: Amir Coffey, Patty Mills, Ben Simmons

Player Option: James Harden, Nicolas Batum