Last week, I issued Part 1 of my most undervalued players for the 2024-2025 season (with top 100 ADP according to Fantrax). It focused on three players who are clearly valued — they all have ADP between 11-20 — but in my estimation undervalued based on where they are currently being drafted and their ability to return first round value this season.
This week, in Part 2, I dive deeper into the top 100:
Evan Mobley, Cavaliers PF/C (37.91 ADP)
I was initially a bit reluctant to add Mobley to this list. For one, he might be a little overrated based on perceptions of his offensive and defensive upside. He’s also on a team where he is at best the third or fourth scoring option and he regularly shares the court with another talented big man, Jarrett Allen.
However, despite only gradual surface level improvements and a lack of freakish athleticism and upside, I decided to add Mobley, in large part because he did make meaningful progress as a shooter and on the boards last season. In fact, the only thing that got in the way of him having a true breakout year was his minutes played. On a per 36 minute basis, he was awesome, averaging career highs of 18.4 points, 11 boards, 1.1 steals, along with new highs in FG and FT%. He also made massive strides as a 3 point shooter, a major development worth watching this season and beyond.
Mobley is also still only 23 years old and the team just signed him to a massive 5-year, $224M contract extension, so the potential for a leap in year four is real. As noted above, he already took a bit of a leap last season. The question will be whether or not his role will increase on the offensive end?
I think it could and Mobley already showed glimpses of what he is capable of in an expanded role against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, where he averaged 21.4 points per game.
I don’t expect Mobley to average anywhere close to 21 ppg this season, but if the team increases his minutes and commits to giving him a bigger role on the offensive end, he could certainly see his scoring increase from 15 ppg to 17-18 ppg, which would represent a meaningful improvement and a big boon for fantasy managers.
Mobley recently stated that his goal is to make the all-star team this year and that he has put a lot of time into improving his shooting this off-season. Time will tell if he can reach his goal, but with continued offensive improvement — particularly from 3 point range — and an expanded role on offense, Mobley has the potential to be one of the best, most efficient bigs in the league and a strong value at his current ADP.
Jamal Murray, Nuggets PG/SG (47.06 ADP)
If you look on the surface, last season seemed pretty standard for Murray: 20 points, 4 boards, 6 assists, 2+ threes, 1 steal, and solid ratios. This is the kind of production we’ve come to expect from him over the course of his now seemingly underrated 7-year career.
Dig a little deeper below the surface and what you’ll find is that he quietly exhibited a fair bit of growth despite the standard level of production. He shot a career best from the field (48.1%) and from 3 (42.5%) and his assist-to-turnover ratio was also the best of his career.
That makes sense for a player who is 26-27 years old and likely entering his prime.
It’s also why I have him on this list.
The only thing standing in Murray’s way of having a career year in 2024-2025 remains his health. Will he stay healthy? That I don’t know. What I do know is the Nuggets lost one of their best shooters this past offseason and are still heavily reliant on Murray as a ball handler and scorer. His usage this season should be at an all-time high.
The Nuggets are also coming off a disappointing playoff performance following their title in 2022-2023, and they should be highly motivated to prove once again that they are not only the best team in the West but also still capable of challenging the now reigning champion Boston Celtics for another title.
Prior to his devastating ACL injury, Murray was often ranked and drafted in the low to mid 30 range. At age 27, coming off a season where he was more effective and efficient than ever — including the stretches when he played heavy minutes — Murray feels pretty underrated and undervalued at his current ADP.
Brandon Miller, Hornets SF (65.60 ADP)
Miller is a rising star. As a rookie, I was immediately impressed with his decisiveness off the dribble. As the season went on, his shooting really took off too and during the last three months he averaged roughly 20 points, 4.5 boards, 2.5 assists, 2.5 threes, and over a steal per game. As a rookie.
Yes, most of that was without LaMelo Ball on the court and if you read part 1 of this article you’ll know I’m projecting much better health for Melo this season, which in theory means fewer opportunities for Miller.
Maybe.
It’s not like we’ve never seen two star players flourish on the same team — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown instantly come to mind for the Celtics, among countless other examples. More importantly, Melo and Miller’s games actually complement each other very nicely; Melo is a willing distributor and Miller is a scorer who is neither dribble nor ISO heavy. If anything, they both serve to enhance each other’s stats, not cannibalize them.
I’m expecting Miller to at least match his end of season production from last year, if not build on it a bit. That would put him comfortably in the top 50, making him a strong value at his current ADP.
Cam Thomas, Nets SG (75.55 ADP)
There’s not much to say here except Cam is gonna score a gazillion points this season. The last two months of last season he averaged over 26 ppg while shooting roughly 44% from the field and 37% from three. In other words, he wasn’t just chucking — kind of.
He’s not going to give you anything defensively, and he’s not a huge boards or assists guy though there is some upside there. What he give you is a gazillion points, 2-3 threes per game, and a big boost to your FT% as a high volume FT guy.
There are currently no other high usage, high volume scorers on the Nets roster. One of the team’s players, Ben Simmons, actively tries NOT to shoot. The team’s second most interesting player is a big who projects to score maybe 12 points per game.
Seriously, Cam is gonna score a gazillion points this season. Most players in this ADP range average in the teens. Cam is going to score like an elite fantasy player. If he did literally anything else, he just might be elite as well.
Ivica Zubac, Clippers C (96.03 ADP)
Last but not least, I feel compelled to add Zubac to the list for a couple reasons.
First, I think his steady production is underrated. He’s played 70+ games for five straight seasons. As we know, particularly in the age of load management, often times the greatest ability in fantasy sports is availability.
There has also been almost no volatility in his production — 11 points, 9 boards, elite FG%, respectable FT%, and over a block per game.
Zubac is steady, predictable, and available. I’ll take those traits all day around pick 100.
Second, while Zubac has been incredibly steady throughout his career, there’s actually reason to believe he could take a step forward this season. The Clippers are a team in search of a new identity. Paul George is gone. Kawhi Leonard is currently hurt. Again. Much of the roster has turned over. And a lot of the early chatter around the team this pre-season is that Zubac — fresh off a new 3-year, $58.6M extension — will play a larger role this year.
Just how much bigger of a role he plays remains to be seen. Early hints show more of the offense running through Zubac in the post, which could have a positive impact on both his scoring and assists.
I would expect minor improvement more than major, but at age 27, and now as one of the franchise’s pillars, the stage is set for Zubac to play an increasingly important role for the team. And for your team too potentially, if you’re fortunate enough to land him.
