Paolo Banchero or LaMelo Ball: who to draft in 2026-27 fantasy basketball

Paolo Banchero wins 4 of the nine categories, LaMelo Ball wins 5.

Our board separates them by 3 picks; consensus ADP separates them by 5 picks, with Paolo Banchero going earlier in the room.
Against the 179 ranked players in this set, Paolo Banchero projects above average in 3 of the nine categories and LaMelo Ball in 5.
They do not fill the same slot: Paolo Banchero is PF, LaMelo Ball is PG.
The board grades both "durable" for availability.
Both rank inside the 179 players this comparison set is drawn from: Paolo Banchero 31st, LaMelo Ball 34th.

Category by category

Projected per game for 2026-27, nine-category scoring. Turnovers count fewest-first.
Category	Paolo Banchero	LaMelo Ball	Edge
PTS	24.1	19.4	Paolo Banchero wins
REB	7.8	4.7	Paolo Banchero wins
AST	5.6	6.2	LaMelo Ball wins
STL	0.8	1.1	LaMelo Ball wins
BLK	0.6	0.3	Paolo Banchero wins
3PM	1.5	3.0	LaMelo Ball wins
TO	3.2	2.6	LaMelo Ball wins
FG%	46.0%	41.1%	Paolo Banchero wins
FT%	77.0%	86.7%	LaMelo Ball wins

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