Jordan Poole vs Steven Adams: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jordan Poole in points leagues (21.5 fantasy points a game to 21.3) and Steven Adams in 9-cat leagues (255th against 264th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #188
- 21.5 FP/G, slot 16.08
- 9-cat leagues
- #264
- -5.2 z, slot 22.12
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #189
- 21.3 FP/G, slot 16.09
- 9-cat leagues
- #255
- -5.0 z, slot 22.03
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jordan Poole. 21.5 fantasy points per game against 21.3, 188th on our board to 189th.
9-cat leagues: Steven Adams instead, -5.0 in summed z-scores against -5.2 (255th to 264th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jordan Poole is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Steven Adams in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Steven Adams produces more: 33.6 fantasy points to 32.3, on 22.8 minutes a night against 23.9. 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), Steven Adams 3. For that week alone, start Jordan Poole: 64.4 projected fantasy points to 63.9 for Steven Adams.
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 | Jordan Poole | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.5 | 21.3 |
| Minutes | 23.9 | 22.8 |
| PointsPTS | 13.4 | 5.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.0 | 8.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.1 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 2.5 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 37.2% | 50.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.0% | 58.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 39 | 32 |
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 | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 32.3 | 33.6 |
| Points | 20.2 | 9.2 |
| Rebounds | 3.0 | 13.6 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 2.4 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 3.7 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.7 | 1.7 |
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 | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -1.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.7 | +1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.3 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.8 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -2.1 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | -1.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +1.0 |
| Total | -5.2 | -5.0 |
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 rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jordan Poole.
| Punt | Jordan Poole | Steven Adams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -4.6 (#307) | -3.2 (#235) |
| REB | -3.5 (#220) | -6.8 (#376) |
| AST | -4.9 (#285) | -3.9 (#244) |
| STL | -3.9 (#226) | -4.2 (#248) |
| BLK | -4.6 (#260) | -5.4 (#294) |
| 3PM | -6.0 (#324) | -3.2 (#189) |
| FG% | -3.0 (#160) | -6.2 (#297) |
| FT% | -5.8 (#295) | -3.3 (#183) |
| TO | -5.4 (#217) | -6.3 (#258) |
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)
- Jordan Poole: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
- Steven Adams: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Jordan Poole: 19.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 21.5 on the board.
- Steven Adams: 21.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 21.3 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 Jordan Poole or Steven Adams in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jordan Poole. 21.5 fantasy points per game against 21.3, 188th on our board to 189th. 9-cat leagues: Steven Adams instead, -5.0 in summed z-scores against -5.2 (255th to 264th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jordan Poole or Steven Adams?
Category by category, Jordan Poole is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%) and Steven Adams in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jordan Poole or Steven Adams?
Jordan Poole plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Steven Adams 3. For that week alone, start Jordan Poole: 64.4 projected fantasy points to 63.9 for Steven Adams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number