Isaiah Hartenstein vs Nic Claxton: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Nic Claxton in points leagues (29.5 fantasy points a game to 29.4) and Isaiah Hartenstein in 9-cat leagues (89th against 138th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #95
- 29.4 FP/G, slot 8.11, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #89
- -1.0 z, slot 8.05, $10
Game-time decision (Ankle)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #94
- 29.5 FP/G, slot 8.10, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #138
- -2.3 z, slot 12.06, $3
Day to day (Hamstring)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Nic Claxton. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 29.4, 94th on our board to 95th.
9-cat leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein instead, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (89th to 138th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Isaiah Hartenstein is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, FG% and FT%) and Nic Claxton in 4 (PTS, AST, BLK and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Isaiah Hartenstein produces more: 43.8 fantasy points to 38.1, on 24.2 minutes a night against 27.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Isaiah Hartenstein plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nic Claxton 3. For that week alone, start Nic Claxton: 88.4 projected fantasy points to 88.3 for Isaiah Hartenstein.
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 | Isaiah Hartenstein | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.4 | 29.5 |
| Minutes | 24.2 | 27.8 |
| PointsPTS | 9.2 | 11.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 9.4 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 62.2% | 57.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 61.0% | 61.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 47 | 69 |
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 | Isaiah Hartenstein | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 43.8 | 38.1 |
| Points | 13.7 | 15.2 |
| Rebounds | 14.0 | 9.0 |
| Assists | 5.3 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 1.8 |
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 | Isaiah Hartenstein | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.6 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +0.0 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | +0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.4 | +1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.3 | -1.8 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +0.6 |
| Total | -1.0 | -2.3 |
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: Isaiah Hartenstein stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Isaiah Hartenstein | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.2 (#60) | -1.5 (#128) |
| REB | -3.0 (#195) | -3.2 (#204) |
| AST | -1.0 (#93) | -2.3 (#159) |
| STL | -1.1 (#100) | -1.4 (#114) |
| BLK | -1.6 (#107) | -3.5 (#203) |
| 3PM | +0.7 (#45) | -0.6 (#83) |
| FG% | -3.3 (#166) | -4.5 (#224) |
| FT% | +0.3 (#55) | -0.4 (#76) |
| TO | -1.4 (#95) | -3.1 (#142) |
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)
- Isaiah Hartenstein: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC), listed GTD.
- Nic Claxton: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Isaiah Hartenstein or Nic Claxton: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Isaiah Hartenstein: 27.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.4 on the board.
- Nic Claxton: 20.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.5 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 Isaiah Hartenstein or Nic Claxton in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Nic Claxton. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 29.4, 94th on our board to 95th. 9-cat leagues: Isaiah Hartenstein instead, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (89th to 138th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Isaiah Hartenstein or Nic Claxton?
Category by category, Isaiah Hartenstein is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, FG% and FT%) and Nic Claxton in 4 (PTS, AST, BLK and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Isaiah Hartenstein or Nic Claxton?
Isaiah Hartenstein plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nic Claxton 3. For that week alone, start Nic Claxton: 88.4 projected fantasy points to 88.3 for Isaiah Hartenstein.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number