Jalen Smith is starting at center for the Bulls, and our 9-cat board has him 93 places above the consensus

A center who makes three threes, blocks three shots and commits no turnovers in the same game is a rare thing in a 9-cat league, and Jalen Smith did all three for Chicago on Wednesday. He finished the 133-127 loss to the Knicks with 17 points and 11 rebounds, as ESPN's recap reported, and our box score from the same game adds five assists, three blocks and no turnovers on 7-of-12 shooting in 30 minutes. It was the best of his five starts this season, and the third time in five games he has reached double figures in rebounds or come within two of it.

Smith is starting because Nic Claxton, who was expected to start at center, strained his hamstring in training camp and has not played this season. Our 9-cat board now has Smith 100th, up from 135th before Wednesday, while the analysts' consensus has him 193rd, a gap that comes almost entirely from how category scoring values what he does well. This story sets out where that gap comes from and how long the starting job is likely to last.

Every player in this story is on the fantasy basketball rankings and the 2026-27 projections, and the NBA depth charts show where each one stands in his team’s rotation tonight.