Marcus Smart vs Ziaire Williams: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Marcus Smart in points leagues (21.0 fantasy points a game to 18.9) and Ziaire Williams in 9-cat leagues (174th against 175th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #193
- 21.0 FP/G, slot 17.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #175
- -3.2 z, slot 15.07
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #223
- 18.9 FP/G, slot 19.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #174
- -3.1 z, slot 15.06
Game-time decision (Foot)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Marcus Smart. 21.0 fantasy points per game against 18.9, 193rd on our board to 223rd.
9-cat leagues: Ziaire Williams instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.2 (174th to 175th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Marcus Smart is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and STL) and Ziaire Williams in 4 (PTS, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ziaire Williams produces more: 29.7 fantasy points to 26.5, on 22.9 minutes a night against 28.5. 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), Ziaire Williams 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 62.9 projected fantasy points to 56.6 for Ziaire Williams.
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 | Marcus Smart | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.0 | 18.9 |
| Minutes | 28.5 | 22.9 |
| PointsPTS | 9.3 | 10.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.8 | 2.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.0 | 1.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 39.5% | 42.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.2% | 85.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 62 | 56 |
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 | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 26.5 | 29.7 |
| Points | 11.8 | 16.1 |
| Rebounds | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 1.7 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 2.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 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 | Marcus Smart | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.4 | -1.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.3 | -1.3 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | +1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.1 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | +1.0 |
| Total | -3.2 | -3.1 |
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, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Marcus Smart.
| Punt | Marcus Smart | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#154) | -2.0 (#162) |
| REB | -2.0 (#134) | -1.7 (#126) |
| AST | -2.9 (#191) | -1.9 (#141) |
| STL | -4.3 (#259) | -4.1 (#244) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#157) | -2.7 (#153) |
| 3PM | -3.1 (#184) | -3.0 (#181) |
| FG% | -2.2 (#127) | -2.5 (#137) |
| FT% | -3.3 (#187) | -3.5 (#194) |
| TO | -3.8 (#165) | -4.3 (#178) |
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)
- Marcus Smart: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
- Ziaire Williams: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA), listed GTD.
Recent games
- Marcus Smart: 21.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 21.0 on the board.
- Ziaire Williams: 22.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 18.9 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 Marcus Smart or Ziaire Williams in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Marcus Smart. 21.0 fantasy points per game against 18.9, 193rd on our board to 223rd. 9-cat leagues: Ziaire Williams instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.2 (174th to 175th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Marcus Smart or Ziaire Williams?
Category by category, Marcus Smart is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and STL) and Ziaire Williams in 4 (PTS, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Marcus Smart or Ziaire Williams?
Marcus Smart plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ziaire Williams 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 62.9 projected fantasy points to 56.6 for Ziaire Williams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number