Dru Smith vs Rui Hachimura: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Rui Hachimura in points leagues (18.7 fantasy points a game to 16.9) and Dru Smith in 9-cat leagues (199th against 200th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #261
- 16.9 FP/G, slot 22.09
- 9-cat leagues
- #199
- -3.8 z, slot 17.07
Day to day (Calf)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #229
- 18.7 FP/G, slot 20.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #200
- -3.8 z, slot 17.08
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Rui Hachimura. 18.7 fantasy points per game against 16.9, 229th on our board to 261st.
9-cat leagues: Dru Smith instead, -3.8 in summed z-scores against -3.8 (199th to 200th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Dru Smith is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and Rui Hachimura in 5 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Dru Smith produces more: 37.3 fantasy points to 23.8, on 16.3 minutes a night against 28.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Dru Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Rui Hachimura 3. For that week alone, start Rui Hachimura: 56.2 projected fantasy points to 50.6 for Dru Smith.
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 | Dru Smith | Rui Hachimura |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 16.9 | 18.7 |
| Minutes | 16.3 | 28.3 |
| PointsPTS | 5.6 | 11.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.5 | 3.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 0.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.5 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.5% | 51.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.9% | 69.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 70 | 68 |
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 | Dru Smith | Rui Hachimura |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.3 | 23.8 |
| Points | 12.5 | 14.6 |
| Rebounds | 5.5 | 4.2 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 1.1 |
| Steals | 3.2 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.2 | 2.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 0.8 |
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 | Dru Smith | Rui Hachimura |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.9 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.5 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | +1.2 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -1.1 | +0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.4 | +1.6 |
| Total | -3.8 | -3.8 |
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 assists, steals, blocks and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Rui Hachimura.
| Punt | Dru Smith | Rui Hachimura |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#151) | -2.9 (#215) |
| REB | -2.5 (#162) | -2.8 (#177) |
| AST | -3.3 (#211) | -2.4 (#169) |
| STL | -5.0 (#296) | -2.6 (#170) |
| BLK | -3.2 (#185) | -3.1 (#178) |
| 3PM | -2.6 (#167) | -3.9 (#223) |
| FG% | -3.7 (#189) | -4.4 (#223) |
| FT% | -3.9 (#215) | -3.5 (#192) |
| TO | -5.3 (#216) | -5.6 (#231) |
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)
- Dru Smith: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Rui Hachimura: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
Recent games
- Dru Smith: 13.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 16.9 on the board.
- Rui Hachimura: 21.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 18.7 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 Dru Smith or Rui Hachimura in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Rui Hachimura. 18.7 fantasy points per game against 16.9, 229th on our board to 261st. 9-cat leagues: Dru Smith instead, -3.8 in summed z-scores against -3.8 (199th to 200th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Dru Smith or Rui Hachimura?
Category by category, Dru Smith is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and Rui Hachimura in 5 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Dru Smith or Rui Hachimura?
Dru Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Rui Hachimura 3. For that week alone, start Rui Hachimura: 56.2 projected fantasy points to 50.6 for Dru Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number