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Mon, Oct 26 · 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

Mon, Oct 26 · 9 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.

WAS at CHA 7:00 PM ET · MIN at CLE 7:00 PM ET · CHI at BOS 7:30 PM ET · DAL at MIA 7:30 PM ET · IND at MIL 8:00 PM ET · PHX at OKC 8:00 PM ET · ATL at HOU 8:30 PM ET · MEM at UTA 9:00 PM ET · GSW at DEN 10:00 PM ET

PlayerMatchupMINPTS ↓REBAST3PM
Lauri MarkkanenForwardvs MEMvs bottom-5 defense3428.517-407.44-112.30-52.91-5
Giannis AntetokounmpoForwardvs DAL2525.815-389.25-145.22-90.40-2
Kevin DurantForwardvs ATL3524.914-365.22-94.62-82.20-4
Pascal SiakamForwardat MIL3323.813-356.63-103.91-71.70-4
Cooper FlaggForwardat MIA3321.511-327.03-114.52-81.00-2
Jalen JohnsonForwardat HOU3421.511-329.65-147.34-111.50-3
Jaren Jackson Jr.Forwardvs MEMvs bottom-5 defense3120.911-316.13-102.10-41.90-4
Norman PowellForwardat BOS2920.811-323.31-62.30-52.61-5
Brandon MillerForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense3020.011-314.82-83.41-63.11-6
Alperen SengunForwardvs ATL3219.810-308.65-136.03-100.50-2
Jerami GrantForwardat UTA3019.610-293.71-62.40-52.41-5
Evan MobleyForwardvs MIN3118.09-278.85-133.51-60.90-2
Brice SensabaughForwardvs MEMvs bottom-5 defense2516.78-273.51-62.20-52.41-5
Andrew WigginsForwardvs DAL3016.28-265.12-92.91-62.00-4
Miles BridgesForwardat OKCvs top-5 defense3016.07-255.62-93.01-61.80-4
Naji MarshallForwardat MIA2915.77-265.02-93.31-60.80-2
Paul GeorgeForwardvs CHIvs bottom-5 defense2715.67-254.72-83.21-62.41-5
Matas BuzelisForwardat BOS2915.67-255.52-91.90-42.20-4
Jabari Smith Jr.Forwardvs ATL3415.37-246.63-101.80-42.10-4
Jaden McDanielsForwardat CLE3215.27-244.31-72.81-51.40-3
Airious BaileyForwardvs MEMvs bottom-5 defense2815.07-254.62-82.00-42.00-4
Bobby PortisForwardvs DAL2414.67-246.83-111.70-42.10-4
Onyeka OkongwuForwardat HOU3014.66-237.24-112.91-51.80-4
P.J. WashingtonForwardat MIA3014.66-237.44-111.80-41.30-3
Santi AldamaForwardat MIA2714.56-247.13-113.01-61.60-3
KyShawn GeorgeForwardat CHA2914.46-244.82-84.22-82.00-4
Kelly Oubre Jr.Forwardat MIL3214.16-225.02-81.60-41.70-4
Aaron GordonForwardvs GSWvs top-5 defense2414.06-235.02-92.40-51.40-3
GG JacksonForwardat UTA2313.96-244.82-91.70-41.20-3
Naz ReidForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense2613.76-236.23-102.30-52.10-4
Jaylen WellsForwardat UTA2713.46-223.41-61.80-41.90-4
Kyle KuzmaForwardvs IND2612.95-224.52-82.61-51.10-3
Jarace WalkerForwardat MIL2611.95-205.22-92.71-51.80-4
Cameron JohnsonForwardvs GSWvs top-5 defense3011.95-203.71-72.40-51.90-4
Jonathan KumingaForwardat CLE2111.54-215.22-92.20-40.90-2
Nicolas ClaxtonForwardat BOS2711.34-206.63-113.41-60.00-1
Isaiah StewartForwardat UTA2410.93-205.52-101.30-30.70-2
Marvin Bagley IIIForwardvs GSWvs top-5 defense2010.53-196.13-101.50-30.40-2
Tari EasonForwardvs ATL2610.44-186.23-101.50-31.50-3
Will RileyForwardat CHA2210.33-192.80-61.90-41.00-2
Jalen SmithForwardat BOS2110.13-196.63-111.20-31.60-3
Zaccharie RisacherForwardat MIA2310.13-194.11-81.20-31.40-3
Daniel GaffordForwardat MIA2210.13-197.43-121.10-30.00-1
Khris MiddletonForwardat CHA2310.13-193.51-72.71-51.10-2
Jay HuffForwardat MIL2210.03-194.11-81.60-41.50-3
Royce O'NealeForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense289.83-184.72-82.71-52.71-5
Gui SantosForwardat DENvs bottom-5 defense219.43-183.91-72.51-51.10-3
Sam HauserForwardvs CHIvs bottom-5 defense259.33-173.81-71.50-32.61-5
Isaiah HartensteinForwardvs PHX259.33-179.45-143.51-70.00-1
Cody WilliamsForwardat CLE259.23-173.11-62.10-50.40-2
Isaac OkoroForwardat BOS279.03-162.60-51.50-31.10-3
Draymond GreenForwardat DENvs bottom-5 defense278.32-155.42-95.73-101.40-3
Nikola JovicForwardvs DAL188.32-163.71-72.51-51.00-2
Taylor HendricksForwardat UTA208.32-164.21-81.10-31.10-3
Moussa DiabateForwardvs WASvs bottom-5 defense267.92-158.75-132.00-40.00-1
Jamir WatkinsForwardat CHA217.51-153.91-71.30-31.00-2
Jaylin WilliamsForwardvs PHX217.51-155.62-102.51-51.50-3
Patrick WilliamsForwardat BOS216.91-142.90-61.40-31.30-3
Kris MurrayForwardat UTA246.31-133.91-71.60-40.60-2
Oso IghodaroForwardat OKCvs top-5 defense226.21-135.02-92.20-40.00-1
Justin ChampagnieForwardat CHA145.91-143.71-80.80-20.50-2
Leonard MillerForwardat BOS115.61-132.80-60.60-20.50-2
Spencer JonesForwardvs GSWvs top-5 defense235.60-123.31-60.80-20.90-2
Nae'Qwan TomlinForwardvs MIN134.80-122.40-60.70-20.30-1
Caleb MartinForwardat MIA164.30-112.80-61.50-30.40-1
Dwight PowellForwardat MIA153.80-104.72-91.20-30.00-1
Brooks BarnhizerForwardvs PHX101.90-62.20-50.60-20.20-1

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. 67 players shown.

Check a prop line

Betting tools

Projection 30.4 (80% range 18-43). 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.