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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Bleacher Creatures: Top 5 small forwards in the NBA

<p>"<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/5575570315/in/photolist-9uGfNF-9uKxzG-8m9cc9-6ceRAm-4JUGt8-5U9age-9uKvKE-9uLkWj-4JhJNo-9uKztm-92Zfsw-7gJv5z-92YKw9-71ZDno-6caiUV-9uG9wr-71ZDab-93hcD5-71VCx6-7gN9Du-4JYDWq-93cPqp-4JdjUk-93hdX3-71VCPr-6caGip-8h3Uxy-7gJkVi-92VCgK-6cesc1-jfhd1B-4JhX83-9uL4Eo-4HzojT-jfenTP-4HztZM-jfbXyH-4HDK9y-4yfy5x-8NoCDy-6cerX5-9uL5aL-jfkhsX-4JZCwq-7gNAhS-4JUPmk-4JduRP-9uHiy6-4JiExQ-4HzMAK" target="_blank">Wizards v/s Heat 03/30/11</a>" by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/" target="_blank">Keith Allison</a>, used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-SA 2.0</a></p>

"Wizards v/s Heat 03/30/11" by Keith Allison, used under CC BY-SA 2.0

Today’s best basketball players are small forwards, which is currently a very top heavy position in the NBA.

Lebron James- The easiest choice of all, Lebron is unquestionably the best player on the planet. He is the most physically gifted player of all time and a strong contender for the best small forward of all time.Every night you expect a 27, 8, and 7 performance from him. This past year we saw a slight loss of athleticism in his game due in part to the number of miles on his legs from his 12 NBA seasons. He probably has a good 4-5 years being an elite player left, but the number 2 guy is nipping at his heals.

Kevin Durant- Like Lebron, Durant unquestionably holds the number two spot on this list.  Durant is the best scorer in the league and his 6’10” frame allows him to shoot over most players in the league.  His passing and defense have significantly improved over the past few years making him an extremely dangerous, versatile weapon. It’s hard to believe a player at his skill level is only 25 years old. He has room to improve, if he takes Kendrick Perkins advice and hits the weight room he could easily move to number one on this list.

Paul George- George is the best player on a very strong Indiana Pacers team. As a defender, he is as good as they come, locking down everyone from top point guards to Lebron James.  He really came into his own two seasons ago and improved even more this past season. George has a lot of potential, but really needs to work on his shot selection. Early in this past season he was taking, and making, a lot of bad shots and they were not falling the second half of the season. He has a bright horizon if he can improve his shot selection.

Carmelo Anthony- Anthony is now seen by some as a power forward, but I still view him as one of the Big 4 small forwards.  If anyone can be a better scorer than Durant, it’s Anthony who currently has a better post game than Durant. Anthony gets criticized all the time for being a bad defender, and while he isn’t Paul George, he still holds his own. Anthony’s a player who can be a first option on any team.

Kawhi Leonard- Leonard had his coming out party over the past few weeks of the NBA finals, showing America how strong a player he is. Some people say his performance in the Finals is due to the Spurs system, but he is a very good defender, shooter and is not afraid to slam on people. He is the youngest finals MVP since his teammate, Tim Duncan, received the honor in 1999.

Honorable Mention- Nicolas Batum, Chandler Parsons, Andre Iguodala

"Wizards v/s Heat 03/30/11" by Keith Allison, used under CC BY-SA 2.0

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