After the point guard and shooting guard list, we move on to the list of STARTING small forwards ranked #30-1 30. Hollis Thompson- 76ers.If you read this and thought to yourself, Who? then youre in the majority. After the Evan Turner trade, Thompson was the starting SF for the 76ers, and like the 76ers as whole, he underwhelmed. While he shot over 40% in both FG% and 3pt%, he still barely scraped up 6 points a game on a team that was clearly tanking and doesnt look at all ready to be a real NBA starter. Back to the bench for now, Thompson 29. Richard Jefferson- Jazz. Youve heard of Richard Jefferson. At one point in his career he was an all-star, averaging 19+ a game with skilled shooting and the athleticism to take it to the rim. Then he was traded to San Antonio and his star faded quickly (which is the only time someone has gotten worse when they played for SA). His athleticism disappeared, and his shot became streaky. After bouncing from SA to GSW, he landed on the Jazz, and couldnt put consistent performances together. What a star he used to be. 28. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist- Hornets. Michael Jordan is a much better player than he is an owner. After drafting bust after bust in Kwame Brown, Adam Morrison and (to a lesser extent) Bismack Biyombo, he started to right the ship by grabbing Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson. Then he selected MKG 3rd overall. MKG can rebound with the best of them, and his defense is pretty solid, he has no offense outside of open dunks. Shooting 11% from deep is atrocious and while the jury is still out on whether hes a bust or not, his best asset is the energy he brings to the floor. When youre drafted 3rd overall, your best asset shouldnt be your energy. 27. Matt Barnes- Clippers. Barnes has proved to be very hit and miss. On one team he looks like he doesnt belong in the NBA, on another hes as solid as they come. With the Clippers, hes proved to be the latter. He hustles and brings energy to the floor, but his offense can get a bit streaky, and he wont hesitate to get physical and get a technical or two. Hes best suited as being a backup. 26. DeMarre Carroll- Hawks. Defensively, Carroll is a bulldog, getting after the ball handler as much as he can. He scores most of his points of easy buckets and open looks, because hes not a guy who can really create his own shot. Even then, I cant put Carroll higher because as much as much as he gets after the ball handler, hes still only an above average defender. 25. Wesley Johnson- Lakers. The little bit of good to come out of the Lakers disastrous season was to see some unknown players get a chance to shine. Wesley Johnson was one of those, and while he didnt knock anyones socks off, he proved he can play. His shooting numbers are modest and he doesnt have the best percentages, but theyre still respectable. He also isnt the worst defender, averaging 1 block and 1 steal a game, though he isnt the best either. Still, what weighs him down is how much of a head case he is. 24. Ersan Ilyasova- Bucks. Ilyasova used to be regarded as someone the Bucks might be able to build around, but since then its gone downhill. Hes had locker room issues (or caused them), and in return his play had suffered. A guy who used to be regarded as a marksman from deep saw his 3-point shot go from 44% to a more-than-sub-par 28%. His other strength, rebounding, also dropped from an impressive 9.6 a game to 6.2. He might need a change of scenery to bring his game back up, but right now his star seems to be fading before it ever truly shined. 23. Corey Brewer- Timberwolves. Brewers strength has never been about scoring the ball. Hes always been about defense and thats been what the Timberwolves have needed. Despite his lack of scoring ability, he did have an anomaly of a game when he erupted for 51 points against the Rockets. Still, defense is his calling, and he plays like it. 22. Mo Harkless- Magic. While the Orlando Magic struggle in the post-Dwight era, theyve collected a lot of young talent. Enter in Harkless, who looks like he can be a very solid starter for years to come. Hes athletic, a decent perimeter defender, and he hits the deep ball. However, he has his faults. Like all young talent, he tends to disappear for stretches of time, whether its for a quarter or for a couple games. He also has the free throw percentage of a center, shooting an ugly 59.4%. There will a time when Harkless is an upper-echelon SF, but he still needs to grow as a player. 21.Shawn Marion- Mavericks. Marion is certainly not the player he used to be in the mid-200s when he could jump out of the roof. Still, even as his athleticism has declined, hes used his skill set to stay productive. His versatility to play the 3 and the 4 as well as guard both positions has kept his career going. Even as his career winds down, Marion as is serviceable as they come. 20. Mike Dunleavy- Bulls. Like Kyle Korver of the Hawks, Dunleavy does one thing and he does it very well; shoot the 3 ball. And like Korver, thats about as good as he gets. Hes not the best defender, but hell occasionally hold his own, and he cant create his own shot. At 33, hes hit his ceiling, but lets not be too critical. Hes smart and a very good role player and can fit into any system, and thats gotta count for something. 19. Al-Farouq Aminu- Pelicans. Aminu would be higher on this list if he learned how to play consistently. He shoots a good 44% from the field at home, and on the road it actually increases to a whopping 51%. However his 3pt% drops from a sub-par 30% at home to a truly atrocious 24% on the road. The same goes for his free throw shooting, going from a not-so-great 70% at home to a Dwight Howard/Deandre Jordan-esque 61%. Hes a solid defender and at age 23 thats pretty rare. Aminu will probably never a good or even decent scorer, but he has the potential to be a premier perimeter defender in this league, and that can get you places. 18. Danilo Gallinari- Nuggets. Ty Lawson is the only Nugget that will perform consistently on a nightly basis. Gallinari is as streaky as a bad window washer, and it shows in his shooting percentages. While he does average 16 a game, hes only shooting 41% from the field, and his 37% from deep is respectable but not great. His defense is sub-par, and despite him being 610, he can get backed down by smaller players in the post. Gallos scoring numbers look attractive, but sometimes numbers do lie. 17. Tayshaun Prince- Grizzlies. I was shocked to find that Prince only averages 6 points a game, but then it dawned on me that the Grizzlies as a whole dont score a lot. Still, Prince is a guy who will make an impact on the floor without scoring. Setting screens, moving without the ball, and of course playing defense, he does everything except score. His shot? 40%. From deep? 29%. From the line? 56%. Scoring has never been his forte, and while offense isnt the only thing in basketball, its still important and he doesnt do it very efficiently. 16. Luol Deng- Cavaliers. When Deng was traded to the Cavs, his game suffered. Still he was the best defender on the Cavs outside of maybe Varejao. Never a huge threat from outside, Deng, gets to the rim by using his big frame to get by smaller defenders. Still, he only shot 43% from the field. Going to Miami to fill up the void that Lebron left, he looks to bounce back, but those are some big shoes to fill in South Beach. 15. PJ Tucker- Suns. Jeff Hornacek pulled a Gregg Popovich with this one. PJ Tucker is a new name in the NBA, but he was actually drated by the Raptors 35th overall way back in 2006. After playing a total of 83 minutes his rookie season, he was cut and played overseas until the 2012-2013 season, when the Suns signed him and started him. Now at the ripe young age of 29, hes entering his 4th NBA season and has become a key player with the Suns, usually relied on to make a defensive impact. Tucker might just have a long NBA career yet. 14. Trevor Ariza- Wizards. Ariza revived his NBA career while with the Washington Wizards. After bouncing around from team to team throughout his career and struggling with his 3-point shooting, he hit a career high 40% from deep and blossomed into a really good spot up shooter as well as a good perimeter defender. Now with the Rockets, he looks to be a perfect fit in replacing Chandler Parsons as someone to take the load off all-stars James Harden and Dwight Howard. 13. Terrence Ross- Raptors. Ross, along with the Toronto Raptors as whole, showed the rest of the NBA that he could play. After the trade that sent Rudy Gay to Sacramento, Ross stepped up and shined. With highlight reel dunk after highlight reel dunk, Ross put on a show and gave defender headaches when he showed the touch from beyond the arc (39%). Theres still questions with his defense and consistency, but he looks to answer those very soon. 12. Jeff Green- Celtics. Sorry to any Celtics fans, but Green is not going to be the next cornerstone for the Celtics. He is however, a very good player that can be a great secondary option. With the departure of KG, Pierce, Jason Terry, and the injury to Rajon Rondo, Green was forced to become the number 1 for Boston, and he didnt exactly deliver. While he did average a career-high 16.9 points per game, his FG% dropped from 46% to 41%, and his 3pt% went from 38% to 34%. Green is a great second option, but a sub-par number one. 11. Josh Smith- Pistons. Josh Smith switched to SF this past season, and he just looked uncomfortable. He became too much of a jump shooter instead of using his big frame to post up defender or take it to the rim. However, lets not bash him too much. When he has his head in the game, hes a great defender with the quickness to guard the perimeter and the size to guard the paint. Its clear that he should switch back to being a PF, but even when hes playing out of position he makes an impact. 10. Rudy Gay- Kings. Gay has always been the epitome of good, but not great. Hes a good scorer, defender, rebounder, and passer, but great at none. The biggest knock on him is his shot selection as well as how many shots he takes, as he averaged 16.2 shots per game this past season. Still, hes as well-rounded as they come. 9. Nicolas Batum- Trailblazers. As the Trailblazers become a legit playoff contender, Nicolas Batum is finally getting noticed. Batum is a guy that can do a little bit of everyone; shoot, drive, rebound, defend, and pass. His biggest flaw is his frame, which is a good 68, but he only weighs 200 pounds which makes it harder to finish through traffic. If he can bulk up a little more, he can really vault himself into a top tier SF. 8. Joe Johnson- Nets. If Johnson is one thing, hes entertaining. Crossover, fadeaway 3s, circus layups, and from time to time a thunderous dunk, he can do it all offensively. Its defensively that hes never been the greatest at. He tends to take plays off on defense, and simply not try overall. Still, hes a game changer with his clutch play, and comes through when it matters most. 7. Andre Iguodala- Warriors. Iggy makes it this high up on this list despite his mediocre number because of his defense and hustle. He locks his man down and when relied upon on offense (even though hes the 4th option behind Curry, Thompson, and David Lee) he can still deliver. An underrated passer as well, Iggy has all the intangibles, but its his defense that gets him this high. 6. Chandler Parsons- Rockets. Parsons was a great steal in the 2011 draft, being selected 38th overall. Parsons has proven to be a very solid scorer as well as a very solid defender. He blossomed into being a reliable 3rd scorer in Houston behind Harden and Howard, and now that hes with Dallas, hell have a bigger role as the 2nd option behind Dirk Nowitzki. With him still on his rookie deal, he has a lot of room to grow into being a perennial all-star. 5. Paul George- Pacers. After having a fantastic 7-game series against Miami in 2013, Paul George was vaulted into being a top tier player. As the 2014 season started, he seemed to live up to the hype, but as the season continued to go on he started to struggle, and the Pacers as a whole fell apart after the all star break. Before the all star break, he shot 43% from the field, and 37% from deep, but after the festivities ended he was shooting a disappointing 39% from the field and his shot from deep dropped to 35%. George is still a great defender, especially in man defense, but he needs to work on his consistency. 4. Carmelo Anthony- Knicks. We all know about Melos biggest flaw; his defense. Simply put, its non existent. He tends to shoot the ball no matter what, whether hes 18-25 or 3-17. He is also a guy who can be the saving grace for the Knicks. He has so much versatility in his offense, whether hes pulling up for a 3, posting up in the paint, or driving into the lane for a beautiful finger roll. He also can put in work on the boards, averaging 8.1 a game. If Melo ever decided to play defense, hed be in the contest for best player in the game. 3. Kawhi Leonard- Spurs. This is a typical problem for anyone who plays for San Antonio; his averages dont add up to where hes ranked. Leonard, who averages almost 13 points a game, is ranked higher than big names like George and Melo, both who averaged over 20 points a game? Yes, and thats because of a couple things. He can score, he;s just not relied upon and has bought into the Spurs mindset of only shoot if you have the best shot. And it shows, as he shot an amazing 52% from the field, and 38% from deep. He has the athleticism to rise up and finish over anyone (ask Serge Ibaka and Chris Andersen). Hes become one of the best defenders in the NBA, and probably the best help defender. Leonard is the next in line as the face of the Spurs, and hes the first Finals MVP since 2011 not named Lebron James or Dirk Nowitzki. 2. Kevin Durant- Thunder. If Steph Curry is the best shooter in the NBA, Kevin Durant is. What separates Durant from other shooters is his ability to create space. And not only create space, but his ability to shoot off-balance and hit some impossible shots you cant do in 2K. His defense is good, but it could be better, and he really needs to bulk up (I mean, Chris Paul was guarding him in the post, and holding his own, too). Durant is the type of player who can simply will his team into the playoffs, and theres not many players who can claim to do that. KD is the reigning MVP, and deservedly so. 1. LeBron James- Heat. Did you really expect anyone else? James is the best player on the planet, and hes head and shoulders over 2nd best (who is KD, by the way). What makes him the best player in the game is the fact that he can score at will and simply posterize anyone in his path, yet hes a pass-first player. He looks for the best shot possible, even if its not his. He can guard any position on the floor and so it effectively, as well as play positions 1-4. After leading Miami to two straight titles and four straight Finals appearances, he looks to bring a title home to Cleveland in the near future, and theres no big reason as to why he wont accomplish it. -RT
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 01:53:14 +0000
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