Moussa Diabaté vs Paolo Banchero: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Paolo Banchero in points leagues (40.8 fantasy points a game to 25.5) and Moussa Diabaté in 9-cat leagues (110th against 111th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #134
- 25.5 FP/G, slot 12.02, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #110
- -1.6 z, slot 10.02, $7
The pick in 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 pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Paolo Banchero. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 25.5, 25th on our board to 134th.
9-cat leagues: Moussa Diabaté instead, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (110th to 111th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Moussa Diabaté is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Paolo Banchero in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Paolo Banchero produces more: 42.2 fantasy points to 35.3, on 34.8 minutes a night against 26.0. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Moussa Diabaté plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Paolo Banchero: 122.3 projected fantasy points to 76.4 for Moussa Diabaté.
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 | Moussa Diabaté | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.5 | 40.8 |
| Minutes | 26.0 | 34.8 |
| PointsPTS | 7.9 | 22.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 8.7 | 8.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 5.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 63.1% | 45.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 65.9% | 77.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 3.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 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 | Moussa Diabaté | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.3 | 42.2 |
| Points | 10.9 | 23.0 |
| Rebounds | 12.0 | 8.7 |
| Assists | 2.7 | 5.4 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 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 | Moussa Diabaté | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.5 | +1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +1.3 | +1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.1 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.0 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | -1.5 |
| Total | -1.6 | -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
Punting rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Paolo Banchero.
| Punt | Moussa Diabaté | Paolo Banchero |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.1 (#69) | -2.7 (#202) |
| REB | -3.3 (#212) | -3.2 (#201) |
| AST | -0.7 (#85) | -2.5 (#175) |
| STL | -1.0 (#97) | -0.9 (#87) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#152) | -1.7 (#119) |
| 3PM | +0.1 (#63) | -1.2 (#100) |
| FG% | -3.6 (#180) | -1.6 (#110) |
| FT% | -0.5 (#80) | -1.1 (#100) |
| TO | -3.0 (#138) | -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)
- Moussa Diabaté: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
- Paolo Banchero: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Recent games
- Moussa Diabaté: 24.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 25.5 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 Moussa Diabaté or Paolo Banchero in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Paolo Banchero. 40.8 fantasy points per game against 25.5, 25th on our board to 134th. 9-cat leagues: Moussa Diabaté instead, -1.6 in summed z-scores against -1.6 (110th to 111th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Moussa Diabaté or Paolo Banchero?
Category by category, Moussa Diabaté is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Paolo Banchero in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Moussa Diabaté or Paolo Banchero?
Moussa Diabaté plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Paolo Banchero 3. For that week alone, start Paolo Banchero: 122.3 projected fantasy points to 76.4 for Moussa Diabaté.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number