Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs Tyrese Maxey: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in both formats: 50.4 fantasy points a game to 48.6 in points leagues, and 3rd against 5th 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
- #4
- 50.4 FP/G, slot 1.04, $41
- 9-cat leagues
- #3
- +8.4 z, slot 1.03, $61
Game-time decision (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #6
- 48.6 FP/G, slot 1.06, $39
- 9-cat leagues
- #5
- +6.9 z, slot 1.05, $52
The call
Points leagues: draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 50.4 fantasy points per game against 48.6, 4th on our board to 6th.
9-cat leagues: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander again, +8.4 in summed z-scores against +6.9 (3rd to 5th).
Category by category, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, FG%, FT% and TO) and Tyrese Maxey in 2 (STL and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander produces more: 54.7 fantasy points to 46.0, on 33.2 minutes a night against 38.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tyrese Maxey 4. For that week alone, start Tyrese Maxey: 194.5 projected fantasy points to 151.3 for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Tyrese Maxey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 50.4 | 48.6 |
| Minutes | 33.2 | 38.0 |
| PointsPTS | 31.1 | 28.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.3 | 4.1 |
| AssistsAST | 6.6 | 6.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 3.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 55.3% | 46.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.9% | 89.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 68 | 70 |
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 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Tyrese Maxey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 54.7 | 46.0 |
| Points | 33.7 | 26.8 |
| Rebounds | 4.7 | 3.9 |
| Assists | 7.1 | 6.2 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 1.8 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 2.3 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Tyrese Maxey |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +2.5 | +2.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -0.8 |
| AssistsAST | +1.4 | +1.4 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | +2.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | +1.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.1 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +2.2 | +1.7 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.4 | -0.7 |
| Total | +8.4 | +6.9 |
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 field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Tyrese Maxey.
| Punt | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Tyrese Maxey |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +5.8 (#3) | +4.7 (#5) |
| REB | +9.2 (#1) | +7.8 (#2) |
| AST | +6.7 (#4) | +5.2 (#5) |
| STL | +7.2 (#3) | +4.4 (#5) |
| BLK | +8.4 (#2) | +6.9 (#4) |
| 3PM | +8.0 (#3) | +5.0 (#5) |
| FG% | +6.6 (#5) | +8.3 (#3) |
| FT% | +5.9 (#4) | +5.0 (#6) |
| TO | +8.9 (#4) | +7.8 (#5) |
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)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC), listed GTD.
- Tyrese Maxey: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Tyrese Maxey: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 44.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 50.4 on the board.
- Tyrese Maxey: 40.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 48.6 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Tyrese Maxey in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 50.4 fantasy points per game against 48.6, 4th on our board to 6th. 9-cat leagues: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander again, +8.4 in summed z-scores against +6.9 (3rd to 5th).
Who wins more categories, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Tyrese Maxey?
Category by category, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, FG%, FT% and TO) and Tyrese Maxey in 2 (STL and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Tyrese Maxey?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tyrese Maxey 4. For that week alone, start Tyrese Maxey: 194.5 projected fantasy points to 151.3 for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number