Luke Kornet vs Marcus Smart: who to start in Week 2
Luke Kornet plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Marcus Smart 4. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 80.5 projected fantasy points to 53.3 for Luke Kornet. Over the season, Marcus Smart leads in both formats: 20.1 fantasy points a game to 17.8, and 196th against 197th 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 28, 2:33 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #233
- 17.8 FP/G, slot 20.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #197
- -3.7 z, slot 17.05
- Points leagues
- #198
- 20.1 FP/G, slot 17.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #196
- -3.6 z, slot 17.04
Day to day (Forearm)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 20.1 fantasy points per game against 17.8, 198th on our board to 233rd.
9-cat leagues: Marcus Smart again, -3.6 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (196th to 197th).
Category by category, Luke Kornet is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Luke Kornet produces more: 32.5 fantasy points to 25.9, on 19.7 minutes a night against 28.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Luke Kornet plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Marcus Smart 4. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 80.5 projected fantasy points to 53.3 for Luke Kornet.
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 | Luke Kornet | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 17.8 | 20.1 |
| Minutes | 19.7 | 28.0 |
| PointsPTS | 5.7 | 9.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.4 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.6 | 2.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.4 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 61.7% | 39.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.7% | 81.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 68 | 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 | Luke Kornet | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 32.5 | 25.9 |
| Points | 10.5 | 11.7 |
| Rebounds | 9.9 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 2.9 | 3.6 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 1.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.0 | 2.0 |
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 | Luke Kornet | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.9 | -1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | -1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -1.0 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -1.8 | +0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.8 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.7 | +0.4 |
| Total | -3.7 | -3.6 |
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
Punting points, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Luke Kornet.
| Punt | Luke Kornet | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#155) | -2.4 (#184) |
| REB | -3.8 (#227) | -2.4 (#159) |
| AST | -2.6 (#179) | -3.3 (#202) |
| STL | -2.0 (#146) | -4.6 (#273) |
| BLK | -4.3 (#237) | -3.0 (#172) |
| 3PM | -1.9 (#135) | -3.5 (#206) |
| FG% | -4.9 (#241) | -2.6 (#145) |
| FT% | -3.6 (#198) | -3.7 (#207) |
| TO | -5.5 (#225) | -4.1 (#177) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Luke Kornet: 3 games (Tue SAC, Wed @UTA, Sat MIN), 1 back-to-back.
- Marcus Smart: 4 games (Mon ATL, Wed @MIL, Fri @DAL, Sat OKC), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Luke Kornet: 7.6 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 17.8 on the board.
- Marcus Smart: 13.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Luke Kornet playing tonight? · Is Marcus Smart playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Luke Kornet or Marcus Smart?
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 20.1 fantasy points per game against 17.8, 198th on our board to 233rd. 9-cat leagues: Marcus Smart again, -3.6 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (196th to 197th).
Who wins more categories, Luke Kornet or Marcus Smart?
Category by category, Luke Kornet is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Luke Kornet or Marcus Smart?
Luke Kornet plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Marcus Smart 4. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 80.5 projected fantasy points to 53.3 for Luke Kornet.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 28, 2026 at 2:33 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number