There are lots of dominant small forwards in the NBA. Some of them are superstars in their respective teams; some of them are future Hall-of-Famers, while others are emerging stars. But who ranks at the No.1 of the list and who follows? In this article we will try to rank the best small forwards in the NBA, based on their up to now performance for their career, their performance during the 2012-2013 campaign and their potential.
No.1 LeBron James
The King is not just the best small forward in the league. He is also the best basketball player currently active in the world and he will go down in history as one of the best players to ever pass from the courts of the NBA. He simply can do everything with perfection. He can score, pass, rebound, play defense against any position and be a coach on the floor. James is simply dominant and he puts up an amazing performance every night for the Miami Heat, he makes it look like a routine.
No.2 Kevin Durant
The 25-year old Kevin Durant follows the list of the best small forwards in the league but he is also the second best player in the NBA. The gap between Durant and LeBron James is thin and KD is constantly improving his performance. He finished the 2012-2013 season averaging 28.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game to record the best season of his career. He has yet to find the team success that will put him at the top of the world.
No.3 Carmelo Anthony
Antony is a deadly shooter and scorer. He has developed one of the best jump shots in the league since the time he stepped foot in the NBA. He can score almost at will, even off balance or when with tight defense right on his chest. He finished the previous season with 28.7 points per contest, 6.9 rebounds while shooting 40.6 percent from the field. Of course, Melo has some aspects of his game that are considered as weaknesses, like his non-aggressiveness on defense and the fact that he is doesn’t pass the ball very often. However, he is still one of the most dominant players in the league.
No.4 Andre Iguodala
Iggy doesn’t shine with the numbers he puts up every night. He finished the 2012-2013 season averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He also had 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks. It’s his power, his energy and his lock-down defense that place him in the top spots of our list. He can effectively contain almost any opposing defender and he is most usually assigned with the task of defending opposing superstars, like LeBron James, Durant or Melo. Iguodala can also be a big factor on offense, when he gets at rhythm. Although he is not the best shooter, his jumper will fall and he is also surging when he drives the lanes.
Ron Leyba is the content manager of Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues – premier source of fantasy basketball updates, rankings and rumors. His latest blog post discusses the fantasy basketball sleepers of 2014. He also posted about the best shooting guards and best point guards in the NBA here at TheSportsBank.Net.