Erick Blasco's Top 30 Small Forwards

9. Andre Iguodala—Philadelphia 76ers

A physical defender and athletic specimen, Iguodala excels when he can get up high in the open court. In the half court, Iguodala isn’t explosive enough to beat premier defenders, and his subpar jumper allows defenses to sag off of him and take away his drives. His place on the list will improve as his jumper improves.

10. Richard Jefferson—Milwaukee Bucks

Jefferson can score, pass, and rebound, though the more he concentrates on his offense, the worse and worse his defense becomes. He’s also injury prone, and when he is concentrating on his offense, he hasn’t been able to carry the Nets to victories.

11. Corey Maggette—Golden State Warriors

A powerful baseline scorer and rebounder, Maggette’s defense waned the past few seasons as he became more and more discontent with his status on the Clippers. Maggette ranks below Jefferson because his range, jump shooting, and passing skills are all subpar compared to Jefferson’s.

12. Lamar Odom—Los Angeles Lakers

Odom’s length and athleticism give him the ability to take over games on both ends of the court. However, he’s physically soft and he has problems focusing on the basketball court. This means that he isn’t adept at paying attention to detail, and if he isn’t force fed action he tends to drift during the course of a game.

13. Gerald Wallace—Charlotte Bobcats

One of the most athletic players in the NBA, Wallace’s long wingspan, first step, and tremendous leaping ability allow him to be one of the game’s premier turnover forcer and finishers on the break. His lack of a consistent jump shot keeps his half court offense in check, and he isn’t the most physical of defenders.

Either way, he’s Charlotte’s best two-way player and their future.

14. Tayshaun Prince—Detroit Pistons

Long-limbed and rangy, Prince can swallow up perimeter attackers by swallowing them in his wingspan. However, Prince has problems guarding versatile physical players who can go through Prince as well as around him.

On offense, Prince has a very reliable jumper, a respectable post game, and a mid-range game to boot. He can also pass the ball and is a very good decision maker. His lack of strength separates him from other elite defenders, but his versatile offensive game places him above other stoppers like James Posey and Andrei Kirilenko.

15. James Posey—New Orleans Hornets

Strong, tough, physical, accurate from deep, clutch—all winning qualities that endear Posey to any coach and team. However, Posey has a habit of being lazy after successful seasons, and his defensive first step isn’t as quick as the media sometimes makes it out to be.

In fact, he was the third best Kobe defender in last season’s NBA Finals behind Ray Allen and then Paul Pierce; Kobe often got past Posey with his first step before the second wave of defenders rotated over.

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