Top 5 NBA Small Forwards
Click here if you want to read my point guard rankings.
Click here if you want to read my shooting guard rankings.
Click here if you want to read my power forward rankings. (Actually, click those links even you don't want to read them.)
Small forward has the best top end talent in the league, although it doesn't quite have the depth of point guard. Many of the league's best players spend most of their time at the "3", and now I get to rank them. Once again, I'm only looking at who the best are at this moment, so youth and potential aren't really a factor in my rankings. Common sense and logic don't really factor into my rankings, either, but that's not by design.
Number 5: Rudy Gay, SF/Former Analytics Whipping Boy, Sacramento Kings
The face every player makes when their agent tells them they've been traded to the Kings.
2014-2015 stats: 21.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.7 APG, 45.5 FG%, 35.9 3P%
I'm as surprised as you that Rudy Gay is number five in my rankings, I might even be more surprised, frankly. Gay was about as inefficient a scorer as there was in the league as recently as a year and a half ago; he bogged down the offense, he took contested jumpers, he couldn't really shoot, he wasn't a great playmaker, and he had a last name that made 12 year old boys giggle. Apparently, not being able to see makes basketball slightly more difficult. After struggling mightily in Toronto, Gay was sent to the Sacramento Kings, where he, despite all odds, starting playing good basketball. He can see which basket is his and who is teammates are now, and he's been putting up impressive, and dare I say, relatively efficient numbers since joining the Kings. His defense is still lacking (I guess eye sight wasn't the problem there), but he's found a good balance of scoring and playmaking (the 3.7 APG he averaged last season is the highest of his career), and he's taking much smarter shots than he did while playing for Memphis or Toronto. The Kings were widely ridiculed (what else is new, right) when the Gay trade was announced, but Rudy has proven to be a great acquisition for Sacramento, and the number five small forward in the NBA. (Notice how I didn't make a single Gay-Cousins joke in that paragraph? That takes serious self-control.)
Number 4: Paul George, SF/Larry Bird says PF, Indiana Pacers
Bill Simmons finally gets to call Paul George "PG-13". Congrats, Bill!
2014-2015 stats: 8.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 36.7 FG%, 40.9 3P%
George's numbers from last season don't accurately reflect the player he really is. He only played in six games after coming back from a gruesome knee injury suffered over the summer, but he should be back to 100% for this coming season, which is why he made it on this list. When George is right, he's a superb defender and athlete, and a good shooter, rebounder, and playmaker. He was the centerpiece of those Indiana teams that challenged LeBron James and the Heat in the playoffs, and George became a household name because of it. The Pacers struggled last season (largely due to injuries to every human being who has ever played basketball in the state of Indiana), and four of the starters from those playoff teams are now gone (Sane Lance Stephenson, Crazy Lance Stephenson, David West, and Roy Hibbert), but Paul George coming back should single-handedly put the Pacers back in the playoff hunt in the east. The offense next season should focus more on George than it did before his injury, and I expect him to put up excellent numbers, although he may struggle early as he gets used to playing NBA basketball again.
Number 3: Kawhi Leonard, SF/Best Player with Cornrows in the World (probably), San Antonio Spurs
2014-2015 stats: 16.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 47.9 FG%, 34.9 3P%
Those stats are impressive, but they don't even show his defensive prowess. He averaged 2.3 steals per game last season and won Defensive Player of the Year. He's been in the league for four seasons, in those four seasons he's won one championship, one Finals MVP, and one Defensive Player of the Year award. He's the main reason the Spurs look like they'll still be contenders even after Duncan and Ginobili retire. He scores efficiently, he's good in transition, he's a great rebounder, and he's an absolute top-tier defender. The Spurs have gradually brought him along after trading for him on draft day, and he's now a well-rounded force on both ends of the court. I expect him to continue his ascension toward lead dog status in San Antonio, even with the addition of LaMarcus Aldridge.
Number 2: Kevin Durant, SF/PF, Oklahoma City Thunder
It was a tough decision, but I kept Durant at number two.
2014-2015 stats: 25.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 51.0 FG%, 40.3 3P%
This spot has been reserved for Kevin Durant for basically the last three years, but I almost dropped him down to three due to his injuries this season. I'm just hoping Durant can stay healthy and do his thing (score lots and lots of buckets despite Russell Westbrook never passing the ball in the fourth quarter). I'm not nearly smart enough to come up with a word to accurately describe Durant's scoring ability; he's nearly seven feet tall, he can handle the ball like a guard, he can shoot from three off the catch or off the dribble, and he's a killer in the mid-range (he shot 53.5% in the 10-16 foot range last year). He's a good passer, especially for someone his size, and his height means he can shoot over anyone, from anywhere. He still struggles defensively, but he's made noticeable improvements on that side of the ball in recent seasons. Hopefully Durant can stay healthy and regain the title of Best Scorer in the League next season.
Number 1: LeBron James, PG/SG/SF/PF/C/Coach/General Manager, Cleveland Cavaliers
Surprise! Bet you never saw this one coming.
2014-2015 stats: 25.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 7.4 APG, 48.8 FG%, 35.4 3P%
James isn't the force he used to be, for a few of those Miami years he was quite possibly the best offensive player in the league and best defensive player in the league, but this was still an easy Decision. See what I did there? He's learned to hold back during the regular season in order to save himself for the playoffs, and we saw in the postseason how devastating LeBron can still be (even when he shoots 80 times a game). He single-handedly made the Finals a series (and made Tristan Thompson a ridiculous amount of money), including somehow pulling the Cavs into a 2-1 lead before going out in six games. He's a physical freak of nature, and still one of the best athletes in the NBA. He's one of the top five passers in the league and one of the top five scorers, too. He's efficient (this NBA Finals aside), he's developed a post game, he can't be left open from three anymore, he's a great rebounder, he's a monster in the open court (defenders move out of his way faster than his hairline, HEY-O!), and he can still be the best defender in the world when he chooses to be. A healthy Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving should help shoulder some of the load offensively, thus helping LeBron conserve energy for the playoffs while not forfeiting many regular season games. LeBron proved that he is still the best player in the world, which is why it was an obvious decision to make him the number one small forward in the NBA.
