Erick Blasco's Top 30 NBA Power Forwards

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While the plurality of NBA centers are brutish behemoths, power forwards are the most versatile specimens the NBA displays, with some exhibiting a leopard’s athleticism, others possessing a dancer‘s footwork on a steel frame, and still more demonstrating an uncanny combination of outside shooting, post moves, and rebounding prowess.

This list does not take into account a player’s future prospects or past salad days. The criteria is simple: Which NBA center would be best suited to winning a championship with a random collection of starting-level talent. For example, if Andrew Bynum, Al Thornton, Joe Johnson, and Beno Udrih are your teammates, who would you want as your power forward?

Due to the way some NBA lineups are presently constructed, a handful of potential power forwards will be asked to play different positions this year. For that reason, David Lee, Al Jefferson, Andrea Bargnani, and Al Horford are listed as centers, as they will likely play the center position for their teams this season.

No rookies made the list, as neither you nor I have seen them play in meaningful games against meaningful competition to know where they should be ranked.

Introduction aside, the list:

1) Kevin Garnett—Boston Celtics

Since Tim Duncan is listed as a center, Kevin Garnett assumes Duncan’s vacated hole as the best power forward in the game.

In truth, Garnett doesn’t have the chops to be a team’s franchise player as his failings in the clutch are too innumerable to count. As a support player, he’s one of the best ever.

Few players over the course of history have the defensive range and energy of Garnett. Not only can his length swallow up opposing post players, but he’s an astute help defender, and his incredible quickness allows him to hang stride for stride with guards and wings on the perimeter.

Garnett uses his remarkable wingspan to be a rebounding force. He also gets real wide on screens, though referees usually let him move through the screen. He’s a very accurate jump shooter, and his height and soft touch allows him to be a capable finisher around the basket.

As evidenced by Boston’s play with and without Garnett, he’s the player that sets their entire defense in motion, even if Paul Pierce is the team’s offensive playmaker, and individual defensive stopper.

2) Pau Gasol—Los Angeles Lakers

Gasol and the Lakers have formed a perfect marriage as Gasol’s skillset and the triangle offense are perfectly suited for each other.

Gasol is an incredibly clever offensive player, with a myriad of tricks to punish opposing defenses. He has terrific handles which allows him to be a force from the high post where he can shoot, pass, or face-and-go. Plus, his advanced footwork allows him to execute tricky spin moves and be perfectly balanced.

He’s a fantastic passer and lengthy rebounder who also understands the nuances of moving without the ball and what his teammates are doing at all times.

And if Gasol isn’t a rough-and-tumble gladiator, he’s evolved into a player who can handle physicality and not be thrown off his game. How many times have we seen Gasol get clobbered by a defender, only to complete a three-point play because he holds the ball high and won’t be distracted by contact?

Defensively, Gasol isn’t a stalwart, but his length and quickness make him a deterrent against any comer. He’s almost never out of position, is an aware helper, and can hedge screens. Gasol’s improved his defense considerably since joining the Lakers, key reasons for their back-to-back Finals appearances and, 2009 championship.

3) Dirk Nowitzki—Dallas Mavericks

The best of an underwhelming crop of flawed stars, Dirk gets a slight nod over other power forwards, less for what he is—a jump shooter who fires too many blanks in crucial moments—than what other power forwards aren’t.

True, Dirk is one of the best shooters in the game, regardless of size. He’s also an adequate rebounder and passer. However, Nowitzki’s defense is terrible, and his post up game is subpar, relying almost exclusively on fadeaway jump shots. Quick defenders who can pressure Dirk’s jumpers and force him to make decisions going to the basket take him out of his rhythm and out of the game. Plus he plays passively in second halves against good teams, meaning the Mavericks are always ripe for disappointment.

Dirk’s very good, but not as good as Mavericks’ fans need him to be.

4) David West—New Orleans Hornets

West can do nearly everything, but he didn’t do it nearly enough last season. He wasn’t nearly enough of a factor in the post, relying too much on his perimeter game despite the Hornets needing easy buckets to complement Chris Paul.

West struggled reacting to double teams, and worst of all, had too many games where he came out early with little to no energy as the Hornets stumbled into embarrassing early deficits. The lack of energy can be seen in his rebound and block totals which dipped last season. With Tyson Chandler missing so much time with injuries, New Orleans really needed West to deliver more than he produced last season.

Why is West so high on the list then? Because he’s versatile enough to knock down jumpers consistently, drive to the basket with force, and post for profit. Because he’s a solid defender across the board. Because he’s not defenseless, a creampuff, or selfish like the players below him.

5) Carlos Boozer—Utah Jazz

Boozer is a bear of an offensive player. He’s a rugged finisher when he can take his left hand from the elbow to the basket, or when he’s slipping or rolling screens. He’s grizzly around the basket, sets ferocious picks, and also has a soft touch from the perimeter.

However, except when he’s marking the backboards as his own personal territory, Boozer is in a permanent state of hibernation defensively. He doesn’t have the athleticism or the desire to be even a bad help defender, and unless he’s giving his opponent a solid shove in the post, is routinely outmatched. Whatever Boozer provides offensively is taken away defensively.

6) Chris Bosh—Toronto Raptors

Bosh is all finesse, no power. He’s a terrific elbow jump shooter, who loves to drive left along the baseline and use his tremendous quickness to blow by slower defenders. Too bad defenders who are quick enough to cut off Bosh’s drives, or are strong enough to rough him up when he drives to the basket render Bosh a non-factor.

Defensively, Bosh has poor anticipation, and is frequently outmuscled around the basket. He’s an average star; no wonder the Raptors are only an average team.

7) Elton Brand—Philadelphia 76ers

In his heyday, Brand could score on the box, knock down jump shots, rebound, pass out of doubles, and defend, all of which he did exceptionally well. At age 30, and coming off of a torn Achilles and a dislocated shoulder, it’s hard to know what Brand can and can’t do.

Even anticipating a mild deterioration in athleticism, Brand is still too wise and talented to not be a force, but he probably won’t be the elite two-way player he was with the Clippers.

8) Lamar Odom—Los Angeles Lakers

A Swiss-army knife on stilts, there’s virtually nothing Odom can’t do. Slash to the basket? Check. Finish? Check. Handle? Pass? Check. Check. Defend, rebound and shoot? Check, check, and check.

Odom’s only real drawback is that he’s always had focus issues and can spend minutes on a court with little impact. He’s also not a terrific shooter, and can be roughed up by the league’s biggest bullies. But Odom is a multi-pronged weapon instrumental to the Lakers’ success.

9) LaMarcus Aldridge—Portland Trail Blazers

Still a touch too finesse, Aldridge is a young star with a tantalizing future. He’s as good a 20-foot jump shooter as any power forward in the league not named Dirk. He’s very athletic in the post, plays well without the ball, and is a quick-footed defender who can hang with speedy four-men on the perimeter.

If he develops more power to his game, he’ll be a top-tier force in the league.

10) Antawn Jamison—Washington Wizards

Quick and clever, Jamison is more of an oversized small forward than a power forward. He’s a willing rebounder, and a skilled perimeter player with crafty moves around the basket.

Conversely, Jamison doesn’t create enough easy points in the paint because of his finesse nature and is one of the worst defensive forwards in the game.

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