Austin Reaves vs LaMelo Ball: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Austin Reaves in both formats: 38.7 fantasy points a game to 38.1 in points leagues, and 24th against 40th 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
- #36
- 38.7 FP/G, slot 3.12, $24
- 9-cat leagues
- #24
- +2.1 z, slot 2.12, $27
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #39
- 38.1 FP/G, slot 4.03, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #40
- +0.9 z, slot 4.04, $20
The call
Points leagues: draft Austin Reaves. 38.7 fantasy points per game against 38.1, 36th on our board to 39th.
9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, +2.1 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (24th to 40th).
Category by category, Austin Reaves is ahead in 4 (PTS, BLK, FG% and FT%) and LaMelo Ball in 5 (REB, AST, STL, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, LaMelo Ball produces more: 48.9 fantasy points to 40.3, on 28.0 minutes a night against 34.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LaMelo Ball 3. For that week alone, start Austin Reaves: 116.0 projected fantasy points to 114.3 for LaMelo Ball.
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 | Austin Reaves | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.7 | 38.1 |
| Minutes | 34.5 | 28.0 |
| PointsPTS | 23.3 | 20.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.7 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 7.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 3.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 40.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.1% | 89.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.0 | 2.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 51 | 72 |
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 | Austin Reaves | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.3 | 48.9 |
| Points | 24.3 | 25.8 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 6.2 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 9.2 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 4.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 3.6 |
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 | Austin Reaves | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.2 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.9 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | +2.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -2.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.6 | +0.8 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.4 | -1.2 |
| Total | +2.1 | +0.9 |
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 field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to LaMelo Ball.
| Punt | Austin Reaves | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.9 (#36) | +0.2 (#58) |
| REB | +2.6 (#20) | +1.6 (#29) |
| AST | +1.1 (#35) | -0.9 (#92) |
| STL | +1.8 (#25) | +0.4 (#49) |
| BLK | +2.8 (#21) | +1.9 (#26) |
| 3PM | +1.3 (#35) | -1.4 (#109) |
| FG% | +2.2 (#28) | +3.6 (#16) |
| FT% | +0.3 (#53) | -0.0 (#63) |
| TO | +3.5 (#20) | +2.2 (#32) |
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)
- Austin Reaves: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
- LaMelo Ball: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
Recent games
- Austin Reaves: 35.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 38.7 on the board.
- LaMelo Ball: 40.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 38.1 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 Austin Reaves or LaMelo Ball in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Austin Reaves. 38.7 fantasy points per game against 38.1, 36th on our board to 39th. 9-cat leagues: Austin Reaves again, +2.1 in summed z-scores against +0.9 (24th to 40th).
Who wins more categories, Austin Reaves or LaMelo Ball?
Category by category, Austin Reaves is ahead in 4 (PTS, BLK, FG% and FT%) and LaMelo Ball in 5 (REB, AST, STL, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Austin Reaves or LaMelo Ball?
Austin Reaves plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LaMelo Ball 3. For that week alone, start Austin Reaves: 116.0 projected fantasy points to 114.3 for LaMelo Ball.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number