Sheridan Hoops Top 10 Small Forwards

While point guard is regularly lauded as the top position in the league in terms of star power and depth, how about some love for the small forwards?

Seven small forwards featured on this list participated in Team USA’s minicamp this summer.

This list includes two MVPs, a scoring champion, a Defensive Player of the Year, a recently crowned Rookie of the Year, a “Greek Freak” and a Finals MVP.

Proven veterans such as Luol Deng and Joe Johnson – as well as rising young stars such as Chandler Parsons, Harrison Barnes, Tobias Harris and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – failed to make the cut, showing how much of a crowded field it is.

In today’s small ball era, small forwards are asked to be as versatile as ever on both ends of the floor.

As a result, we at SheridanHoops came up with a daunting checklist for our small forward rankings.

Is the featured small forward playing at an All-Star level? Can he bail his team out by getting a bucket with the shot clock winding down? Is he a sniper from beyond the arc? Can he silence the crowd with a clutch free throw on the road? Will he carve the defense like a Thanksgiving turkey with a crisp pass? Can he guard the opponent’s best perimeter player? Will he move the ball when he’s trapped or force the action? Does he grab a rebound in traffic?

Most importantly, if you wanted to win the title this season, which small forward would you take tomorrow?

With that in mind, we assembled a list of the top 10 small forwards heading into this season.

1. LeBron James, 6-8, 250 pounds, 12 years, Cavaliers: As our managing editor Chris Bernucca recently said, “The best NBA player is LeBron James. The second-best is a hung over LeBron James.” Over the last seven years, James hasn’t finished lower than third in MVP voting, has an average PER of 29.66 and has made the All-Defensive Team six times. He averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists in last season’s Finals. As a result, he garnered serious consideration for Finals MVP despite playing on the losing team. That sort of heavy lifting may be needed again this season. Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert are sidelined by injuries and Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao are coming off surgeries. James himself has a cranky back. However, he seems determined to bring Cleveland its first sports championship since 1964. (Don’t expect the Browns to beat them to the task. In football betting online, they are 3,000-1 to win the SuperBowl.)

2. Kevin Durant, 6-9, 240, 8 years, Thunder: Durant enters the biggest season of his career as his free agency decision will hover over the Thunder like a dark cloud all season and assuredly be a distraction. The Thunder must show Durant they are still a title contender or risk losing a generational talent. With that said, the four-time scoring champion also needs to return to his MVP form after missing 55 games last season due to a broken right foot. During his MVP season, Durant improved dramatically as a facilitator and averaged a career-high 5.5 assists. Over the course of his career, Durant has proven to be one of the greatest scorers in league history. Durant is one of only six players, including Steve Nash, Larry Bird, Mark Price, Reggie Miller and Dirk Nowitzki, to reach the hallowed 50-40-90 threshold. For his career, Durant nearly averages that threshold from the field (.481), beyond the arc (.379) and foul line (.881).

3. Carmelo Anthony, 6-8, 240, 12 years, Knicks: After having offseason knee surgery, Anthony has looked rejuvenated – and noticeably slimmer – during the preseason. He finished third in MVP voting and won the scoring title during the 2012-13 season. Anthony is one of the league’s most gifted scorers. He can isolate on the wing, using a jab step to create space or blow by his defender if they bite on a pump fake. On the block, Anthony can post up and primarily uses a turnaround fadeaway jumper. Before Anthony played through an injury-marred 40 games last season, he set career highs from beyond the arc in back-to-back seasons in 2013 (.379) and 2014 (.402). If the Knicks are going to return to the playoffs, the eight-time All-Star must put the offense on his back each night and return to his MVP form. In the unlikely scenario the Knicks struggle as mightily as they did last season, trading Anthony would become plausible.

4. Kawhi Leonard, 6-7, 230, 4 years, Spurs: Leonard signed a five-year, $94 million deal with the Spurs in the offseason. At 24, Leonard is still scratching the surface of his potential. Last season, Leonard led the league in defensive rating (96.4) and steals per game (2.3) in route to winning Defensive Player of the Year. On offense, Leonard has become more aggressive as Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have taken a step back. Last season, the Spurs were just a mediocre 9-9 without Leonard, who averaged a career-high 16.5 points in the regular season. During the playoffs, Leonard stepped up even more during the playoffs averaging 20.3 points per game. Looking ahead, Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge are the building blocks for the continuation of San Antonio’s dynasty.

5. Paul George, 6-9, 220, 5 years, Pacers: George missed 76 games last season after suffering a broken leg with Team USA in the summer of 2014. At 25, he returns to Indiana and is expected to play minutes at power forward, although he’s gone on the record to express his hesitation towards the move. At a time when small ball is the new trend, Indiana is hoping the switch will give it the best lineup flexibility. However, small forward is George’s best position due to his length, versatility and slender frame, which is why he’s listed here. Before his injury, George and Anthony were heavily debated as the third best small forward in the league behind James and Durant. In addition, George was considered one of the game’s best two-way players.

6. Rudy Gay, 6-8, 230, 9 years, Kings: Aside from his rookie season, Gay has never averaged less than 18.2 points per game. Last season, Gay averaged a career-high 3.7 assists and shot 86 percent from the charity stripe. He also helped Team USA win a second straight gold medal in the 2014 FIBA World Cup after initially being passed over among camp invitees.. The notion of Gay as a one-dimensional gunner is unfair and wrong. He has been traded twice in the last three seasons but still has posted his best PERs and assist averages alongside his best scoring numbers. An All-Star berth and a playoff series win is still missing from his resume, either of which would go a long way toward silencing critics.

7. Gordon Hayward, 6-8, 226, 5 years, Jazz: Hayward has improved his scoring average in five consecutive seasons and averaged a career-high 19.3 points last season, predominantly at shooting guard after the loss of Alec Burks. If Utah is going to take the next step and qualify for the playoffs, Hayward has to be the offensive catalyst. Last season, Hayward was fifth in the league in free throws made (375) and eighth in free throws attempted (462). He is the type of player who fills a stat sheet across the board and contributes toward winning. The biggest question is whether he evolves into a true alpha dog. With Rudy Gobert entrenched as the starting center and the return of Burks, Hayward should be able to lead Utah back to the playoffs.

8. Andrew Wiggins, 6-8, 199, 1 year, Timberwolves: The 2015 Rookie of the Year spent the offseason working on a step-back jumper, ballhandling, creating separation, mid-post moves and his 3-point shot with Pure Sweat trainer Drew Hanlen. This season, the 20-year-old Wiggins will likely be the featured go-to guy on offense with Kevin Martin coming off the bench for Minnesota. Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine and Ricky Rubio form an exciting young core for the Timberwolves to build around. Veterans Kevin Garnett, Tayshaun Prince and Andre Miller will guide the young Timberwolves and show them how to win down the road.

9. Giannis Antetokounmpo, 6-11, 222, 2 years, Bucks: At 20, Antetokounmpo is just scratching the surface of his potential. When Milwaukee first drafted the Greek big man, they projected him to be similar to Andrei Kirilenko – a guy that fills the box score. Last season, the “Greek Freak” showed the ability to get to the rim from the 3-point line with two long strides. In addition, Antetokounmpo lifted his shooting (.491) by nearly eight percentage points by improving his shot selection. Furthermore, he improved his foul shooting (.741) by nearly six percentage points. He had a positive overall rating and boosted his total win shares from 1.6 to 6.2. If Antetokounmpo makes even more strides, the Bucks will be a dark horse competitor for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.

10. Andre Iguodala, 6-6, 207, 11 years, Warriors: Iguodala is coming off a Finals MVP performance where he averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting the ball efficiently overall (.521) and from the arc (.400). His defense on LeBron James was crucial to Golden State’s title. Expect the former All-Star to be in the Sixth Man Award conversation this season. At 31, the 2012 All-Star still has plenty left in the tank. Is he a better clutch shooter than one of the guys he beat out for this spot, Joe Johnson? No. Does he have the upside of a Barnes, Parsons or Harris? No. But again, if you wanted to win a championship immediately, would you pick him over those guys? Our answer is yes.