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Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Indiana Pacers 2024-2025 fantasy basketball season recap: What the Hali
Now that the NBA season is over, we'll recap the fantasy basketball season for the 2024-25 runners-up. Over the last two months, we've provided a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the Eastern and Western Conference champions. Advertisement Today, we're looking at a team that went on one of the greatest playoff runs ever seen. Indiana Pacers 2024-2025 Season Recap Record: 50-32 (4th, East) Offensive Rating: 115.4 (9th) Defensive Rating: 113.3 (14th) Net Rating: 2.1 (T-13th) Pace: 100.76 (7th) 2025 NBA Draft Picks: 54th pick The 2024-25 campaign was perhaps the most exciting in Pacers history, and I'm including the 1999-00 championship run and the 2005 Malice at the Palace season. For the second straight year, the Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but this year, they got over the hump. Indiana lost a heartbreaker in Game 7 of the Finals to the Thunder, but Indiana's improbable run to the last game of the season was one of the most entertaining and unexpected in recent memory. Advertisement Superstar Tyrese Haliburton took the next step with a dazzling postseason run, but a devastating injury in Game 7 of the Finals will have a major ripple effect across the roster next season. Let's recap last season's fantasy performances and look ahead to 2025-26. Fantasy Standout: Tyrese Haliburton Haliburton delivered a monster season for fantasy managers, averaging 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.7 blocks and 3.0 triples in 33.6 minutes across 73 games. He shot 47.3% from the floor and 85.1% from the charity stripe as he finished fifth in per-game fantasy value. For as great of a regular season as Hali had, his postseason run was the stuff of legends. The fourth-seeded Pacers took down the Bucks in five games, and Haliburton delivered the knockout blow with a game-winning layup in Game 5. Advertisement Next up were the Cavs, who Indiana dispatched in another gentlemen's sweep. Down two in Game 2, Hali missed a free throw with 12 seconds remaining, gathered his own rebound, dribbled out beyond the arc and coldly sank the go-ahead trey with just over a second to play. In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, Haliburton wasted no time making his mark on the series. Down two with 10 seconds to play, he drove into the lane, dribbled back and launched a shot that took a long bounce off the rim before finding daylight. Thinking he had won the game, Haliburton imitated Reggie Miller's iconic choking gesture to the crowd at Madison Square Garden. Review showed that his foot was on the line, but Indiana wrapped the game up in OT and never looked back in the series. In the Finals, Haliburton hit another game-winner in Game 1 to give Indiana its first and only lead of the contest. The Pacers were massive underdogs to win the Finals against the Thunder, and they were dogs in each of the seven games of the series. Somehow, Haliburton and Co. forced a Game 7, but tragedy struck just minutes into the contest. Advertisement Haliburton sank three early triples to put the Pacers up, but as he made a move on the wing, his right Achilles visibly tore, and he went to the ground. Haliburton was immediately emotional, and he was helped off the court. Later reports confirmed the Achilles tear, and Hali Fantasy Revelation: T.J. McConnell McConnell finished the regular season ranked 218 in per-game fantasy value, but the revolutionary nature of his performance came in the postseason, where he became a Pacers legend. McConnell averaged 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks in 17.9 minutes across 79 games in the regular season. He shot respectably at 51.9% from the field and 74% from the charity stripe in his sixth season with Indiana, operating as a change-of-pace guard specializing as a high-energy defender and facilitator. Advertisement He came to play in the Finals, averaging 12 points, 3.6 boards, 4.3 dimes and 2.1 steals across seven games. With Tyrese Haliburton hobbled in Games 5-6 and out for most of Game 7, he stepped up in a big way. Over the final three games of the championship series, McConnell posted 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals. He routinely made huge plays on offense, including key rebounds and microwave scoring when his team couldn't hit shots. With Haliburton set to miss significant time next season, McConnell has surely earned a larger role for the 2025-26 campaign, making him an intriguing late-round option in fantasy drafts. Fantasy Disappointment: None Indiana operated as a well-oiled machine throughout the regular season and playoffs, leaning on Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam to do the heavy lifting, with Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Benn Mathurin filling in the gaps. The stars shined, and the role players did what they were asked to do. There were no major surprises from a fantasy standpoint. Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads Myles Turner: Turner finished his 10th season in Indiana with averages of 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 2.0 swats and 2.2 triples. The big man appeared in 72 games and logged 30.2 minutes per night, shooting 48.1% from the floor and 77.3% from the charity stripe. Advertisement Turner finished inside the top 50 in per-game fantasy value thanks to his ability to block shots, grab rebounds and hit triples. His strong regular season was soured by a dismal Finals run. Across seven games against the Thunder, he averaged just 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.3 steals, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 triples. Indiana's longest-tenured player has been included in many trade rumors throughout his career, but there's no confidence that he will actually be dealt this offseason. Set to be an unrestricted free agent, Turner could choose to test the free agent market and join a center-needy team like the Lakers. Perhaps the Pacers reconsider bringing him back after his lackluster showing on the biggest stage? If he returns to the Pacers, expect similar numbers to the ones he posted this season, with a potential bump in scoring due to Haliburton's absence. Advertisement Pascal Siakam: Siakam was masterful in his first full season with Indiana, averaging 20.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.6 triples in 32.7 minutes across 78 appearances. The star forward shot efficiently from the floor (51.9) and knocked down 73.4% of his tries from the charity stripe. Unsurprisingly, Siakam's playing time and counting stats took a dip coming from Toronto to Indiana. He finished with his fewest points, rebounds and minutes in six seasons and his fewest assists in five seasons. He knocked down the second-most three-pointers of his career and recorded his sixth consecutive season averaging 20+ points. Spicy P enjoyed a productive playoff run, leading his team in points and rebounds while making a strong impact as a facilitator and defender. He had some huge moments, including a pair of 30-balls against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semis. Advertisement Siakam could be a prime beneficiary of Haliburton's extended absence. Expect big numbers in 2025-26. Aaron Nesmith: Nesmith enjoyed the most productive season of his career, finishing the 2024-25 campaign with averages of 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocked shots and 1.9 triples across 25 minutes per game. Injuries limited him to just 45 games, but he made the most of his time on the court. His 43/51/91 shooting splits represent a new career-best in efficiency, and Nesmith finished just outside the top 120 in per-game fantasy hoops value in his third season with the Pacers. Advertisement Nesmith played well in the postseason, and he had a memorable performance in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He knocked down eight triples and finished with 30 points as the Pacers stormed back to defeat the Knicks 138-135 in overtime. Nesmith isn't going to wow in any category, but he doesn't turn the ball over, he can provide respectable defensive numbers, and he can hit triples. He should take on a heftier load on offense next season with Haliburton set to miss time. A finish near the top 120 wouldn't be surprising. Andrew Nembhard: Indiana will employ a platoon approach to pick up the slack for Haliburton in 2025-26, but Nembhard could perhaps see the biggest boost to his playing time, production and fantasy value. Advertisement The Gonzaga product finished the season ranked 175th in per-game fantasy hoops value behind averages of 10.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.2 blocks and 0.8 triples with 46/79 shooting splits. He averaged nearly 29 minutes across 65 contests and set new career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals. Nembhard established himself as a capable playmaker and strong defender, leading the Pacers as a floor general during the regular season when Haliburton was sidelined and spending plenty of time defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Finals. He's worth a look in the later rounds of 2025-26 fantasy drats. Obi Toppin: 'Ain't no stoppin…' In his second season with Indiana, Toppin posted averages of 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.4 blocks and 1.4 triples while shooting 53.9% from the field and 78.1% from the charity stripe. He appeared in 79 games and played 19.6 minutes per contest. Advertisement Toppin set new career highs in points, rebounds, assists and triples, though his performances were hot and cold throughout the regular season and playoffs. He dropped 20 points in Game 6 of the Finals only to follow it up with a goose egg in the scoring column in Game 7. Toppin finished just inside the top 200 in per-game fantasy hoops value. Even iif he takes on an increased role for the Pacers in 2025-26, he'll be tough to trust as a late-round flyer in fantasy drafts. Bennedict Mathurin: Mathurin finished 181st in per-game fantasy value with averages of 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.3 blocks and 1.4 triples. He shot 45.8% from the floor and 83.1% from the charity stripe and logged 29.9 minutes per game across 72 contests. Advertisement His rebounds, three-pointers, FG% and FT% represent career highs, though much like Toppin, his production was up and down. Mathurin scored 27 points in Game 3 of the Finals and finished with 17 total points across Games 4-6 before going 24/13/3/2 with a pair of triples in Game 7. Heading into Year 4, Mathurin could take the next step forward and push to score 20 points per night. With Haliburton out, he's the next man up after Pascal Siakam as a reliable nightly bucket-getter. Ben Sheppard: The man with the best moustache in the NBA finished his second professional season with averages of 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks and 1.1 triples while shooting 41.8% from the floor and 88.9% from the charity stripe. He appeared in 63 games and logged 19.5 minutes per tilt. Advertisement Sheppard logged just under 14 minutes per game in the playoffs as Indiana's rotation tightened up, but he averaged nearly 19 minutes per game in Game 6 and 7 of the Finals with Haliburton limited and out. Sheppard could see more run in Haliburton's absence, though he's not yet someone to pick up in 2025-26 fantasy drafts outside deeper leagues. Restricted Free Agents: Quenton Jackson, Isaiah Jackson Unrestricted Free Agents: Thomas Bryant, James Johnson, Myles Turner Club Option: Tony Bradley Player Option: None
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Basketball MVPs: Who powered Yahoo's winningest teams and what we can learn
Every NBA season, certain players deliver outsized returns that fuel fantasy basketball championships. Thanks to Yahoo's data on the most rostered players on winning teams in head-to-head leagues, we can identify who made the biggest difference and what fantasy managers should learn from them heading into next season. Let's break down the top performers, the late-round steals and the statistical blueprints that these MVPs share. According to Yahoo's end-of-season data, the following five players were rostered most often on the best-performing fantasy squads: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 32.0% Nikola Jokić – 31.8% Dyson Daniels – 29.2% Brook Lopez – 22.6% Nikola Vučević – 22.2% SGA is the real-life MVP and fantasy basketball MVP. I lobbied for Josh Hart at the midway point because of his value relative to ADP (more on that later), but numbers don't lie. SGA was phenomenal once again, scoring over 30 PPG with elite steals, blocks for a guard, strong efficiency and low turnovers — checking every box in 9-cat. Regardless of format, he remains a top-3 fantasy pick heading into next season. Jokić, unsurprisingly, was a model of consistency, averaging the first triple-double of his career with elite efficiency at all three levels. His fantasy game has no weaknesses, and given his availability and production, he should be the consensus 1.01 next year. More surprisingly, defense catapulted Daniels into the top 3, and when factoring in his 144 ADP in the preseason, he's also in the conversation for fantasy MVP. Though not high-scorers, generating steals and blocks with a low turnover rate is invaluable for any successful fantasy squad. Multiple players taken well outside the top 100 in drafts ranked among the 20 most common players on winning teams. These late-round gems highlight the importance of monitoring breakout trends and low-cost contributors: Dyson Daniels (ADP 144.0) Josh Hart (ADP 116.7) Ivica Zubac (ADP 85.7) Christian Braun (ADP 143.5) Quentin Grimes (ADP: undrafted) : These players show that you don't need stars to win — just well-rounded players who fit your build and fill scarce stat categories. Also, striking first on the waiver wire could have netted substantial value this season, specifically players like Grimes and Braun/Daniels in shallower leagues. Across the top 25 MVPs, several trends emerged: Multi-category contributors are key. Most helped in 5+ categories, not just scoring. Low turnovers were a defining feature. Defensive stats (steals/blocks) were overrepresented, especially for non-bigs. Rebounds and assists from non-traditional positions (like guards) provided sneaky value. Efficient shooting (especially FG%) separated winners from volume scorers. : Winning in 9-cat is about balance and completeness, not flash. To better understand MVP traits, players were grouped into five statistical clusters using their Z-scores from Basketball Monster — more info on Z-scores — across fantasy categories: Cluster 2 has the highest MVP density. Efficient bigs cover several categories and are widely available until the later rounds. Cluster 0 is my favorite. The playmaking guards who cover a breadth of statistics, but also allow you to execute punting, since most playmakers have high turnover rates and varying FG percentages. I tend to lean into this type of player in the early rounds to secure PTS, ASTS, 3PM and STL even though it may not be represented — with players like Tyrese Haliburton and James Harden — in the top tier of MVPs. Cluster 1 is an emerging class focusing more on defensively gifted wings with lower usage rates because of their roles. Examples are Derrick White, Dyson Daniels and Josh Hart. Clusters 3 and 4 are high-risk, low-return bucket-getters like Keyonte George. Love the upside, but it's probably a trap. Prioritize players in Clusters 0, 1, and 2 — these archetypes consistently show up on winning teams. Cluster 2 (efficient bigs) represents the most MVPs in 2024-25; Cluster 1 (defensive wings/glue guys) is the sleeper MVP zone. Don't chase empty volume scorers — efficiency, stocks and low TOs win 9-cat leagues. Finding late-round targets with high steals or blocks upside offers massive returns relative to ADP. Chase production, not headlines. This framework builds rosters that actually win. We'll revisit candidates that fall into each of these archetypes for next season down the line to help you prep for your 2025-26 fantasy hoops drafts.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Basketball MVPs: Who powered Yahoo's winningest teams and what we can learn
Every NBA season, certain players deliver outsized returns that fuel fantasy basketball championships. Thanks to Yahoo's data on the most rostered players on winning teams head-to-head leagues, we can identify who made the biggest difference and what fantasy managers should learn from them heading into next season. Let's break down the top performers, the late-round steals and the statistical blueprints that these MVPs share. 🔥 Top 5 players on winningest fantasy teams According to Yahoo's end-of-season data, the following five players were rostered most often on the best-performing fantasy squads: Advertisement Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 32.0% Nikola Jokić – 31.8% Dyson Daniels – 29.2% Brook Lopez – 22.6% Nikola Vučević – 22.2% SGA is the real-life MVP and fantasy basketball MVP. I lobbied for Josh Hart at the midway point because of his value relative to ADP (more on that later), but numbers don't lie. SGA was phenomenal once again, scoring over 30 PPG with elite steals, blocks for a guard, strong efficiency and low turnovers — checking every box in 9-cat. Regardless of format, he remains a top-3 fantasy pick heading into next season. Jokić, unsurprisingly, was a model of consistency, averaging the first triple-double of his career with elite efficiency at all three levels. His fantasy game has no weaknesses, and given his availability and production, he should be the consensus 1.01 next year. More surprisingly, defense catapulted Daniels into the top 3, and when factoring in his 144 ADP in the preseason, he's also in the conversation for fantasy MVP. Though not high-scorers, generating steals and blocks with a low turnover rate is invaluable for any successful fantasy squad. 💎 Late-round steals: The hidden MVPs Multiple players taken well outside the top 100 in drafts ranked among the 20 most common players on winning teams. These late-round gems highlight the importance of monitoring breakout trends and low-cost contributors: Advertisement Dyson Daniels (ADP 144.0) Josh Hart (ADP 116.7) Ivica Zubac (ADP 85.7) Christian Braun (ADP 143.5) Quentin Grimes (ADP: undrafted) Takeaway: These players show that you don't need stars to win — just well-rounded players who fit your build and fill scarce stat categories. Also, striking first on the waiver wire could have netted substantial value this season, specifically players like Grimes and Braun/Daniels in shallower leagues. 🧬 What the MVPs have in common Across the top 25 MVPs, several trends emerged: Multi-category contributors are key. Most helped in 5+ categories, not just scoring. Low turnovers were a defining feature. Defensive stats (steals/blocks) were overrepresented, especially for non-bigs. Rebounds and assists from non-traditional positions (like guards) provided sneaky value. Efficient shooting (especially FG%) separated winners from volume scorers. Takeaway: Winning in 9-cat is about balance and completeness, not flash. 📊 Roster strategy insights To better understand MVP traits, players were grouped into five statistical clusters using their Z-scores from Basketball Monster — more background on Z-scores — across fantasy categories: Advertisement Cluster 2 has the highest MVP density. Efficient bigs cover several categories and are widely available until the later rounds. Cluster 0 is my favorite. The playmaking guards who cover a breadth of statistics, but also allow you to execute punting, since most playmakers have high turnover rates and varying FG percentages. I tend to lean into this type of player in the early rounds to secure PTS, ASTS, 3PM, and STL even though it may not be represented — with players like Tyrese Haliburton and James Harden — in the top tier of MVPs. Cluster 1 is an emerging class focusing more on defensively gifted wings with lower usage rates because of their roles. Examples are Derrick White, Dyson Daniels and Josh Hart. Clusters 3 and 4 are high-risk, low-return bucket-getters like Keyonte George. Love the upside, but it's probably a trap. 🔑 Strategic drafting takeaways Prioritize players in Clusters 0, 1, and 2 — these archetypes consistently show up on winning teams. Cluster 2 (efficient bigs) represents the most MVPs in 2024-25; Cluster 1 (defensive wings/glue guys) is the sleeper MVP zone. Don't chase empty volume scorers — efficiency, stocks and low TOs win 9-cat leagues. Finding late-round targets with high steals or blocks upside offers massive returns relative to ADP. Chase production, not headlines. This framework builds rosters that actually win. We'll revisit candidates that fall into each of these archetypes for next season down the line to help you prep for your 2025-26 fantasy hoops drafts.
