Top Ten Small Forwards in the NBA
Top Small Forwards in the NBA
1. LeBron James
Arguably the greatest player of all-time. If Luka Doncic's numbers hold for the rest of the year, he will become the eighth person to average more than 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for a full season. That is what LeBron has averaged for his 17 year career. At 35 years old, he is leading the NBA in assists.
2. Kawhi Leonard
When Kawhi Leonard plays, there is probably no one better right now. He has won two championships with two Finals MVP awards and two Defensive Player of the Year awards. Always an incredible defender, he's turn himself into one of the most consistent and dangerous offensive players in the league and averages 26 points per game this year.
3. Luka Doncic
His ascension has been meteoric. He averaged 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists as a teenage rookie. In his second season, he's been historically good and is nearly averaging a triple-double. The Mavericks won 24 games the year before Luka arrived. In his second year, they beat that win total by the season's halfway point.
4. Brandon Ingram
Ingram became a reliable player during his three seasons in Los Angeles and blossomed into a legitimate star as soon as he landed in New Orleans. He has become a 25-point per game scorer who shoots 40% from the three-point line. He also averages 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game-- and he's still only 22 years old.
5. Jimmy Butler
After averaging just two points a game as a rookie and relying on his defense to get him minutes, Butler has been a 20 point per game scorer for half a decade. Now in Miami, his fourth stop in the NBA, he's averaging career highs in rebounds and assists as the Heat fights for a top seed in the Eastern Conference.
6. Khris Middleton
If and when Giannis Antetonkounmpo stays in Milwaukee longterm, it will be because Middleton is a reliable 19 point, five rebound, four assists, one steal perennial All-Star. Consistency counts for something, and Middleton can shoot over anybody.
7. DeMar DeRozan
A four-time All-Star single-handedly keeping the midrange jumper in fashion. He's been a 20+ point per game scorer for seven straight seasons. He's made two All-NBA teams and hasn't missed the playoffs since 2013.
8. Joe Ingles
The 32 year old is a good shooter (41% from three) who does a little bit of everything, including running the second-team offense while only taking about eight shots a game. His consistency - he's missed just three games in his first five seasons - is one of the big reasons the Jazz are regularly in the playoffs.
9. Tobias Harris
Harris has played for five NBA teams and has performed for four of them. Now he's a cornerstone of what the 76ers hope will be an annual contender. He's a reliable scorer and rebounder who averaged 15.5 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a steal in the 2019 playoffs.
10. Andrew Wiggins
He's been good since he came into the league. Not great. He's just been quietly compiling statistics on bad teams for six seasons now. He's averaging career-highs in rebounds and assists in '19-'20 to go along with 22 points per game.