Javon Small vs Luke Kennard: who to start in Week 1
Javon Small plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Javon Small: 62.1 projected fantasy points to 32.8 for Luke Kennard. Over the season, Javon Small leads in both formats: 20.7 fantasy points a game to 16.4, and 184th against 186th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #193
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #184
- -3.4 z, slot 16.04
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #256
- 16.4 FP/G, slot 22.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #186
- -3.4 z, slot 16.06
The call
Points leagues: Javon Small. 20.7 fantasy points per game against 16.4, 193rd on our board to 256th.
9-cat leagues: Javon Small again, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (184th to 186th).
Category by category, Javon Small is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and BLK) and Luke Kennard in 4 (3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Javon Small produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 27.7, on 20.2 minutes a night against 21.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Javon Small plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Javon Small: 62.1 projected fantasy points to 32.8 for Luke Kennard.
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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Javon Small | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.7 | 16.4 |
| Minutes | 20.2 | 21.3 |
| PointsPTS | 9.7 | 8.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 2.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.5% | 54.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.9% | 91.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 0.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 41 | 78 |
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 | Javon Small | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.8 | 27.7 |
| Points | 17.2 | 14.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.6 | 4.1 |
| Assists | 6.5 | 3.6 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 1.2 |
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 | Javon Small | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | -1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +1.4 |
| Total | -3.4 | -3.4 |
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 points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Luke Kennard.
| Punt | Javon Small | Luke Kennard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#181) | -2.0 (#169) |
| REB | -2.3 (#152) | -2.0 (#133) |
| AST | -3.5 (#219) | -2.7 (#184) |
| STL | -2.9 (#180) | -2.7 (#171) |
| BLK | -2.6 (#154) | -2.3 (#148) |
| 3PM | -3.2 (#188) | -3.4 (#201) |
| FG% | -3.3 (#169) | -4.0 (#209) |
| FT% | -3.6 (#202) | -3.7 (#208) |
| TO | -4.1 (#182) | -4.9 (#206) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Javon Small: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
- Luke Kennard: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
Recent games
- Javon Small: 24.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.7 on the board.
- Luke Kennard: 20.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 16.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Javon Small playing tonight? · Is Luke Kennard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Javon Small
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Javon Small or Luke Kennard?
Points leagues: Javon Small. 20.7 fantasy points per game against 16.4, 193rd on our board to 256th. 9-cat leagues: Javon Small again, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (184th to 186th).
Who wins more categories, Javon Small or Luke Kennard?
Category by category, Javon Small is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and BLK) and Luke Kennard in 4 (3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Javon Small or Luke Kennard?
Javon Small plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Luke Kennard 2. For that week alone, start Javon Small: 62.1 projected fantasy points to 32.8 for Luke Kennard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number