Jordan Poole vs Marcus Smart: who to start in Week 1
Jordan Poole plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 62.3 projected fantasy points to 62.2 for Jordan Poole. Over the season, Marcus Smart leads in both formats: 20.8 fantasy points a game to 20.7, and 173rd against 273rd 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 22, 7:55 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #196
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #273
- -5.4 z, slot 23.09
- Points leagues
- #195
- 20.8 FP/G, slot 17.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #173
- -3.0 z, slot 15.05
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 20.8 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 195th on our board to 196th.
9-cat leagues: Marcus Smart again, -3.0 in summed z-scores against -5.4 (173rd to 273rd).
Category by category, Jordan Poole is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Marcus Smart in 4 (REB, STL, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jordan Poole produces more: 32.0 fantasy points to 26.3, on 23.4 minutes a night against 28.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jordan Poole plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 62.3 projected fantasy points to 62.2 for Jordan Poole.
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 | Jordan Poole | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.7 | 20.8 |
| Minutes | 23.4 | 28.4 |
| PointsPTS | 12.8 | 9.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.0 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.0 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 36.3% | 40.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.1% | 82.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 39 | 62 |
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 | Jordan Poole | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 32.0 | 26.3 |
| Points | 19.8 | 11.9 |
| Rebounds | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 3.6 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.7 | 1.8 |
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 | Jordan Poole | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.7 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.3 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -1.4 | +1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -2.2 | -1.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +0.5 |
| Total | -5.4 | -3.0 |
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 steals flips the 9-cat answer to Jordan Poole.
| Punt | Jordan Poole | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -4.8 (#314) | -1.8 (#156) |
| REB | -3.7 (#241) | -1.8 (#125) |
| AST | -5.2 (#294) | -2.7 (#187) |
| STL | -4.1 (#240) | -4.1 (#243) |
| BLK | -4.9 (#270) | -2.5 (#147) |
| 3PM | -6.1 (#330) | -3.0 (#181) |
| FG% | -3.2 (#164) | -2.2 (#128) |
| FT% | -6.1 (#307) | -3.2 (#180) |
| TO | -5.7 (#236) | -3.6 (#158) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jordan Poole: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
- Marcus Smart: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jordan Poole: 9.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.7 on the board.
- Marcus Smart: 17.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jordan Poole playing tonight? · Is Marcus Smart playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jordan Poole
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jordan Poole or Marcus Smart?
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 20.8 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 195th on our board to 196th. 9-cat leagues: Marcus Smart again, -3.0 in summed z-scores against -5.4 (173rd to 273rd).
Who wins more categories, Jordan Poole or Marcus Smart?
Category by category, Jordan Poole is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Marcus Smart in 4 (REB, STL, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jordan Poole or Marcus Smart?
Jordan Poole plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 62.3 projected fantasy points to 62.2 for Jordan Poole.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 7:55 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number