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Sat, Oct 24 · 2026-27

Player projections

Expected minutes, points, rebounds, assists and threes for every player, from recent form, the opponent's defense by position and pace. Each number comes with an 80% range.

01Projections

Sat, Oct 24 · 8 games

Based on 2025-26: nobody has played 5 games of 2026-27 yet, so these use last season's per-minute numbers and expected minutes on each player's current roster. Players with fewer than 20 games last season are left out until they play. They switch to this season's games on their own.

MIA at CHA 6:00 PM ET · BKN at CLE 7:30 PM ET · MIL at PHI 7:30 PM ET · WAS at CHI 8:00 PM ET · SAS at DAL 8:00 PM ET · HOU at ATL 8:30 PM ET · NOP at DEN 9:00 PM ET · GSW at PHX 10:00 PM ET

PlayerMatchupMINPTS ↓REBAST3PM
Victor WembanyamaForwardat DAL3026.015-3912.07-183.31-61.90-4
Kevin DurantForwardat ATL3625.114-365.32-94.62-82.20-4
Giannis AntetokounmpoForwardat CHA2625.014-378.75-134.82-80.40-2
Joel EmbiidForwardvs MIL2924.514-376.93-113.71-71.30-3
Norman PowellForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense3023.413-353.81-72.71-52.81-5
Michael Porter Jr.Forwardat CLE3223.313-346.63-102.91-53.31-6
Jalen JohnsonForwardvs HOU3522.312-339.96-147.74-121.60-3
Trey Murphy IIIForwardat DENvs bottom-5 defense3521.711-325.72-94.01-73.21-6
Cooper FlaggForwardvs SAS3321.611-326.83-114.72-81.00-2
Zion WilliamsonForwardat DENvs bottom-5 defense3021.512-335.83-103.41-60.00-1
Brandon MillerForwardvs MIA3020.511-315.02-83.31-63.11-6
LeBron JamesForwardvs MIL3220.410-305.83-97.34-111.30-3
Julius RandleForwardat CLE3220.210-306.33-104.82-81.30-3
Alperen SengunForwardat ATL3320.110-308.85-136.13-100.50-2
Saddiq BeyForwardat DENvs bottom-5 defense3118.09-275.62-92.71-52.10-4
Evan MobleyForwardvs BKN3117.68-278.55-133.51-60.90-2
Matas BuzelisForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense3017.59-286.33-102.30-52.41-5
Miles BridgesForwardvs GSWvs top-5 defense3016.27-255.42-93.11-61.80-4
KyShawn GeorgeForwardat CHIvs bottom-5 defense2915.97-265.52-94.82-82.20-4
Naji MarshallForwardvs SAS3015.87-264.92-83.51-70.90-2
Andrew WigginsForwardat CHA3115.57-244.82-82.61-52.00-4
Jabari Smith Jr.Forwardat ATL3515.57-246.73-111.80-42.10-4
Onyeka OkongwuForwardvs HOU3115.27-247.44-113.11-61.90-4
P.J. WashingtonForwardvs SAS3114.66-237.24-111.90-41.40-3
Santi AldamaForwardvs SAS2814.67-246.93-113.11-61.70-4
Aaron GordonForwardvs NOP2414.46-245.22-92.50-51.50-3
Bobby PortisForwardat CHA2514.26-246.53-111.60-42.10-4
Keldon JohnsonForwardat DAL2414.16-235.73-101.50-31.20-3
Naz ReidForwardvs MIA2714.16-236.43-102.20-52.10-4
Tobias HarrisForwardat DAL2813.96-235.42-92.61-51.30-3
Kyle KuzmaForwardat PHI2712.95-224.52-82.71-51.20-3
Nicolas ClaxtonForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense2812.75-227.54-124.11-70.00-1
Cameron JohnsonForwardvs NOP3012.25-213.81-72.60-52.00-4
Noah ClowneyForwardat CLE2711.95-213.91-71.60-41.90-4
Julian ChampagnieForwardat DAL2811.64-206.03-101.60-42.41-5
Jalen SmithForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense2211.54-217.64-121.40-31.70-3
Will RileyForwardat CHIvs bottom-5 defense2311.54-213.21-62.20-41.10-3
Khris MiddletonForwardat CHIvs bottom-5 defense2411.24-204.11-83.11-61.20-3
Marvin Bagley IIIForwardvs NOP2010.83-206.33-111.50-30.40-2
Tari EasonForwardat ATL2710.64-196.33-101.50-41.50-3
Harrison BarnesForwardat DAL2610.54-192.91-62.00-41.80-4
Daniel GaffordForwardvs SAS2310.23-197.43-121.20-30.00-1
Zaccharie RisacherForwardvs SAS2310.23-194.11-81.20-31.50-3
Isaac OkoroForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense2710.13-183.01-61.80-41.20-3
Royce O'NealeForwardvs MIA2910.13-184.92-82.71-52.71-5
Gui SantosForwardat PHX229.32-184.01-72.30-51.10-3
Herbert JonesForwardat DENvs bottom-5 defense299.13-173.41-63.01-61.40-3
Danny WolfForwardat CLE218.92-174.82-92.20-41.20-3
Jamir WatkinsForwardat CHIvs bottom-5 defense228.42-164.41-81.50-31.10-2
Draymond GreenForwardat PHX288.22-155.42-95.32-91.40-3
Moussa DiabateForwardvs MIA278.12-159.05-142.00-40.00-1
Nikola JovicForwardat CHA198.12-163.51-72.30-51.10-2
Patrick WilliamsForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense227.92-153.41-71.70-41.40-3
Dominick BarlowForwardvs MIL247.71-154.72-91.30-30.30-2
Justin ChampagnieForwardat CHIvs bottom-5 defense156.71-154.31-90.90-20.60-2
Leonard MillerForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense126.51-153.31-70.70-20.60-2
Drake PowellForwardat CLE216.51-131.70-41.40-30.80-2
Oso IghodaroForwardvs GSWvs top-5 defense226.31-134.92-92.30-50.00-1
Dean WadeForwardvs MIL225.80-124.11-81.60-31.20-3
Spencer JonesForwardvs NOP235.70-123.41-70.90-20.90-2
Nae'Qwan TomlinForwardvs BKN134.70-122.30-50.70-20.30-1
Caleb MartinForwardvs SAS164.50-102.80-61.60-40.40-2
Dwight PowellForwardvs SAS163.90-94.72-91.30-30.00-1

Small numbers under each projection are the 80% range. Defense chips rank the opponent on points allowed per 100 possessions to his position group: bottom-5 means one of the five most generous. 63 players shown.

Check a prop line

Betting tools

Projection 28.2 (80% range 16-40). Type the line from your sportsbook to see the over and under chances.

One game is noisy: even a good projection misses by several points most nights. Add it to a parlay.

02Track record

2025-26 backtest

No projected games are final yet. Here is how the model did replaying 2025-26.

2025-26 backtest: average miss per player game

StatThis modelSeason averageLast 10 averageGain vs season avgInside 80% range
Points4.584.694.662.2%80%
Rebounds1.881.911.931.6%81%
Assists1.351.371.371.3%80%
Threes made0.890.900.911.1%80%
Minutes5.035.435.127.4%n/a

Lower is better. Season and last-10 averages are the simple guesses the model has to beat.

How this works

The method

Two steps. First we project minutes from a player's minutes per game this season, over his last 10 games and over his last 5 (the last 5 count the most), plus home court and the second night of a back-to-back. Then each stat is his per-minute rate (season, last 10 and last 5) times those minutes, adjusted for the opponent and the pace.

The opponent adjustment compares how many points, rebounds, assists and threes the opponent allows per 100 possessions to his position group (guards, forwards or centers) with the league. Early in a season it leans on last season's number. An opponent that allows 10% more points to his position adds about 2.1% to his points. A game 3% faster than average adds about 5.5%.

The weights were fit by least squares on 24,874 player games from 2025-26. The 80% ranges come from how far real results landed from the projection in testing, grouped by projected minutes.

How we tested it

We replayed 2025-26 from Mon, Dec 1 to Sun, Apr 12, refitting on the first of each month using only earlier games, and projected 19,968 player games. The average miss on points was 4.58, against 4.69 for his season average and 4.66 for his last-10 average. The gain is small, but it held for every stat, and 80% of real point totals landed inside the 80% range.

A gradient boosting model on the same inputs missed by 4.65 points, so we kept the simpler model. It runs inside our database every morning.

What it cannot see

Injuries, rest days, who starts and trades after the morning update. It projects every active player as if he plays, and it is graded only on players who did. Minutes are the biggest source of error: had we known each player's real minutes, the average miss on points would have been 3.74 instead of 4.58. Blowouts cut starters' minutes and are not predicted.

Until a player has 5 games in a season, his projection uses last season's per-minute numbers and his expected minutes on his current roster (last season's minutes handed out down the depth chart). That early-season mode could not be tested, because our data starts in 2025-26. Rookies without NBA games get no projection, and neither do players with fewer than 20 games last season (a few games is too small a sample) until they play this season (Decision #87).

Updated every morning for the next seven days of games. Once a game tips off its projections are frozen, and those frozen numbers are what we grade.