LeBron James vs Paolo Banchero: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft LeBron James in both formats: 41.4 fantasy points a game to 40.8 in points leagues, and 43rd against 111th 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
- #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 and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #25
- 40.8 FP/G, slot 3.01, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #111
- -1.6 z, slot 10.03, $6
The call
Points leagues: draft LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 40.8, 22nd on our board to 25th.
9-cat leagues: LeBron James again, +0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (43rd to 111th).
Category by category, LeBron James is ahead in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Paolo Banchero in 3 (PTS, REB and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, LeBron James produces more: 44.9 fantasy points to 42.2, on 33.1 minutes a night against 34.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
LeBron James plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.5 projected fantasy points to 122.3 for Paolo Banchero.
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 | LeBron James | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 41.4 | 40.8 |
| Minutes | 33.1 | 34.8 |
| PointsPTS | 20.9 | 22.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.1 | 8.4 |
| AssistsAST | 7.2 | 5.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.5% | 45.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.7% | 77.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.0 | 3.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 60 | 72 |
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 | LeBron James | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 44.9 | 42.2 |
| Points | 22.7 | 23.0 |
| Rebounds | 6.6 | 8.7 |
| Assists | 7.8 | 5.4 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Turnovers | 3.2 | 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 | LeBron James | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.7 | +1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.1 | +1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.7 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.5 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.2 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -0.4 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.7 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.0 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.4 | -1.5 |
| Total | +0.8 | -1.6 |
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: LeBron James stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | LeBron James | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.1 (#68) | -2.7 (#202) |
| REB | +0.4 (#50) | -3.2 (#201) |
| AST | -1.2 (#102) | -2.5 (#175) |
| STL | +0.1 (#59) | -0.9 (#87) |
| BLK | +0.8 (#41) | -1.7 (#119) |
| 3PM | +1.0 (#37) | -1.2 (#100) |
| FG% | -0.6 (#75) | -1.6 (#110) |
| FT% | +1.7 (#30) | -1.1 (#100) |
| TO | +2.2 (#33) | -0.2 (#65) |
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)
- LeBron James: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Paolo Banchero: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Recent games
- LeBron James: 45.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 41.4 on the board.
- Paolo Banchero: 37.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 40.8 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 LeBron James or Paolo Banchero in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 40.8, 22nd on our board to 25th. 9-cat leagues: LeBron James again, +0.8 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (43rd to 111th).
Who wins more categories, LeBron James or Paolo Banchero?
Category by category, LeBron James is ahead in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Paolo Banchero in 3 (PTS, REB and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, LeBron James or Paolo Banchero?
LeBron James plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.5 projected fantasy points to 122.3 for Paolo Banchero.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number