2024-25 Fantasy Basketball Projections: NBASZN Picks
The NBA season is rapidly approaching, and that means fantasy basketball draft season is heating up.
The defending champion Boston Celtics return the vast majority of their squad, putting them in a favorable position to repeat. The Eastern Conference is full of appealing story lines with the 76ers and Knicks both making big moves to try and surpass the Celtics.
To add to the excitement of the NBA season is NBASZN on PrizePicks. Build your ideal season-long Lineup with at least two player projections — like points or rebounds — and get in on the cash prizes when the season ends.
Let’s explain how NBASZN works and highlight some of the top fantasy basketball projections to consider. And before you draft, be sure to check out our 2024-25 fantasy basketball sleepers.
2024-25 NBASZN Picks
- 76ers G Tyrese Maxey: 25.0 Points Per Game
- Lakers C Anthony Davis: 24.5 Points Per Game
- Rockets C Alperen Sengun: 22.7 Points Per Game
- Nets C Nicolas Claxton: 10.8 Rebounds Per Game
- Pistons C Jalen Duren: 11.3 Rebounds Per Game
- Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo: 6.4 Assists Per Game
- Bucks G Damian Lillard 7.0 Assists Per Game
- Rockets G Fred VanVleet 2.9 3PT Made Per Game
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What is NBASZN on PrizePicks?
NBASZN is the season-long NBA game on PrizePicks, where you can pick more or less on a player’s projections for the entire 2024-25 regular season. The projection categories include points, rebounds, assists, and three-pointers made per game, based on player’s averages.
NBASZN Lineups will be locked for the entirety of the 2024-25 regular season, and will pay out after the season ends.
Pick your favorite players and build your season-long lineup to follow along with throughout the season. The NBASZN board will close on Tuesday, October 22, when the league tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET for a matchup between the Celtics and Knicks.
You can view the full fantasy basketball projections from PrizePicks by visiting the board and clicking the NBASZN tab.
NBASZN Fantasy Basketball Projections: Points
76ers G Tyrese Maxey 25.0 Points Per Game — LESS
76ers G Tyrese Maxey is coming off a breakout campaign in which he averaged 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 3.0 three-pointers per game. Last year, with the 76ers trading away G James Harden and C Joel Embiid being limited to 39 games because of injury, Maxey was forced to log 38 minutes per game and produced a 28.0% usage rate.
The 76ers enter this season with significantly more fire power after signing F Paul George away from the Clippers. He has averaged at least 21.5 points per game in each of the last nine seasons and is a huge upgrade over F Tobias Harris, who has since landed with the Pistons.
Harris only had a 20.7% usage rate last year, while George has a 27.2% usage rate for his career.
The combination of George likely taking away usage, and Embiid possibly not missing half of the season could result in Maxey taking a significant hit in his PPG.
Lakers C Anthony Davis 24.5 Points Per Game — MORE
The Lakers made no significant moves during the offseason. That means Lakers F LeBron James and Lakers F Anthony Davis are going to have to carry the offense again.
Davis averaged 24.7 points per game last season and has averaged at least 24.7 points in three of his five seasons with the team. He is an efficient scorer who has a clear path to a hefty usage rate.
Health is always a concern with Davis, but not his scoring prowess when he is on the floor, which is a plus for this projection, as it's a per-game average. As James continues to age, it’s likely more scoring duties will be on Davis’ plate.
Rockets C Alperen Sengun 22.7 Points Per Game — LESS
Rockets C Alperen Sengun averaged a career-high 32.5 minutes per game last season. He also shot 53.7% from the field. Still, he fell short of this projection by averaging 21.1 points per game, even with his usage rate increasing to 27.0%.
While he is a versatile player, he is only shooting 28.4% from behind the arc for his career and isn’t adding points beyond the arc.
The Rockets have plenty of talent with G Fred VanVleet, G Jalen Green, and F Jabari Smith Jr. in the fold, so don’t expect Sengun to receive an even higher usage rate this season.
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NBASZN Fantasy Basketball Projections: Rebounds
Nets C Nicolas Claxton 10.8 Rebounds Per Game — LESS
This is a rebuilding season for the Nets, who should be one of the worst teams in the league. Nets C Nicolas Claxton figures to be someone that they build around after he agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract during the summer.
Claxton has already been a key starter for the Nets, averaging 30 minutes per game in both of the last two seasons. However, he did not average more than 9.9 rebounds per game in either campaign. The Nets should get blown out a lot, so that might not leave Claxton on the floor much late in games.
Even as his playing time increased down the stretch last year, Claxton only averaged 10.7 rebounds per game in April, his best month of the season. This projection is a significant increase over his previous career high, so don’t be surprised if he falls well short of it.
Pistons C Jalen Duren 11.3 Rebounds Per Game – MORE
Pistons C Jalen Duren owns the boards. Despite averaging just 25 minutes per game during his rookie season, he provided 8.9 rebounds per game. With an uptick to 29 minutes per game last season, he averaged 11.6 rebounds.
He doesn’t even turn 21 years old until November, so there is still room for him to get even better. Last season, Duren averaged 11.9 rebounds per game in March, 12.7 rebounds per game in February, and 11.9 rebounds in January.
NBASZN Fantasy Basketball Projections: Assists
Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo 6.4 Assists Per Game – LESS
Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo shot a career-high 61.1% from the field last season, which helped him average 30.4 points per game. He also set a new personal best by averaging 6.5 assists per game.
He saw a significant increase in playing time, averaging 35 minutes per game. Prior to that, he had averaged 33 or fewer minutes per game in each of the last five seasons.
Even with Antetokounmpo playing more, he just barely hit the more on this projection. Prior to this season, he had never averaged more than 5.9 assists per game.
The Bucks superstar ended up being hurt when the playoffs rolled around, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bucks backed his playing time off a bit to try and keep him healthy for the stretch run. Given his career numbers, this projection is just too high.
Bucks G Damian Lillard 7.0 Assists Per Game – MORE
Bucks G Damian Lillard saw his scoring numbers take a dive during his first season in Milwaukee. His 28.4% usage rate was his lowest mark since the 2014-15 season.
Lillard also shot just 42.4% from the field. Prior to that, he had shot at least 45.1% from the field in three of the last four seasons.
As disappointing as his scoring output was, Lillard still averaged 7.0 assists per game alongside Antetokounmpo. He had averaged at least 7.3 assists per game in each of his prior four seasons with the Blazers, so he didn’t take a big hit in that department with his new squad.
He has one of the best finishers in the league playing alongside him in Antetokounmpo, so Lillard should continue to have plenty of opportunities to rack up assists.
Another important stat to consider here is that Lillard has averaged at least 35 minutes per game in every season of his career.
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NBASZN Fantasy Basketball Projections: 3-Pointers Made
Rockets G Fred VanVleet 2.9 3PT Made Per Game – MORE
Rockets G Fred VanVleet averaged 13.9 shot attempts per game last season, 8.0 of which came from behind the arc.
He has averaged at least 8.0 three-point attempts per game in each of the last four seasons. With him being a career 37.5% three-point shooter, VanVleet has averaged at least 3.0 made three-pointers in each of those four seasons.
As a key veteran for the Rockets, his minutes and shot attempts should remain plentiful this season.
Lock In Your NBASZN Lineups on PrizePicks
The NBA season will be tipping off soon. Fantasy basketball drafts are right around the corner. Don’t wait to get in on the fun and build your ideal fantasy basketball squad with NBASZN on PrizePicks.
Whether you want to attack points, rebounds, assists or three-pointers per game averages, NBASZN has some of everything. With averages, you don’t have to sweat in-season injuries — just when your players are on the floor.
Select your favorite players, build your Lineup, and follow along throughout the regular season.
Follow Mike Barner for more NBA Picks: @rotomikebarner
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