RADIO
Fantasy basketball season is almost here, and we're all preparing our shortlists for the draft. Naturally, most of our focus will be on the biggest names and their draft placement.
But as always, some under-the-radar players can easily break out and become fantasy studs. Finding and taking a chance on these sleepers can make or break your fantasy roster. Luckily for you, I'm here to show you some of my sleeper picks for the 2024-25 season. Last time, I covered guards, and now it's time for forwards!
Without further ado, let's look at four of my favorite sleeper forwards heading into the 2024-25 fantasy basketball season.
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Corey Kispert - Washington Wizards
Last year, I vouched for Corey Kispert, and I'm doing it again this year. Kispert's 2023-24 season didn't get off to the best of starts, as he was benched for Deni Avdija.
The Wizards tried their best to get the most out of Avdija but soon found out Kispert was the better prospect all along. In his last 19 games (all starts), Kispert averaged 17.2 points a night while shooting 50.8% from the field and 43.9% from three.
Corey Kispert Threes Per Season
2021-22: 112 (35%)
2022-23: 163 (42.4%)
2023-24: 184 (38.3%)Just Two Other Players Have Reached Those Same Marks
Steph Curry
Buddy Hield pic.twitter.com/3ihisumkAP— WizardsMuse (@WizardsMuse1) April 19, 2024
Excluding his final game, he put up 20.8 PPG in April, which included three consecutive games with over 20 points. The stats don't end there. Last season, in games where he played 30+ minutes, Kispert scored 20.0 PPG and shot an insane 48.8% from three.
Kispert will get more opportunities as a starter now that Avdija is gone. Kyle Kuzma trade rumors are running wild like always, and Kispert can go off if Kuzma is moved.
Many unproven players are being drafted ahead of him, because fantasy managers view Kispert as a Duncan Robinson-type shooter. But when given the chance, he has shown he can be more than that.
Trey Murphy III - New Orleans Pelicans
Trey Murphy III broke out in the 2022-23 season, putting up 20.4 points a night on 51/45/90 splits in his last 19 games. However, injuries prevented him from taking another leap in 2023-24.
Murphy tore his meniscus before the start of the campaign and got off to a slow start once he came back. But near the end of the year, he showed his star potential again, especially when Brandon Ingram was out.
BeforePro: Trey Murphy III was a late bloomer, starting high school at just 5-foot-8, unable to dunk until he was a 6-foot-4 senior. An unheralded recruit, he took his talents to Rice University, where he played his first two seasons of CBB.
TMIII showed promise from the jump of… pic.twitter.com/dyUK5ayuNG
— League Him (@League_Him) June 18, 2024
In his last 12 starts of the year with Ingram on the sidelines, Murphy averaged 17.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while showcasing his ability from beyond the arc, draining 17/33 three-pointers in his last three games.
Ingram could be on the move this year, and while Murphy isn't the best at handing the ball or creating his own shot off the dribble, he has shown some improvement and could improve even more with an expanded role.
Even if Ingram stays, Murphy will still be a key part of New Orleans' small ball lineup alongside Ingram, Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and Zion Williamson. The Pelicans don't have a big-name center, and Murphy will be used to close out games.
Jabari Smith Jr. - Houston Rockets
Sometimes, you see a player who has all the tools, but never improves their game and takes the leap to the next level. Luckily for the Rockets, Jabari Smith Jr. has all the tools and has proven that he's capable of improvement.
And not just in one part of the game. Last season, despite playing just 0.9 more minutes per game compared to his rookie year, Smith Jr. did something truly remarkable and improved in almost every facet of the game.
Breakout Bari in year three? We think so.🤝
21 y/o stretch four Jabari Smith Jr. saw improvements in just about every category in his sophomore season with the Rockets.
At 6’11” Smith shot over 36% from 3PT, and showed he can score with the ball in his hands.
13.7PTS | 8.1REB… pic.twitter.com/gOFWa5kfmN
— GREENLIGHT MEDIA (@atlgreenlight) August 9, 2024
He averaged more points, rebounds, assists, steals, and shooting efficiency. He also improved his ability to shoot from the corner, from 34.8% in 2022-23 to 46.4% in 2023-24.
His catch-and-shoot ability also improved drastically, from 29.4% on catch-and-shoot threes as a rookie to 37.8% as a sophomore.
He can now space the floor effectively, which is good news for Alperen Sengun. If Sengun is the next Nikola Jokic, Smith Jr. can be the next Aaron Gordon. An uber-athletic defender who can also score a bunch of points on the offensive end.
Jonathan Kuminga - Golden State Warriors
Just like Kispert, I vouched for Kuminga last year. Unlike Kispert, Kuminga had a true breakout season and I thought he was no longer a sleeper. Then, I saw his ADP...
Players in trade rumors like Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram, injured players like Kawhi Leonard, and even washed-up players like Klay Thompson and Tobias Harris all have a higher ADP than Kuminga. So it seems like Kuminga is still a sleeper.
New look, same hustle. pic.twitter.com/mRcr2bN3Bk
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) September 12, 2024
Fantasy managers' perception of Kuminga has probably been damaged by his poor performance off the bench in the Warriors' Play-In loss to the Kings, but that was just one game.
Prime James Harden never played well in playoff games, but does the postseason matter in fantasy basketball? No! The same goes for Kuminga, he won't be benched and will continue to be the Warriors' clear number two behind Stephen Curry.
He averaged 21.1 points on 55.7% shooting in games with over 30 minutes last year, and can easily do the same this year. His relationship with Steve Kerr has improved, and Kuminga recently said he's looking forward to playing under Kerr this year.
Also, if Curry goes down—which isn't unlikely given his age—Kuminga can go off as the only real "alpha dog" on the roster.
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