LaMelo Ball vs LeBron James: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft LeBron James in points leagues (41.4 fantasy points a game to 38.1) and LaMelo Ball in 9-cat leagues (40th against 43rd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #39
- 38.1 FP/G, slot 4.03, $23
- 9-cat leagues
- #40
- +0.9 z, slot 4.04, $20
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #22
- 41.4 FP/G, slot 2.10, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #43
- +0.8 z, slot 4.07, $20
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 38.1, 22nd on our board to 39th.
9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball instead, +0.9 in summed z-scores against +0.8 (40th to 43rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, LaMelo Ball is ahead in 3 (3PM, FT% and TO) and LeBron James in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, LaMelo Ball produces more: 48.9 fantasy points to 44.9, on 28.0 minutes a night against 33.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
LaMelo Ball plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.5 projected fantasy points to 114.3 for LaMelo Ball.
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 | LaMelo Ball | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.1 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 28.0 | 33.1 |
| PointsPTS | 20.1 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 6.1 |
| AssistsAST | 7.1 | 7.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 3.8 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.7% | 51.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 89.9% | 73.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.8 | 3.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 60 |
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 | LaMelo Ball | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 48.9 | 44.9 |
| Points | 25.8 | 22.7 |
| Rebounds | 6.2 | 6.6 |
| Assists | 9.2 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 4.9 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 3.6 | 3.2 |
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 | LaMelo Ball | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | +0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.7 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +2.2 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -2.2 | +0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.8 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.2 | -1.4 |
| Total | +0.9 | +0.8 |
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 threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to LeBron James.
| Punt | LaMelo Ball | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.2 (#58) | -0.1 (#68) |
| REB | +1.6 (#29) | +0.4 (#50) |
| AST | -0.9 (#92) | -1.2 (#102) |
| STL | +0.4 (#49) | +0.1 (#59) |
| BLK | +1.9 (#26) | +0.8 (#41) |
| 3PM | -1.4 (#109) | +1.0 (#37) |
| FG% | +3.6 (#16) | -0.6 (#75) |
| FT% | -0.0 (#63) | +1.7 (#30) |
| TO | +2.2 (#32) | +2.2 (#33) |
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)
- LaMelo Ball: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
- LeBron James: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- LaMelo Ball: 40.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 38.1 on the board.
- LeBron James: 45.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 41.4 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 LaMelo Ball or LeBron James in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 38.1, 22nd on our board to 39th. 9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball instead, +0.9 in summed z-scores against +0.8 (40th to 43rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, LaMelo Ball or LeBron James?
Category by category, LaMelo Ball is ahead in 3 (3PM, FT% and TO) and LeBron James in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, LaMelo Ball or LeBron James?
LaMelo Ball plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.5 projected fantasy points to 114.3 for LaMelo Ball.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number