Aaron Nesmith vs Javon Small: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Aaron Nesmith in both formats: 23.5 fantasy points a game to 20.7 in points leagues, and 190th against 191st in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #155
- 23.5 FP/G, slot 13.11, $1
- 9-cat leagues
- #190
- -3.6 z, slot 16.10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #200
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.08
- 9-cat leagues
- #191
- -3.6 z, slot 16.11
The call
Points leagues: draft Aaron Nesmith. 23.5 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 155th on our board to 200th.
9-cat leagues: Aaron Nesmith again, -3.6 in summed z-scores against -3.6 (190th to 191st).
Category by category, Aaron Nesmith is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and 3PM) and Javon Small in 3 (AST, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Javon Small produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 28.5, on 20.2 minutes a night against 29.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Aaron Nesmith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Aaron Nesmith: 70.6 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Aaron Nesmith | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.5 | 20.7 |
| Minutes | 29.7 | 20.2 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 9.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 3.1 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.4% | 46.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.9% | 82.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 41 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Aaron Nesmith | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.5 | 36.8 |
| Points | 16.7 | 17.2 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 5.6 |
| Assists | 2.3 | 6.5 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 2.4 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Aaron Nesmith | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.4 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.3 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +0.6 |
| Total | -3.6 | -3.6 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
Punting points, rebounds, blocks, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Javon Small.
| Punt | Aaron Nesmith | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.1 (#226) | -2.4 (#184) |
| REB | -2.9 (#183) | -2.5 (#155) |
| AST | -2.7 (#186) | -3.6 (#227) |
| STL | -2.4 (#158) | -3.1 (#193) |
| BLK | -3.4 (#194) | -2.8 (#161) |
| 3PM | -4.3 (#239) | -3.4 (#205) |
| FG% | -2.2 (#126) | -3.6 (#178) |
| FT% | -3.9 (#212) | -3.8 (#208) |
| TO | -4.3 (#179) | -4.4 (#182) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Aaron Nesmith: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
- Javon Small: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
Recent games
- Aaron Nesmith: 23.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 23.5 on the board.
- Javon Small: 24.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Aaron Nesmith or Javon Small in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Aaron Nesmith. 23.5 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 155th on our board to 200th. 9-cat leagues: Aaron Nesmith again, -3.6 in summed z-scores against -3.6 (190th to 191st).
Who wins more categories, Aaron Nesmith or Javon Small?
Category by category, Aaron Nesmith is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and 3PM) and Javon Small in 3 (AST, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Nesmith or Javon Small?
Aaron Nesmith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Aaron Nesmith: 70.6 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number