Nic Claxton vs Santi Aldama: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Santi Aldama in both formats: 29.9 fantasy points a game to 29.5 in points leagues, and 98th 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
- #94
- 29.5 FP/G, slot 8.10, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #138
- -2.3 z, slot 12.06, $3
Day to day (Hamstring)
- Points leagues
- #91
- 29.9 FP/G, slot 8.07, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #98
- -1.3 z, slot 9.02, $8
Day to day (Knee)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Santi Aldama. 29.9 fantasy points per game against 29.5, 91st on our board to 94th.
9-cat leagues: Santi Aldama again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (98th to 138th).
Category by category, Nic Claxton is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and FG%) and Santi Aldama in 5 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Santi Aldama produces more: 38.6 fantasy points to 38.1, on 27.9 minutes a night against 27.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Nic Claxton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Santi Aldama 3. For that week alone, start Santi Aldama: 89.6 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 | Nic Claxton | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.5 | 29.9 |
| Minutes | 27.8 | 27.9 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 14.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 57.1% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 61.6% | 66.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 43 |
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 | Nic Claxton | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.1 | 38.6 |
| Points | 15.2 | 18.1 |
| Rebounds | 9.0 | 8.6 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 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 | Nic Claxton | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | -0.5 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | +0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.9 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.1 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.8 | -1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| Total | -2.3 | -1.3 |
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
Punting threes flips the 9-cat answer to Nic Claxton.
| Punt | Nic Claxton | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#128) | -1.0 (#106) |
| REB | -3.2 (#204) | -2.0 (#133) |
| AST | -2.3 (#159) | -1.0 (#94) |
| STL | -1.4 (#114) | -1.0 (#94) |
| BLK | -3.5 (#203) | -1.7 (#113) |
| 3PM | -0.6 (#83) | -1.3 (#105) |
| FG% | -4.5 (#224) | -1.7 (#111) |
| FT% | -0.4 (#76) | -0.3 (#69) |
| TO | -3.1 (#142) | -2.2 (#115) |
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)
- Nic Claxton: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Santi Aldama: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Nic Claxton: 20.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.5 on the board.
- Santi Aldama: 27.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.9 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 Nic Claxton or Santi Aldama in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Santi Aldama. 29.9 fantasy points per game against 29.5, 91st on our board to 94th. 9-cat leagues: Santi Aldama again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (98th to 138th).
Who wins more categories, Nic Claxton or Santi Aldama?
Category by category, Nic Claxton is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, BLK and FG%) and Santi Aldama in 5 (PTS, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Nic Claxton or Santi Aldama?
Nic Claxton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Santi Aldama 3. For that week alone, start Santi Aldama: 89.6 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