Mikal Bridges vs Nic Claxton: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Mikal Bridges in both formats: 29.7 fantasy points a game to 29.5 in points leagues, and 38th against 138th 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
- #93
- 29.7 FP/G, slot 8.09, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #38
- +1.1 z, slot 4.02, $22
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #94
- 29.5 FP/G, slot 8.10, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #138
- -2.3 z, slot 12.06, $3
Day to day (Hamstring)
The call
Points leagues: draft Mikal Bridges. 29.7 fantasy points per game against 29.5, 93rd on our board to 94th.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, +1.1 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (38th to 138th).
Category by category, Mikal Bridges is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Nic Claxton in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Nic Claxton produces more: 38.1 fantasy points to 32.6, on 27.8 minutes a night against 32.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Mikal Bridges plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nic Claxton 3. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 89.1 projected fantasy points to 88.4 for Nic Claxton.
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 | Mikal Bridges | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.7 | 29.5 |
| Minutes | 32.8 | 27.8 |
| PointsPTS | 14.4 | 11.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 57.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.7% | 61.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 69 |
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 | Mikal Bridges | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 32.6 | 38.1 |
| Points | 15.8 | 15.2 |
| Rebounds | 4.2 | 9.0 |
| Assists | 4.1 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 0.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.1 | 1.8 |
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 | Mikal Bridges | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.4 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -0.0 |
| StealsSTL | +0.8 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | +0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | +1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.1 | -1.8 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +0.6 |
| Total | +1.1 | -2.3 |
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: Mikal Bridges stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Mikal Bridges | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.5 (#24) | -1.5 (#128) |
| REB | +2.0 (#24) | -3.2 (#204) |
| AST | +1.1 (#36) | -2.3 (#159) |
| STL | +0.3 (#53) | -1.4 (#114) |
| BLK | +1.0 (#38) | -3.5 (#203) |
| 3PM | +0.8 (#43) | -0.6 (#83) |
| FG% | +1.1 (#43) | -4.5 (#224) |
| FT% | +1.0 (#39) | -0.4 (#76) |
| TO | +0.0 (#61) | -3.1 (#142) |
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)
- Mikal Bridges: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL), listed DTD.
- Nic Claxton: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Mikal Bridges: 21.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.7 on the board.
- Nic Claxton: 20.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.5 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 Mikal Bridges or Nic Claxton in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Mikal Bridges. 29.7 fantasy points per game against 29.5, 93rd on our board to 94th. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, +1.1 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (38th to 138th).
Who wins more categories, Mikal Bridges or Nic Claxton?
Category by category, Mikal Bridges is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Nic Claxton in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Mikal Bridges or Nic Claxton?
Mikal Bridges plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nic Claxton 3. For that week alone, start Mikal Bridges: 89.1 projected fantasy points to 88.4 for Nic Claxton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number