Joel Embiid vs Kawhi Leonard: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Kawhi Leonard in both formats: 45.7 fantasy points a game to 44.5 in points leagues, and 4th against 22nd 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
- #11
- 44.5 FP/G, slot 1.11, $33
- 9-cat leagues
- #22
- +2.5 z, slot 2.10, $29
Day to day (Rest)
- Points leagues
- #9
- 45.7 FP/G, slot 1.09, $34
- 9-cat leagues
- #4
- +7.2 z, slot 1.04, $54
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Kawhi Leonard. 45.7 fantasy points per game against 44.5, 9th on our board to 11th.
9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, +7.2 in summed z-scores against +2.5 (4th to 22nd).
Category by category, Joel Embiid is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and BLK) and Kawhi Leonard in 6 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Kawhi Leonard produces more: 51.3 fantasy points to 50.6, on 32.1 minutes a night against 31.6. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Joel Embiid plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kawhi Leonard 3. For that week alone, start Joel Embiid: 177.9 projected fantasy points to 137.2 for Kawhi Leonard.
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 | Joel Embiid | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 44.5 | 45.7 |
| Minutes | 31.6 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 26.9 | 27.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.7 | 6.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.9 | 3.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 50.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.4% | 89.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 2.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 38 | 65 |
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 | Joel Embiid | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 50.6 | 51.3 |
| Points | 30.6 | 31.3 |
| Rebounds | 8.8 | 7.1 |
| Assists | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 0.6 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.3 | 2.3 |
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 | Joel Embiid | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.8 | +2.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | +0.2 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | +2.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.1 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.5 | +1.8 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | -0.2 |
| Total | +2.5 | +7.2 |
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: Kawhi Leonard stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Joel Embiid | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.7 (#38) | +5.1 (#4) |
| REB | +1.6 (#28) | +7.1 (#4) |
| AST | +2.3 (#19) | +7.0 (#3) |
| STL | +3.8 (#11) | +4.7 (#4) |
| BLK | +1.4 (#34) | +7.9 (#3) |
| 3PM | +2.6 (#17) | +5.9 (#4) |
| FG% | +2.5 (#24) | +7.1 (#4) |
| FT% | +0.9 (#41) | +5.2 (#5) |
| TO | +3.8 (#17) | +7.5 (#6) |
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)
- Joel Embiid: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Kawhi Leonard: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
Recent games
- Joel Embiid: 48.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 44.5 on the board.
- Kawhi Leonard: 41.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 45.7 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 Joel Embiid or Kawhi Leonard in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Kawhi Leonard. 45.7 fantasy points per game against 44.5, 9th on our board to 11th. 9-cat leagues: Kawhi Leonard again, +7.2 in summed z-scores against +2.5 (4th to 22nd).
Who wins more categories, Joel Embiid or Kawhi Leonard?
Category by category, Joel Embiid is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and BLK) and Kawhi Leonard in 6 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Joel Embiid or Kawhi Leonard?
Joel Embiid plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kawhi Leonard 3. For that week alone, start Joel Embiid: 177.9 projected fantasy points to 137.2 for Kawhi Leonard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number