NBA Fantasy: The safest players to draft for the 2024-25 season

• Play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo! >

Everyone loves finding the next sleeper or breakout prospect in fantasy basketball. However, to have the chance to identify some of these players, you need to design some safer, higher level options. Let’s discuss five players who are among the safest options in the league this season.

Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

If you want to sign Jokic, you have to be lucky enough to have either the first or second selection in your league. The first choice lies with him and Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama has worked his way into the conversation due to his reliable defensive skills, averaging 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals in his rookie season. Although he was not efficient behind the arc, Wembanyama capitalized on a large number of attempts to average 1.8 three-pointers per game.

There are many factors that make Jokic one of the safest draft players in fantasy basketball. In each of the last four seasons, he averaged at least 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.3 steals. Additionally, he has made 55.7% of his shots from the field and 82.7% from the free throw line in his career.

Some might say that availability is also a skill. This might be one of Jokic’s best. He has never played fewer than 69 games in a season. He appeared in at least 72 games in eight of his nine seasons in the league.

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

As far as his availability goes, Edwards is on the same path as Jokic. He has played at least 72 games in his four seasons in the league and has appeared in 79 games in each of the last two seasons. He also averaged at least 35 minutes per game in both seasons.

Edwards has seen an increase in his points per game, assists per game and field goal percentage in every season of his career. He was a multi-category performer last season, averaging 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.4 3-pointers per game. Given his high usage rate, his 46.1% hit rate from the field was also a plus for his fantasy value. With Karl-Anthony Towns gone and Julius Randle now the Timberwolves’ second-best option, Edwards should continue to have an incredibly high rate.

Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

Since becoming the Heat’s starter, Adebayo has averaged at least 15.9 points and 9.0 rebounds in five consecutive seasons. He has performed really well over the last three seasons, averaging at least 19.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals each season. After playing 75 games two seasons ago, he played 71 games last season.

Adebayo doesn’t accumulate blocks like a traditional center and has averaged 0.9 blocks or fewer over the last three seasons. He also delivers next to nothing when it comes to 3-point shots. However, his career 54.7% shooting from the field and 75.5% shooting from the free throw line helps offset his deficiencies. If the Heat are to have success again, they will rest firmly on the shoulders of Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. For those missing top centers, Adebayo can still offer fantasy managers an incredibly high profile at the position.

Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder

Williams is only 23 years old and is entering his third season in the league. However, he is still a top option for this list. He has taken on an important role for the Thunder, averaging at least 30 minutes in his first two seasons in the league. He also played at least 71 games in both seasons.

Last season was a breakthrough for Williams. He averaged 19.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 3-pointers per game. He was also efficient, shooting 54.0% from the field and 81.4% from the free throw line. His biggest improvement came from behind the arc. After converting 35.6% of his 3-point attempts in his rookie season, Williams hit 42.7% of his three-pointers last season.

The Thunder have set themselves the goal of making a good entry into the playoffs. They added Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein in the offseason to accomplish that goal. Both should be key figures in depth, but neither player is known for their goal-scoring abilities. After posting a 23.7% usage rate last season, Williams should once again be one of the Thunder’s highest scoring options.

Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

Banchero is another young player worth including on this list. Like Williams, he was healthy and appeared in at least 72 games in both seasons of his career. Last season he averaged 35 minutes and played 80 games. This helped him average 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.5 3-pointers per game.

One of Banchero’s biggest fantasy drawbacks heading into his rookie season was that he shot just 42.7% from the field and 29.8% from deep. He improved both points last season, shooting 45.5% from the field and 33.9% from behind the arc. However, his 72.5% shooting percentage from the free throw line left a lot to be desired, especially since he averaged 7.0 free throw attempts per game.

After making the playoffs last season, the Magic remained largely unchanged during the offseason. They brought in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Nuggets, but he likely won’t command many shot attempts. He has a career usage rate of 16.6%. He’s also not a great facilitator, as he averaged 1.8 assists per game over his career. Banchero will have the ball in his hands again this season and will take all the shot attempts he can handle. Expect him to provide plenty of exciting counting stats.