2025 – what a start to the year we’ve had! Have we? It seems much of the same, to be honest. Here’s a fact – 2025 is a square number. Can you figure out what number it’s a square of without a calculator?
Fantasy Basketball Awards February 2025
Most Valuable Player – Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Stats: 12 GP, 34.9 MIN, 16.7 FGA, 0.61 FG%, 1.7 3PTM, 6.2 FTA, 0.851 FT%, 27.2 PTS, 12.3 REB, 11.6 AST, 1.7 STL, 0.8 BLK, 3.7 TO
Jokic gets his second monthly award in a row narrowly beating out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton. What can be said that hasn’t already been said a hundred times? He’s big and he’s good and he makes cool passes. Will be interesting to follow along whether the new JJ Redick-invented tactic to harass the crap out of Jokic has an impact on his fantasy lines.
Rookie of the Month – Zach Edey (Memphis Grizzlies)
Stats: 11 GP, 20.5 MIN, 5.6 FGA, 0.581 FG%, 0.1 3PTM, 1.5 FTA, 0.824 FT%, 7.9 PTS, 9.2 REB, 0.8 AST, 0.5 STL, 1.3 BLK, 0.8 TO
Zach Edey tops the list this month among the role-player-ey draft class. Overall, Edey checks in as the 63rd-best fantasy player of February. It’s nothing crazy to write home about but the 1.3 blocks are nice as are the percentages. The 20 minutes per game is something to keep an eye on and fantasize of going up.
Sophomore of the Month – Toumani Camara (Portland Trail Blazers)
Stats: 12 GP, 35.5 MIN, 9.3 FGA, 0.518 FG%, 1.8 3PTM, 1.7 FTA, 0.9 FT%, 13 PTS, 7 REB, 2.2 AST, 2 STL, 0.8 BLK, 1.5 TO
One man’s injury is another man’s Sophomore of the Month award. With Victor Wembanyama out for the season, up steps Toumani Camara and has a huge month of fantasy production. Will it last? Of course, it will. And Camara is currently available in more Fantrax Fantasy Basketball than Victor Wembanyama so you might just get yourself a league-winner for the fantasy playoffs.
Most Improved Player – Christian Braun (Denver Nuggets)
Stats (2023-24): 82 GP, 20.2 MIN, 5.9 FGA, 0.46 FG%, 0.8 3PTM, 1.6 FTA, 0.694 FT%, 7.3 PTS, 3.7 REB, 1.6 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.4 BLK, 0.7 TO
Stats (February): 12 GP, 35.8 MIN, 12.1 FGA, 0.579 FG%, 0.8 3PTM, 3.5 FTA, 0.833 FT%, 17.7 PTS, 7.2 REB, 3.2 AST, 1.3 STL, 0.4 BLK, 0.5 TO
Christian Brown is great. How great? Probably the third-greatest player on the Nuggets right now. He’s clearly outplaying the two forwards in Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. At least in fantasy. Since the start of February, he ranks as a top 20 fantasy player. If he only started to shoot threes, everything’d be chef’s kisses.
Most Declined Player – Tyus Jones (Phoenix Suns)
Stats (2023-24): 66 GP, 29.3 MIN, 10.1 FGA, 0.489 FG%, 1.6 3PTM, 0.6 FTA, 0.8 FT%, 12 PTS, 2.7 REB, 7.3 AST, 1.1 STL, 0.3 BLK, 1 TO
Stats (February): 13 GP, 26.4 MIN, 8.4 FGA, 0.321 FG%, 1.9 3PTM, 0.7 FTA, 0.889 FT%, 7.9 PTS, 2.5 REB, 5.5 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.2 BLK, 1.6 TO
It’s all gone belly-up in Phoenix. And they’ve lost the vibes. Once the vibes are gone, what else do you have left? It was supposed to be Tyson Jones setting up the Big 3 and taking corner threes. Instead, it’s a mess of guys forcing things. I don’t think this is much of a comment on Jones’ fantasy value rather than on a dysfunctional team. Depending on how the off-season goes, Jones could still be a good late-round draft pick.
Best Single-Category Player – Dyson Daniels (Atlanta Hawks) – STL
Stats: 12 GP, 35.2 MIN, 35 STL, 2.9 SPG
Somehow Dyson Daniels is still not slowing down. After a month or two you’d expect the league to adjust but no. In February he had a 7-steal game and four 4-steal games. I guess this is who he is now. The last time a player averaged 3 steals for the season, which is where Daniels is at, was John Stockton in 91-92.
Performance of the Month – Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) – 2025-02-27 @ ORL
Stats: 34 MIN, 25 FGA, 0.64 FG%, 12 3PTM, 12 FTA, 1 FT%, 56 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 4 TO
Oh, man, remember when almost any Steph Curry game was major news the next day? Well, I’ll call you Marty McFly because we just went back in time for one day in February. A total vintage Curry game. What a guy!
