Jalen Brunson vs Paolo Banchero: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Paolo Banchero in points leagues (40.8 fantasy points a game to 40.5) and Jalen Brunson in 9-cat leagues (49th against 111th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #26
- 40.5 FP/G, slot 3.02, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #49
- +0.6 z, slot 5.01, $19
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #25
- 40.8 FP/G, slot 3.01, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #111
- -1.6 z, slot 10.03, $6
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Paolo Banchero. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 40.5, 25th on our board to 26th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson instead, +0.6 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (49th to 111th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 7 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Paolo Banchero in 2 (REB and BLK).
Per 36 minutes, Paolo Banchero produces more: 42.2 fantasy points to 41.7, on 34.8 minutes a night against 35.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Paolo Banchero: 122.3 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Jalen Brunson.
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 | Jalen Brunson | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.5 | 40.8 |
| Minutes | 35.0 | 34.8 |
| PointsPTS | 26.0 | 22.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 8.4 |
| AssistsAST | 6.8 | 5.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 2.6 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.7% | 45.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.1% | 77.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 3.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 74 | 72 |
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 | Jalen Brunson | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.7 | 42.2 |
| Points | 26.8 | 23.0 |
| Rebounds | 3.4 | 8.7 |
| Assists | 7.0 | 5.4 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.7 | 1.2 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 3.2 |
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 | Jalen Brunson | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.6 | +1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | +1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +1.0 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.6 | -1.5 |
| Total | +0.6 | -1.6 |
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: Jalen Brunson stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Jalen Brunson | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.1 (#110) | -2.7 (#202) |
| REB | +1.8 (#25) | -3.2 (#201) |
| AST | -1.1 (#97) | -2.5 (#175) |
| STL | +1.2 (#32) | -0.9 (#87) |
| BLK | +1.9 (#27) | -1.7 (#119) |
| 3PM | -0.6 (#86) | -1.2 (#100) |
| FG% | +1.3 (#40) | -1.6 (#110) |
| FT% | -0.4 (#74) | -1.1 (#100) |
| TO | +1.3 (#45) | -0.2 (#65) |
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)
- Jalen Brunson: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL), listed DTD.
- Paolo Banchero: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Recent games
- Jalen Brunson: 39.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 40.5 on the board.
- Paolo Banchero: 37.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 40.8 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 Jalen Brunson or Paolo Banchero in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Paolo Banchero. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 40.5, 25th on our board to 26th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Brunson instead, +0.6 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (49th to 111th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Brunson or Paolo Banchero?
Category by category, Jalen Brunson is ahead in 7 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Paolo Banchero in 2 (REB and BLK).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Brunson or Paolo Banchero?
Jalen Brunson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Paolo Banchero: 122.3 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Jalen Brunson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number