LaMelo Ball or Jalen Duren: who to draft in 2026-27 fantasy basketball

LaMelo Ball wins 4 of the nine categories, Jalen Duren wins 4, and 1 is too close to call.

Our board separates them by 14 picks; consensus ADP separates them by 8 picks, with LaMelo Ball going earlier in the room.
Against the 181 ranked players in this set, LaMelo Ball projects above average in 5 of the nine categories and Jalen Duren in 4.
They do not fill the same slot: LaMelo Ball is PG, Jalen Duren is C.
The board grades LaMelo Ball "durable" for availability and Jalen Duren "moderate".
Both rank inside the 181 players this comparison set is drawn from: LaMelo Ball 34th, Jalen Duren 48th.

Category by category

Projected per game for 2026-27, nine-category scoring. Turnovers count fewest-first.
Category	LaMelo Ball	Jalen Duren	Edge
PTS	18.9	19.5	too close to call
REB	4.5	10.5	Jalen Duren wins
AST	5.9	2.3	LaMelo Ball wins
STL	1.0	0.8	LaMelo Ball wins
BLK	0.3	0.9	Jalen Duren wins
3PM	3.0	0.1	LaMelo Ball wins
TO	2.5	1.8	Jalen Duren wins
FG%	40.8%	65.9%	Jalen Duren wins
FT%	86.6%	74.7%	LaMelo Ball wins

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