Jabari Smith vs Kristaps Porziņģis: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Kristaps Porziņģis in both formats: 30.7 fantasy points a game to 30.4 in points leagues, and 73rd against 80th 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
- #86
- 30.4 FP/G, slot 8.02, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #80
- -0.6 z, slot 7.08, $12
- Points leagues
- #83
- 30.7 FP/G, slot 7.11, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #73
- -0.5 z, slot 7.01, $13
Day to day (Undisclosed)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Kristaps Porziņģis. 30.7 fantasy points per game against 30.4, 83rd on our board to 86th.
9-cat leagues: Kristaps Porziņģis again, -0.5 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (73rd to 80th).
Category by category, Jabari Smith is ahead in 3 (REB, STL and 3PM) and Kristaps Porziņģis in 5 (PTS, AST, BLK, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Kristaps Porziņģis produces more: 46.0 fantasy points to 31.1, on 24.0 minutes a night against 35.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jabari Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kristaps Porziņģis 3. For that week alone, start Kristaps Porziņģis: 92.1 projected fantasy points to 91.2 for Jabari 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 | Jabari Smith | Kristaps Porziņģis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.4 | 30.7 |
| Minutes | 35.1 | 24.0 |
| PointsPTS | 15.8 | 16.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 5.2 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.0% | 44.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.5% | 84.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 32 |
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 | Jabari Smith | Kristaps Porziņģis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 31.1 | 46.0 |
| Points | 16.2 | 25.0 |
| Rebounds | 7.0 | 7.8 |
| Assists | 1.9 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 1.8 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.9 |
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 | Jabari Smith | Kristaps Porziņģis |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | -0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -0.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | +1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | +0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| Total | -0.6 | -0.5 |
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, blocks and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jabari Smith.
| Punt | Jabari Smith | Kristaps Porziņģis |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#83) | -0.5 (#82) |
| REB | -1.1 (#97) | -0.3 (#67) |
| AST | +0.3 (#52) | +0.1 (#55) |
| STL | +0.2 (#57) | +0.7 (#41) |
| BLK | -1.2 (#93) | -1.7 (#114) |
| 3PM | -1.3 (#102) | -0.5 (#81) |
| FG% | +0.1 (#63) | +0.3 (#57) |
| FT% | -0.4 (#77) | -1.2 (#102) |
| TO | -1.3 (#93) | -1.3 (#92) |
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)
- Jabari Smith: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
- Kristaps Porziņģis: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Jabari Smith: 31.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.4 on the board.
- Kristaps Porziņģis: 27.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.7 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 Jabari Smith or Kristaps Porziņģis in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Kristaps Porziņģis. 30.7 fantasy points per game against 30.4, 83rd on our board to 86th. 9-cat leagues: Kristaps Porziņģis again, -0.5 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (73rd to 80th).
Who wins more categories, Jabari Smith or Kristaps Porziņģis?
Category by category, Jabari Smith is ahead in 3 (REB, STL and 3PM) and Kristaps Porziņģis in 5 (PTS, AST, BLK, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jabari Smith or Kristaps Porziņģis?
Jabari Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kristaps Porziņģis 3. For that week alone, start Kristaps Porziņģis: 92.1 projected fantasy points to 91.2 for Jabari Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number