This is a fantasy basketball review and analysis of the top 10 steals leaders in the NBA from the 2024-25 season. It is part of a series of articles that break down the top producers from each key counting statistical category. Steals come at a premium in fantasy basketball. If managers want to dominate or contest this category, they will need a talented pickpocket to anchor that effort. Here is a look at the league leaders in this category, what they bring to the table, and their outlook for the 2025-26 season.
Fantasy Basketball: Top 10 Steals Leaders in 2024-25
- Dyson Daniels – 229 Total Steals | 3.0 SPG | 9-cat Rank: 14 | 9-cat Totals: 7
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 131 Total Steals | 1.7 SPG | 9-cat Rank: 2 | 9-cat Totals: 2
- Kris Dunn – 128 Total Steals | 1.7 SPG | 9-cat Rank: 133 | 9-cat Totals: 85
- Nikola Jokic – 127 Total Steals | 1.8 SPG | 9-cat Rank: 1 | 9-cat Totals: 1
- Keon Ellis – 121 Total Steals | 1.5 SPG | 9-cat Rank: 100 | 9-cat Totals: 51
- Cason Wallace – 120 Total Steals | 1.8 SPG | 9-cat Rank: 97 | 9-cat Totals: 75
- Josh Hart – 119 Total Steals | 1.5 SPG | 9-cat Rank: 26 | 9-cat Totals: 11
- James Harden – 118 Total Steals | 1.5 SPG | 9-cat Rank: 15 | 9-cat Totals: 5
- Toumani Camara – 116 Total Steals | 1.5 SPG | 9-cat Rank: 91 | 9-cat Totals: 54
- Jalen Williams – 111 Total Steals | 1.6 SPG | 9-cat Rank: 24 | 9-cat Totals: 28
*The above list shows the top 10 leaders in assists by totals in 2024-25, their steals per game, ranking based on 9-cat per-game value, and then ranking based on value by totals. Rankings were taken from BasketballMonster.com.
Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
Daniels was one of the biggest breakout players of the 2024-25 season. Daniels’ move to the Hawks ended up being a perfect match. He thrived playing alongside Trae Young, providing stellar on-ball defense. “The Great Barrier Thief” saw an across-the-board improvement in multiple statistical categories. This resulted in him winning the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Daniels instantly became a high-value player in fantasy basketball thanks to his 3.0 steals per game. The Aussie stayed consistent and wound up finishing the season almost 100 steals ahead of his closest rival. Simply put, Daniels was an absolute domination machine when it came to the steals category.
His category ranking of 14 is heavily weighted on his steal rate. If that category were to be filtered out, he’d be outside the top 100.
Daniels is only 21 years old and already entering his fourth year in the NBA. While he might not necessarily be able to maintain his top-15 value clip, his game lends itself to him being at least a top-3 contender for the steals title once again in 2025-26. This is enough to peg him at a comfortable top-30 floor, simply because he’s not just going to stop registering steals suddenly. Even if there’s a slight pullback in those numbers, Daniels still maintains an upward trajectory in his developmental arc.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
There’s little to break down or nitpick when it comes to SGA. He’s now an NBA champion and the reigning MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander played like an absolute beast in 2024-25. He averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.1 treys, and 1.7 steals per game on 51.9% shooting from the field. His game has no holes, making it so fantasy-friendly.
Expect more of the same from SGA as he’s primed to be a top-3 finisher in category-scoring leagues in 2025-26.
Kris Dunn, Utah Jazz
Dunn is the first steals specialist to pop up on this list. Aside from the 1.7 steals per game, there’s little that Dunn brings to the fantasy basketball table. What’s interesting to note is that Dunn was playing for the rebuilding Jazz, a team that doesn’t quite fit his age and on-court contributions. It’s safe to say that Dunn will not be a priority for them this coming season.
A best-case scenario for Dunn at this point would be a trade to a contending team, one that would utilize his impressive defense regularly. There’s no need to target him in fantasy drafts. He’s someone who can be picked up off the waiver wire once it’s evident that the defensively gifted guard is logging steady minutes.
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Despite the barrelling hype train of Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic proved that he’s still the top dog when it comes to fantasy basketball. No other player has more appearances on the lists in this series. He does it all, and he does everything (probably except for blocking shots) extremely well.
Whether you’re on “Team Jokic” or “Team Wemby” for the first-overall pick in fantasy basketball for the 2025-26 season, the Serbian Juggernaut will surely not disappoint. Nothing points to Jokic slowing down this coming season. Considering the Nuggets’ offseason moves, it’s more likely that he will be motivated to make another serious run at the title.
Keon Ellis, Sacramento Kings
Keon Ellis is a fantasy basketball darling, with the only roadblock to his upside being his playing time. He’s a solid on-ball defender, and his defense has translated well onto the stat sheet. Ellis can deliver 3-point shooting aside from those 1.5 steals per game. In 2024-25, the third-year guard produced 1.7 triples per contest on 48.9% shooting from the field.
Ellis is not a go-to scorer. The Kings have enough of those. But given the team’s roster makeup, they absolutely need his defense. To his credit, the guard has been able to heat up and deliver solid scoring outings for the Kings at times, but he’s lacked consistency. Ellis is worth a flier pick in standard, 12-team leagues. His top-100 finish in 2024-25 points to him being a great source of steals while not hurting fantasy teams anywhere.
Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder
Wallace was a sneaky FA pickup in fantasy basketball last season. His numbers don’t jump up at you, but the Thunder love him and his two-way game. He’s a role player, and he knows his role well. Wallace is also someone who doesn’t need to be drafted in 12-team leagues, but will be someone who will be streamed for his contributions in the steals category.
He finished in the top 75 based on totals value, and he logged an incredible 1.8 steals per game. Unfortunately, Wallace is a negative when it comes to scoring, chipping in just 8.4 points per game. He’s entering his third season in the league, and with an NBA championship under his belt, there’s a wide-open highway for Wallace to grow his game.
Josh Hart, New York Knicks
Josh Hart gets a big bump in 9-cat scoring thanks to his ability to chip in across multiple categories. He’s an iron man, leading the league in minutes played per game with 37.6. That might change this season, however, with the Knicks finding a new coach in Mike Brown. At the end of the day, Hart plays a Swiss-knife role for the Knicks, doing the dirty work, the little things that help win games.
Hart’s top-30 finish in 9-cat is arguably touching his fantasy ceiling, so expect some reasonable pullback in 2025-26. Despite any foreseeable regression, Hart should be able to land with a top-50 floor in fantasy. He won’t be a hot target in drafts due to his relatively low scoring output of 13.6 points per game. He can be had outside of the top 75 in most drafts, especially in softer leagues.
James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers
Harden delivers points (22.8), threes (3.0), assists (8.7), and steals (1.5) night in and night out. He only really hurts fantasy teams with his 41.0% shooting from the field and 4.3 turnovers per game. His negative categories make him an ideal cornerstone for small-ball team builds in fantasy basketball.
Given the plethora of injuries to high-level players to open the 2025-26 season, a case can be made to target Harden in the tail end of the first round of fantasy drafts. He is 35 years old, but his game has shown to have longevity. He was the fifth-best player last season by totals, thanks to Harden playing 79 games—his most since 2018-19. As long as he stays healthy, Harden will be a force in the fantasy basketball arena.
Toumani Camara, Portland Trail Blazers
Camara had himself a bit of a breakout season in 2024-25. He saw across-the-board improvement in his production as the Blazers allowed the forward to shine. His only serious negative would be his 72.2% shooting from the charity stripe. But considering that Camara takes only 1.6 attempts from the line, the low volume allows fantasy GMs to gloss over that.
He’s entering his third season in the NBA in 2025-26, and a third-year bump could be in the cards. If Camara is drafted outside of the top 100, he could provide some enticing sleeper value.
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
It’s almost crazy to think that the Thunder have three players on this top-10 list. No wonder that they won the title this season. It’s been said that “Defense wins championships,” and the Thunder built a well-rounded roster that does just that.
Williams is a true two-way gem. His reliable shooting from the field (48.4%) and the line (78.9%) make J-Dub a darling in rotisserie formats. He was a 20-5-5 guy (points, rebounds, assists), who also chipped in 1.8 triples and 1.6 steals per game. It’s mind-blowing to realize that Williams is only 23 years old and has so much more room to grow. He has an unshakable top-35 floor in fantasy with top-15 upside.
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