Herbert Jones vs Jalen Smith: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Smith in points leagues (22.8 fantasy points a game to 21.9) and Herbert Jones in 9-cat leagues (158th against 159th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #183
- 21.9 FP/G, slot 16.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #158
- -2.7 z, slot 14.02
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #164
- 22.8 FP/G, slot 14.08
- 9-cat leagues
- #159
- -2.7 z, slot 14.03
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Smith. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 21.9, 164th on our board to 183rd.
9-cat leagues: Herbert Jones instead, -2.7 in summed z-scores against -2.7 (158th to 159th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Herbert Jones is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and Jalen Smith in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 39.8 fantasy points to 27.9, on 20.7 minutes a night against 28.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 68.5 projected fantasy points to 65.8 for Herbert Jones.
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 | Herbert Jones | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.9 | 22.8 |
| Minutes | 28.4 | 20.7 |
| PointsPTS | 8.9 | 10.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.4 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 2.8 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.6 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 38.3% | 48.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.6% | 74.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 53 |
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 | Herbert Jones | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 27.9 | 39.8 |
| Points | 11.2 | 17.8 |
| Rebounds | 4.3 | 11.7 |
| Assists | 3.5 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 2.0 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 1.7 |
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 | Herbert Jones | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | +0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +1.6 | -1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.4 | +0.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.4 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | +1.1 |
| Total | -2.7 | -2.7 |
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 and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Smith.
| Punt | Herbert Jones | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.4 (#126) | -1.6 (#136) |
| REB | -1.8 (#128) | -3.2 (#206) |
| AST | -2.3 (#161) | -1.4 (#126) |
| STL | -4.3 (#260) | -1.2 (#102) |
| BLK | -2.5 (#150) | -3.1 (#179) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#156) | -2.6 (#160) |
| FG% | -1.5 (#101) | -2.9 (#154) |
| FT% | -2.7 (#161) | -2.4 (#150) |
| TO | -3.5 (#157) | -4.0 (#171) |
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)
- Herbert Jones: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Herbert Jones: 19.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 21.9 on the board.
- Jalen Smith: 21.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.8 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 Herbert Jones or Jalen Smith in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Smith. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 21.9, 164th on our board to 183rd. 9-cat leagues: Herbert Jones instead, -2.7 in summed z-scores against -2.7 (158th to 159th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Herbert Jones or Jalen Smith?
Category by category, Herbert Jones is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and Jalen Smith in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Herbert Jones or Jalen Smith?
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 68.5 projected fantasy points to 65.8 for Herbert Jones.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number