Marcus Smart vs Max Christie: who to start in Week 1
Marcus Smart plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Max Christie 3. For that week alone, start Max Christie: 61.5 projected fantasy points to 60.4 for Marcus Smart. Over the season, Max Christie leads in both formats: 20.5 fantasy points a game to 20.1, and 190th against 191st 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #207
- 20.1 FP/G, slot 18.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #191
- -3.6 z, slot 16.11
- Points leagues
- #198
- 20.5 FP/G, slot 17.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #190
- -3.5 z, slot 16.10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Max Christie. 20.5 fantasy points per game against 20.1, 198th on our board to 207th.
9-cat leagues: Max Christie again, -3.5 in summed z-scores against -3.6 (190th to 191st).
Category by category, Marcus Smart is ahead in 2 (AST and STL) and Max Christie in 6 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Marcus Smart produces more: 25.9 fantasy points to 24.9, on 28.0 minutes a night against 29.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Marcus Smart plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Max Christie 3. For that week alone, start Max Christie: 61.5 projected fantasy points to 60.4 for Marcus Smart.
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 | Marcus Smart | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.1 | 20.5 |
| Minutes | 28.0 | 29.6 |
| PointsPTS | 9.1 | 12.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.7 | 3.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.8 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 2.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 39.7% | 43.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.4% | 89.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 62 | 77 |
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 | Marcus Smart | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 25.9 | 24.9 |
| Points | 11.7 | 14.7 |
| Rebounds | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 3.6 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 2.7 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 1.6 |
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 | Marcus Smart | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.4 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.4 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.9 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | +0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.1 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.4 | +0.7 |
| Total | -3.6 | -3.5 |
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, rebounds, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Marcus Smart.
| Punt | Marcus Smart | Max Christie |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.3 (#190) | -2.8 (#208) |
| REB | -2.3 (#148) | -2.4 (#157) |
| AST | -3.2 (#203) | -2.8 (#189) |
| STL | -4.5 (#273) | -2.5 (#164) |
| BLK | -3.0 (#171) | -2.9 (#165) |
| 3PM | -3.5 (#204) | -4.2 (#235) |
| FG% | -2.7 (#146) | -2.7 (#148) |
| FT% | -3.7 (#208) | -4.1 (#221) |
| TO | -4.1 (#177) | -4.3 (#188) |
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 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Marcus Smart: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
- Max Christie: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Marcus Smart: 13.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.1 on the board.
- Max Christie: 18.7 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Marcus Smart playing tonight? · Is Max Christie playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Marcus Smart or Max Christie?
Points leagues: Max Christie. 20.5 fantasy points per game against 20.1, 198th on our board to 207th. 9-cat leagues: Max Christie again, -3.5 in summed z-scores against -3.6 (190th to 191st).
Who wins more categories, Marcus Smart or Max Christie?
Category by category, Marcus Smart is ahead in 2 (AST and STL) and Max Christie in 6 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Marcus Smart or Max Christie?
Marcus Smart plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Max Christie 3. For that week alone, start Max Christie: 61.5 projected fantasy points to 60.4 for Marcus Smart.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number