NBA Positional Rankings – Small Forward

The underlying theme of this year’s group of small forwards has been understanding their limitations and grasping their roles. That and, well, there’s a LOT of athletic ability. Just think about how different guys such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant are for a second. LeBron is most likely one of the five or ten fastest players in the league, and I firmly believe he is more than 270 pounds (I hope Quim and I aren’t the only people who have heated discussions about Lebron’s weight).  Kevin Durant on the other hand has one of the silkiest jumpers at any position, and I firmly believe he is 7 feet, but also still has the ability to stay with the much smaller guys on defense.  Looking at each of these positions has continued to astound me at how far the NBA has come in the last decade.  People like Darius Miles and Latrell Sprewell would have been in the top 10 about ten years ago, that’s funny to me.  Anyways, you should know who is number one here…

1. LeBron James – For someone his size to have his athletic ability is simply incredible, but I’m assuming everybody knows that LeBron is a freak.  But like I said before, and even going back to Dwyane Wade’s summary, something has clicked for LeBron and he is now rivaling Dwight Howard for best field goal percentage in the league. The last time a player was top 3 in scoring, shooting .520 or better (LeBron is at .546), was Shaq in 2001-02 at .579.  Unfortunately ESPN doesn’t go back further, but LeBron was the only non-post player do so in 1999-2000.
   He is also only taking two three’s per game, down from four on his career, and he is shooting .405 on them, compared to .331 for his career.  LeBron is also, hands down, the best off-ball defender in the league because of his ability to read and jump passing lanes.  Now, the elephant in the room is what happens in the fourth quarter and/or the playoffs.  Those of us in Detroit remember when he did this, which happened to meet both of those qualifications. I don’t really know how else to say this, but the “lack of clutchness” hype is severely overblown.  I’m not going to say he hasn’t struggled, but he certainly has the capability and has shown that capability to dominate games early and late.
   

   LeBron James's hurdling alley-oop over John Lucas III from the Jan. 29 Bulls v. Heat game.

2. Kevin Durant – A legit 7-footer who can shoot the three, get to the basket effortlessly and finish with extreme efficiency, has a diverse mid-range game, and gives a crap on defense.  Sounds like someone I’d like on my team.  I forgot to mention that he’s only 23 and has two scoring titles to his credit.  There is no question in my mind that LeBron James is the better player, but if you ask me who I could start a team with and have as my centerpiece for the next five years (both still conceivably in their primes) I would definitely have to think about Kevin Durant before picking LeBron.
3. Rudy Gay – If you’re wondering why Rudy is higher than Carmelo, part of it is because I hate Carmelo’s game, and the other reason is Rudy is leading Melo in FG%, 3P%, rebounds, steals, blocks and has fewer turnovers while only scoring 2.3 less points per game.  He is also leading a 24-17 team whose best player has only played 4 games.  More on Melo in a second.
4. Carmelo Anthony – I was considering even bumping him down another spot.  For “the League’s best pure scorer,” as some like to refer to him, he has a lot of trouble putting the ball in the basket.  December, in which he only played four games, is the only month in which he shot over .400 from the field.  His field goal percentage puts him at second to last among qualified players.  If he isn’t getting it done on the offensive end, what does Carmelo give you?  He is a ball stopper on the wrong end of the floor (offense), gives you next to nothing on the defensive end, more so because of lack of effort it seems. And he is one of the most shockingly un-athletic guys in the NBA. I think it needs to be mentioned that he cannot jump — he struggles mightily with dunking while already underneath the basket.
5. Andre Iguodala – Pretty much the anti-Carmelo.  Understands that he’s not capable of being a 20+ points per game scorer, finally.  He has decreased his field goal attempts, became more efficient in doing so, and every other area benefitted.  I would love to see him on a team like Chicago where he wouldn’t have to score a bunch, just be athletic and a machine on defense.
6. Luol Deng– Deng fits into Chicago perfectly, he can shoot an open three very well, he is a stopper on defense, and he doesn’t say anything.
   

   Yep, he's tubby.

7. Paul Pierce – It seems as though the lockout aged Pierce a year or two.  He has completely lacked explosion and has struggled shooting the ball.
8. Nicolas Batum – I may be in the minority here, but from watching OKC every night, I have seen Batum play some of the best defense of anybody against Durant and also surprising offensive output and the last time the two played Batum went for 15 in the first quarter.  I feel like he could take a team like Orlando or the Clippers from good, fun team to watch to a legitimate contender.

Scorers

1. Kevin Durant
2. LeBron James
3. Carmelo Anthony
4. Rudy Gay
5. Paul Pierce

Defenders

1. Nicolas Batum
2. LeBron James
3. James Johnson
4. Luol Deng
5. Andre Iguodala

Athlete

1. LeBron James
2. Gerald Green – I normally put players that are at least decent in here, but c’mon.  If you haven’t already, look at the Houston bench’s reaction in the linked video.
3. Andre Iguodala
4. Corey Brewer
5. Rudy Gay