Cade Cunningham vs Kawhi Leonard: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Cade Cunningham in points leagues (48.6 fantasy points a game to 45.7) and Kawhi Leonard in 9-cat leagues (4th against 16th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #7
- 48.6 FP/G, slot 1.07, $39
- 9-cat leagues
- #16
- +3.1 z, slot 2.04, $32
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #9
- 45.7 FP/G, slot 1.09, $34
- 9-cat leagues
- #4
- +7.2 z, slot 1.04, $54
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Cade Cunningham. 48.6 fantasy points per game against 45.7, 7th on our board to 9th.
9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard instead, +7.2 in summed z-scores against +3.1 (4th to 16th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Cade Cunningham is ahead in 2 (AST and BLK) and Kawhi Leonard in 7 (PTS, REB, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cade Cunningham produces more: 51.5 fantasy points to 51.3, on 33.9 minutes a night against 32.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kawhi Leonard 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 145.8 projected fantasy points to 137.2 for Kawhi Leonard.
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 | Cade Cunningham | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 48.6 | 45.7 |
| Minutes | 33.9 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 23.9 | 27.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.5 | 6.4 |
| AssistsAST | 9.9 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.1% | 50.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.2% | 89.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.7 | 2.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 65 |
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 | Cade Cunningham | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 51.5 | 51.3 |
| Points | 25.4 | 31.3 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 7.1 |
| Assists | 10.5 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.9 | 2.3 |
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 | Cade Cunningham | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.3 | +2.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | +0.2 |
| AssistsAST | +3.1 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +1.2 | +2.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.3 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +1.8 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.3 | -0.2 |
| Total | +3.1 | +7.2 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Kawhi Leonard stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Cade Cunningham | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.8 (#21) | +5.1 (#4) |
| REB | +3.2 (#16) | +7.1 (#4) |
| AST | -0.1 (#64) | +7.0 (#3) |
| STL | +1.9 (#23) | +4.7 (#4) |
| BLK | +2.8 (#19) | +7.9 (#3) |
| 3PM | +2.7 (#16) | +5.9 (#4) |
| FG% | +3.8 (#14) | +7.1 (#4) |
| FT% | +2.8 (#17) | +5.2 (#5) |
| TO | +5.6 (#8) | +7.5 (#6) |
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)
- Cade Cunningham: 3 games (Tue BOS, Fri @MIA, Sun @PHI), listed DTD.
- Kawhi Leonard: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- Cade Cunningham: 38.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 48.6 on the board.
- Kawhi Leonard: 41.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 45.7 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 Cade Cunningham or Kawhi Leonard in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Cade Cunningham. 48.6 fantasy points per game against 45.7, 7th on our board to 9th. 9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard instead, +7.2 in summed z-scores against +3.1 (4th to 16th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Cade Cunningham or Kawhi Leonard?
Category by category, Cade Cunningham is ahead in 2 (AST and BLK) and Kawhi Leonard in 7 (PTS, REB, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cade Cunningham or Kawhi Leonard?
Cade Cunningham plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kawhi Leonard 3. For that week alone, start Cade Cunningham: 145.8 projected fantasy points to 137.2 for Kawhi Leonard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number