Erick Blasco's Top 30 NBA Small Forwards

The small forward position is the most diverse position in the NBA, mainly because the job descriptions of small forwards vary with each of the NBA’s 30 franchises.

Rashard Lewis is asked to put up points from the outside, Corey Maggette does the brunt of his work inside, while Luol Deng is a mid-range maestro. Ron Artest and Paul Pierce are ferocious two-way players who dominate both ends of the court, while Kevin Durant specializes in offense and Tayshaun Prince’s priority is defense.

Hedo Turkoglu does his best work with the ball in his hands, Matt Harpring is at his best with the ball not in his hands, and Trevor Ariza is adept at causing the ball to change hands.

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 Andris Biedrins, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, and Beno Udrih are your teammates, who would you want as your small forward?

Due to the way some NBA lineups are presently constructed, a handful of potential small forwards will be asked to play different positions this year. For that reason, Boris Diaw is listed as a power forward, while Shane Battier, Andre Iguodala, Josh Howard, and Stephen Jackson are considered shooting guards.

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.

With the formalities over and done with, the list:

1) LeBron James—Cleveland Cavaliers

An awesome combination of speed and power, LeBron is a force unlike any other in NBA history. Sure, other great wings have shared his phenomenal  athleticism, but Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Julius Irving, and Kobe Bryant can’t simply run through people, and Karl Malone can’t run and jump the way LeBron can.

What’s more, James has taken it upon himself to work on his defensive game, which is leaps and bounds better than it was at this point two years ago. He’s an unselfish star, an almost unstoppable force, and has the potential to rewrite the NBA history books before his career is over.

The frightening part is that James can still improve so much.

His post skills are shockingly rudimentary for a player with his size and strength. James also tends to massage the ball too long in pressure situations, his jump shot is streaky, and he has almost no mid-range game to speak of.

Plus, while James’ defense is very good, he still tends to play too off-balanced where quick players can attack his first step or change direction on him far too easily. This, among other reasons, is why Rafer Alston scored with so much ease during the Eastern Conference Finals, and why conversations imploring James as the best defender in the NBA are totally bogus.

Still, considering James’ defensive improvement the past two years, it’s fair to expect similar strides to be made this year. He’s already easily the best small forward in the game. If he continues to add to his repertoire, he might become one of the best players of all-time.

2) Paul Pierce—Boston Celtics

There are a couple of reasons why Pierce takes the two spot away from Carmelo Anthony. One, while Anthony is certainly clutch, he has an alarming habit of disappearing against good teams in the postseason, as he did over the final five games in Denver’s series against the Lakers. Contrast this with Pierce who steps his game up in the playoffs.

Secondly, while Pierce and Anthony are both adept at being their teams’ top scorers and top playmakers, Pierce doubles as Boston’s perimeter defensive stopper while Anthony’s defense isn’t up to par. If Carmelo’s the better raw scorer, Pierce is more reliable in huge games.

3) Carmelo Anthony—Denver Nuggets

Anthony is right on the cusp of greatness. His ability to put the ball in the basket is phenomenal, he’s reliable late in games, and his shot selection is worlds better since Chauncey Billups arrived in Denver. If only he’d stop checking himself out of contests when a defense prevents him from simply showing up and dominating. The ability to transcend great opposing defensive gameplans is what’s holding him down from being an MVP-caliber superstar.

4) Ron Artest—Los Angeles Lakers

Rough and rugged, Artest is a monster near the basket since he’s simply too strong for most opposing wings to handle. He can also knock down standstill threes, occasionally can create offense off the dribble, and is one of the three best perimeter defenders in the game.

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