Jalen Williams vs Jusuf Nurkić: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jusuf Nurkić in points leagues (33.5 fantasy points a game to 33.3) and Jalen Williams in 9-cat leagues (83rd against 115th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #63
- 33.3 FP/G, slot 6.03, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #83
- -0.6 z, slot 7.11, $12
Game-time decision (Rest)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #62
- 33.5 FP/G, slot 6.02, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #115
- -1.7 z, slot 10.07, $6
Out (Foot)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jusuf Nurkić. 33.5 fantasy points per game against 33.3, 62nd on our board to 63rd.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams instead, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (83rd to 115th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jusuf Nurkić in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Jusuf Nurkić produces more: 45.6 fantasy points to 42.2, on 26.4 minutes a night against 28.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić.
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 Williams | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 33.3 | 33.5 |
| Minutes | 28.4 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 17.1 | 10.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.6 | 10.4 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 4.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.4% | 50.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.7% | 54.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 33 | 41 |
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 Williams | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.2 | 45.6 |
| Points | 21.7 | 14.9 |
| Rebounds | 5.8 | 14.1 |
| Assists | 7.0 | 6.5 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 3.4 |
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 Williams | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.1 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | +2.0 |
| AssistsAST | +0.9 | +0.5 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | +0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -1.0 | -1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | +0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | -2.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | -0.8 |
| Total | -0.6 | -1.7 |
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 free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jusuf Nurkić.
| Punt | Jalen Williams | Jusuf Nurkić |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#94) | -0.9 (#102) |
| REB | -0.2 (#62) | -4.3 (#267) |
| AST | -1.6 (#131) | -2.4 (#167) |
| STL | -1.2 (#103) | -2.5 (#164) |
| BLK | +0.1 (#63) | -1.9 (#122) |
| 3PM | +0.2 (#58) | -0.6 (#84) |
| FG% | -0.9 (#84) | -3.0 (#156) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#103) | +0.4 (#51) |
| TO | -0.6 (#74) | -1.1 (#83) |
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 Williams: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC), listed GTD.
- Jusuf Nurkić: 3 games (Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL), listed Out.
Recent games
- Jalen Williams: 29.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 33.3 on the board.
- Jusuf Nurkić: 39.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 33.5 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 Jalen Williams or Jusuf Nurkić in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jusuf Nurkić. 33.5 fantasy points per game against 33.3, 62nd on our board to 63rd. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Williams instead, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (83rd to 115th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Williams or Jusuf Nurkić?
Category by category, Jalen Williams is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jusuf Nurkić in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Williams or Jusuf Nurkić?
Jalen Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jusuf Nurkić 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.8 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Jusuf Nurkić.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number