With the NBA playoffs now underway, we are looking back at the players who made or broke fantasy basketball seasons. Last week, we highlighted the disappointing busts who failed to deliver on draft position, and now it's time to celebrate the players who provided extraordinary returns on investment.
From unexpected breakouts to veterans reaching new heights, let's examine eight overachieving fantasy basketball players who exceeded expectations. (Statistics as of April 22, 2025)
1. Christian Braun
(SG, Denver Nuggets)
2024-25 stats: 15.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG
2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG
58.0 FG%, 39.7 3P%, 82.7 FT%
Christian Braun took over the starting shooting guard role from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in Denver this season and made enormous leaps in virtually every aspect of his game. Despite being taken around the 150 range of most fantasy drafts, Braun did absolutely everything you could ask of him, perhaps most notably increasing his field goal percentage by 12 points while more than doubling his scoring output.
Braun also more than doubled his steals total from last season and had considerable growth as a passer, rebounder, and free throw shooter. Braun’s improvement this year cannot be overstated, and frankly, he was robbed of at least a finalist nod for Most Improved Player.
2. Dyson Daniels
(SG, Atlanta Hawks)
2024-25 stats: 14.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG
4.4 APG, 3.0 SPG, 0.7 BPG
49.3 FG%, 34.0 3P%, 59.3 FT%
Dyson Daniels’ steals numbers were off the charts this season and it started early on. At one point in November, Daniels posted six-plus steals in four straight appearances. Daniels somehow kept up his ridiculous pace, securing the highest steals per game rate since the early 90s, leading to finalist nods for both Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player.
While Daniels’ defense got all the attention, he also improved tremendously as a facilitator and scorer in his first season in Atlanta, upping his APG from 2.7 to 4.4 and his PPG from 5.8 to 14.1 on much higher efficiency. It was not all positive as his turnover rate did regress marginally and he shot a miserable sub-60% rate at the free throw line. Nonetheless, Daniels’ exceptional growth in other areas has made him the runaway favorite for Most Improved Player.
3. Quentin Grimes
(SG, Philadelphia 76ers)
2024-25 stats: 14.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG
3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
46.7 FG%, 38.5 3P%, 75.7 FT%
Quentin Grimes seemingly came out of nowhere to score 20+ points per game for the 76ers. In what was far from the Mavericks’ most consequential trade deadline deal, Dallas shipped Grimes and a second-round pick to Philadelphia for Caleb Martin. The swap did not receive much attention at the time due to the context of the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis blockbuster and the fact that Grimes would be on his fourth franchise in just two seasons.
However, Grimes took full advantage of his opportunity with plenty of playtime to go around in Philadelphia. After changing teams, Grimes exploded for All-Star caliber production with 21.9 PPG (including nearly three three-pointers per game), 5.2 RPG, and 4.5 APG—remarkable numbers from a player who had largely flown under the radar until this season.
Grimes was unlikely to be taken in fantasy drafts last fall, but savvy managers who took heed of his early scoring bursts for Philadelphia picked up a major asset to help win playoff matchups down the stretch.
4. Amen Thompson
(SF, Houston Rockets)
2024-25 stats: 14.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG
3.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.3 BPG
55.7 FG%, 27.5 3P%, 68.4 FT%
Amen Thompson, the Rockets’ 22-year-old athletic freak, turned things up a notch on both of the ends of the floor in his sophomore season. Defensively, Thompson emerged as one of the league’s top stoppers with eye-catching advanced metrics pertaining to his rim defense and turnovers forced and won Defensive Player of the Month in January. In terms of fantasy relevance, Thompson more than doubled his blocks to 1.3 per game at just 6’7.
On offense, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka placed Thompson in the dunker spot, where Houston’s dynamic creators consistently found him for easy looks and posterizing jams inside. Thompson also improved at creating his own shot and made strides as a perimeter shooter, although the latter is still a work in progress.
5. Ivica Zubac
(C, Los Angeles Clippers)
2024-25 stats: 16.8 PPG, 12.6 RPG
2.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.1 BPG
62.8 FG%, 0.0 3P%, 66.1 FT%
We discussed Ivica Zubac’s outstanding rebounding back in February, and the veteran big man kept it up through April, finishing the season in the league lead for both total offensive and defensive rebounds. With Paul George’s departure and Kawhi Leonard missing much of the season, Zubac also had the most offensive responsibility of his career and did not disappoint.
Zubac notched 16.8 PPG, a 7.6-point increase on his prior career average, and more than doubled his assist rate from last season. He competed against the league’s top big men on the interior night in and night out, and was a massive reason why the Clippers outperformed expectations, achieving the five-seed out west.
6. Norman Powell
(SG, Los Angeles Clippers)
2024-25 stats: 21.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG
2.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
48.4 FG%, 41.8 3P%, 80.4 FT%
Zubac’s teammate Norman Powell also had a career year at 31 years old. After coming off the bench for Los Angeles the past two seasons, Powell took over George’s starting role and filled in perfectly.
His scoring jumped from 13.9 last season to 21.8 PPG this season on 48.4 FG%, leading some to consider him a borderline All-Star, a remarkable feat for a player in his early 30s who had been a reserve most of his career.
7. Payton Pritchard
(PG, Boston Celtics)
2024-25 stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG
3.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG
47.2 FG%, 40.7 3P%, 84.5 FT%
Payton Pritchard easily took home a much-deserved Sixth Man of the Year trophy on Tuesday, after a highly efficient breakout season for an already stacked Boston roster. We highlighted Pritchard’s three-point prowess back in January, and the fifth-year reserve kept it going through the end of the regular season.
Pritchard converted 255 threes, more than double his prior season average and the fifth-highest total in the league. This, combined with consecutive major leaps in two-point percentage from 49.5% in 2022-23 to 59.3% in 2023-24 to 64.2% this season, led to a 4.7 bump in his PPG.
He didn’t improve much in non-scoring areas, but if you drafted Pritchard around his ADP in the 150 range, you profited tremendously in the three-point and efficiency departments.
8. Trey Murphy
(SF, New Orleans Pelicans)
2024-25 stats: 21.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG
3.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.7 BPG
45.4 FG%, 36.1 3P%, 88.7 FT%
Trey Murphy III missed a third of the season due to injury, including season-ending surgery last month to repair a torn labrum, but still made a huge jump from year three to year four worthy of recognition among our eight overachieving fantasy basketball players. After starting in fewer than half of his appearances last season, Murphy’s minutes shot up to 35.0 per game, partially due to the absence of Pelicans franchise player Brandon Ingram, who was sidelined for much of the season before being shipped to Toronto in February.
Murphy took full advantage of the bump in usage, notching career-highs across the board and garnering Most Improved Player consideration before injuries slowed him down. Most notably, he increased his PPG from 14.8 to 21.2 on slightly improved efficiency by utilizing his short game far more than in years past: 39.5% of his shot attempts came from within 10 feet, the highest rate of his career.
Murphy, who also made strides as a playmaker, is expected to make a full recovery by next season’s opener. Once he is paired with an exciting lottery addition, Pelicans fans should have plenty to cheer about in 2025-26.