Who are the five best small forwards in the NBA?
There has been an influx of strong play from NBA small forwards this season, but who are the five brightest talents that stand out above the rest?
Every season, one of the most interesting debates that permeates the NBA world lies in ranking the league’s best players at every position.
Small forwards have taken the association by storm in 2023-24, playing defense against multiple positions and making plays for their teammates at noteworthy rates.
For the better part of the last 20 years, LeBron James has been a virtual lock to crack every top five. Does he do so this time around in his age 39 season? Who outshines their peers? Here are the five best small forwards in the NBA right now. But first, props go out to a couple standout performers that got edged out.
Honorable Mentions
While the Orlando Magic play a flexible frontcourt lineup, Paolo Banchero has been officially listed at power forward opposed to his natural small forward allotment. Had the position-less nature of head coach Jamal Mosley’s scheme and the style of play Banchero employs taken precedence, he’d have been in the top five with ease. He, along with Mikal Bridges are the the best that didn’t make the cut.
5. Scottie Barnes
Scottie Barnes is top five? Absolutely. Prior to the Toronto Raptors trading Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, Barnes was owning his role as starting small forward. He gave Raptors head coach every reason to clap back at the league for not giving his budding star more calls, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
Barnes is perched atop the positional leaderboard with 20 double-doubles and three triple doubles. He finds ways to contribute in many areas with a nonpareil athleticism to complement his game. Barnes does not have the wins to show for in the standings, but the young talent is good enough to be named, especially as Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George, who have been considered small forwards at points in their career, man the four in their respective lineups this year.
4. Jimmy Butler
Players like Mikal Bridges and DeMar DeRozan may have a short leg up on Jimmy Butler in the scoring department, but the reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP cannot be ignored for what he’s doing this year.
For a Heat team that’s a hop skip and a jump away from the No. 4 seed out East, Butler’s value shows up beyond the stat sheet. Aside from flirting with a career high in shooting from the floor and delivering on over 40 percent of his looks from deep this year, the latter of which sounded like a long shot up until now, Butler impacts the game on the glass and gives Miami invaluable second-chance points. When it’s go time, Butler rises to the occasion and rarely fails to get the win and the psychological advantage over his man. Tom Hollinger also assessed Butler with the second-best PER (22.42) at the three man, only trailing Leonard.
3. Kawhi Leonard
The Los Angeles Clippers can salute Kawhi Leonard for their winning ways as the West’s third seed at 35-17.
Individually is where Leonard shines. The former two-time Defensive Player of the Year has been absolutely money from beyond the arc, sporting a 45.3 percent three-point clip that looks like a respectable field goal percentage from most starters in the league. On the other side of the ball, he owns the No. 24 ranked defensive rating in the association and second among fellow small forwards at 112.2. Leonard would be the top dog, but his diminished scoring output in comparison to previous years holds him back a touch.
2. LeBron James
Just because James is getting up there in age does not mean he’s lost a step. Like nothing the NBA has seen before, James is still producing at an All-NBA level. His counting stats are played out at this point. We know what he’s good for because it hasn’t changed. What stands out is his 7.6 fourth quarter points per game, which rank No. 2 among all small forwards.
The Lakers’ 29-26 record as the No. 9 seed in the West docks James from the top spot, but he’s still in the mix to reclaim it should he lead a major second-half surge after the All-Star break.
1. Jayson Tatum
Tatum stands on an island by himself. The Boston Celtics All-Star leads the best team in the East at 42-12. He outpaces all small forwards with 27.3 points per game while drilling the second-most three pointers among his peers, good for 3.1 nightly makes.
When it matters most, Tatum has improved his play late in games from a qualitative standpoint and one would have to search far and wide for a more unguardable move at the three than Tatum’s sidestep jay. Case rested.
