How to punt assists, and the big men who become early-round players
Ignoring assists moves Walker Kessler from 51st to 21st on our 9-cat board, Zach Edey from 61st to 28th and Rudy Gobert from 73rd to 34th, while Cade Cunningham falls to 60th.
By Matt · 3 min read
Walker KesslerZach EdeyKel'el WarePhotos: NBAProAssists are concentrated in fewer players than any other counting category, and most of them are point guards and a handful of playmaking forwards. Punting the category means you stop paying for those players and spend your early picks on the big men and wings who win rebounds, blocks, field-goal percentage and, if you choose them well, turnovers, since the players who rarely pass also rarely turn the ball over. It is the most natural punt for a manager who drafts a center in the first two rounds, and it produces a very different board from the standard one.
- Walker Kessler LAL51stvs 32nd
- Zach Edey MEM61stvs 60th
- Kel'el Ware MIL31stvs 55th
- Rudy Gobert MIN72ndvs 73rd
- Karl-Anthony Towns NYK17thvs 15th
- Cade Cunningham DET8thvs 8th
We reran our 9-cat board with assists removed and the other eight categories weighted as they are on the standard board. The table shows the players who move most, from our projections. The consensus column is the analysts' standard 9-cat board, shown for reference.
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.
