With the 2018-19 NBA season still a ways off, it’s time to rank all 30 projected starting small forwards in the league for the upcoming campaign.
The 2018-19 NBA season still feels so far away. With free agency all but over and training camp still weeks away, August is usually when the dog days of the NBA summer are out in full force.
In order to pass the time, why not rank every projected starter by position for all 30 teams?
Earlier this week, we ranked all 30 projected starters for both the point guard and shooting guard positions, which means today we’ll be covering the small forwards. As the league continues to dive deeper into small-ball lineups, there will be quite a few players making the list who traditionally would’ve been 2-guards, as well as a few notable names that are missing after being moved to the power forward rankings as small-ball 4s.
The question is, what goes into these rankings? While there’s no set algorithm or advanced statistic determining these evaluations for the upcoming season, there are a number of factors being taken into account.
These include a player’s stats from last year, team impact, defense, fit with his current team, propensity for injury, opportunity, projected team success and a myriad of other factors. These aren’t based on fantasy projections or contract value; they’re just simply good, old-fashioned rankings determined solely by a player’s expected on-court value for the upcoming campaign.
While official depth charts haven’t been laid out just yet, these are the 30 players we’re expecting to spend the majority of the upcoming season at the starting small forward position for their respective teams. Without further ado, let’s rank all 30 projected starting small forwards for the 2018-19 NBA season.
30. Justin Jackson, Sacramento Kings
Justin Jackson didn’t have a bad rookie season, but he certainly wasn’t good for one of the NBA’s worst teams either. At this point, he wouldn’t be a starting-caliber player for even a semi-respectable team, but thanks to the lack of wing depth on the Sacramento Kings, he’ll probably be the de facto starter again in 2017-18.
Last year, Jackson averaged 6.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game on 44.2 percent shooting from the field and 30.8 percent shooting from 3-point range — understandably mediocre numbers for a rookie being eased into the action, but certainly not encouraging for someone who started in 41 of his 68 games.
On the bright side, Jackson had a very strong NBA Summer League, posting 19.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in Las Vegas. Now he’ll just need to prove he can enjoy even half that kind of success against real NBA competition, because if he can’t, the Kings might want to consider trying Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic together on the wings instead.
29. Solomon Hill, New Orleans Pelicans
A fully healthy Solomon Hill could vault a couple spots up this list if he’s able to capably defend the wing and somewhat spread the floor for an up-tempo offense ready to unleash Anthony Davis at the 5 full-time. However, Hill has been entirely disappointing throughout his New Orleans Pelicans tenure.
That disappointment reached new lows in 2017-18, when Hill missed all but 12 games, barely saw the floor in the playoffs and averaged a meager 2.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game on abysmal .268/.190/.500 shooting splits. There’s rust, and then there’s whatever the hell happened to Solomon Hill.
Still, as much as E’Twaun Moore was efficient enough last year as the team’s starting 3, he’s only 6’4″. For this team to reach its fullest potential, it needs Hill’s 6’7″ frame on the wing and Moore coming off the bench, with both spreading the floor and defending the wings. A full-blown bounce-back season seems like a bit much though, especially since “bouncing back” doesn’t mean as much for a guy whose career-high scoring average (8.9 points per game) was back in 2014-15.
28. James Ennis III, Houston Rockets
There’s a possibility the Houston Rockets start Carmelo Anthony here instead, but the worst-kept secret in the NBA last year was the fact that at this stage in his career, Melo is best suited as the designated sixth man on a contender.
For that reason, for the sake of playing Anthony in his more effective position at the 4, and for the sake of Houston’s defense, starting James Ennis at the 3 makes more sense. Ennis probably shouldn’t be the starting wing on a title contender, but desperate times call for desperate measures after both Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute left in free agency.
Ennis should bring defensive energy, and as a career 35.9 percent 3-point shooter, there’s hope he can help spread the floor within Mike D’Antoni‘s offense. However, last year his long range accuracy dipped to 33.3 percent, and his raw numbers — 7.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game — weren’t particularly inspiring.
27. J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers
Entering their second post-LeBron James era, there are no clear-cut answers for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Will J.R. Smith start at the 2, start at the 3 or come off the bench? Will Kyle Korver get the starting nod? Will it not matter when one or both of them are traded? Will Rodney Hood finally be re-signed, and where does he fit in that equation?
Seeing as how we already slotted Rodney Hood in as the starting 2-guard in our shooting guard rankings, we’ll stick with the Pipe here at the 3, since expecting starter’s minutes out of a 37-year-old Korver, who also doubles as the team’s most obvious trade asset, doesn’t make much sense.
In any case, Smith is coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons where he averaged single digits in the scoring column. That could change with more touches to go around, and Smith has remained a respectable 3-point shooter, but as he continues to decline and ride the trade block, it’s hard to put him much higher than this.
26. Maurice Harkless, Portland Trail Blazers
A year ago, Maurice Harkless‘ outlook seemed bright. He was coming off a career year in which he averaged 10.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 28.9 minutes per game, shot 50.3 percent from the floor and 35.1 percent of his triples, and started in 69 of his 77 appearances.
Then, last year happened. Even though his long range efficiency improved to 41.5 percent, his numbers shrank to 6.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game and he only started in 37 of his 59 games. Due to injury and underperformance, Harkless lost head coach Terry Stotts’ faith in him as the team’s starting small forward.
Heading into 2018-19, the 25-year-old wing will be looking to rectify the situation for a Portland Trail Blazers squad that drastically fell short of expectations in the playoffs. He’s got to be a better option than Evan Turner … right?
25. Stanley Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Stanley Johnson is already a great individual defender, but he’s not a transformative one yet, and since he doesn’t really do much else, his starting job with the Detroit Pistons could be threatened by newcomer Glenn Robinson III, a superior 3-point shooter and floor-spacer.
More than likely, Johnson’s defensive prowess and status as a top-10 pick will give him higher priority as the starting small forward, but he’s absolutely got to start showing some signs of potential on the offensive end.
Another year hovering around the 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game on atrocious .375/.286/.772 shooting splits he averaged last year won’t cut it. Incoming head coach Dwane Casey values 3-point shooting, so it’s time for Johnson to start taking steps toward becoming the two-way nightmare he was supposed to be.
24. Marco Belinelli, San Antonio Spurs
Over the last four seasons, Marco Belinelli has started in a grand total of 18 games. He’s only started 218 of a possible 724 games in his entire NBA career. There’s a chance Gregg Popovich goes with Rudy Gay here instead, or he could go with two guards in the backcourt and use DeMar DeRozan as a 3.
However, for the sake of spacing, the San Antonio Spurs almost need Belinelli in the starting lineup. Gay and DeRozan can’t shoot 3s, and neither can the team’s starting point guard, Dejounte Murray. Imagine Patty Mills being the only real 3-point threat in a Murray-Mills-DeRozan-Gay-LaMarcus Aldridge starting lineup (or Murray-Mills-DeRozan-Aldridge-Pau Gasol).
The Spurs were already one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league last year by every measure, so although Belinelli is a poor defender and 32 years old, he’s averaged double figures in limited minutes in each of the last four seasons, shooting 38.5 percent from deep last year on a career-high 5.3 attempts per game. The Spurs need that kind of floor-spacing, so he gets the nod.
23. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Hornets
It’s amazing to realize Michael Kidd-Gilchrist won’t turn 25 until late September, but after six underwhelming years in the league, it’s time for him to start contributing something on the offensive end. MKG is like Stanley Johnson three years from now, only if Johnson resigned himself to defeat from 3-point range and just stopped taking them altogether.
From injuries to fake hype about a reformed jump shot, Kidd-Gilchrist has disappointed as a former No. 2 overall pick, even if he’s a high-caliber, multi-positional defender on that end of the floor. Still, his contract extension is part of the Charlotte Hornets‘ ugly cap situation, and his lack of growth is part of their inability to improve internally.
Ten or twenty years ago, MKG would’ve thrived on gritty defensive teams like the Pistons or Indiana Pacers, but in the modern-day NBA, his skill-set is being phased out. With only one year and a 2019-20 player option remaining, time may be running out for Kidd-Gilchrist to and remove himself from a growing list of names being engraved on the trade block.
22. Jabari Parker, Chicago Bulls
Unpopular opinion alert: Jabari Parker might be better with the Chicago Bulls than expected. Playing him at the 3 rather than as a small-ball 4 is terrible news for the Bulls’ defense but … was anyone other than Wendell Carter Jr. and Kris Dunn really going to play much defense anyway?
No one should be acting like Jabari Parker is the root of Chicago’s inevitable struggles on that end, even if he’ll be one of the most noticeable problems since he’ll be playing out of position. He’s basically Twilight Carmelo Anthony at the 3, only without the proven scoring ability and with two ACL tears weighing him down.
Even so, NBA players typically play better in a setting where they’re happy and comfortable. After the Milwaukee Bucks cut bait, Parker got to return to his hometown of Chicago, filling a need for scoring on the wing that Denzel Valentine was unlikely to fill. Maybe his defense or injuries force him out of the starting five, but we’re clinging to optimism that an efficient, 20-points-per-game scorer is still in there somewhere. Maybe he just needed to go home to draw it out again.
21. Wesley Matthews, Dallas Mavericks
Wesley Matthews is still more than worthy of respect as one of the game’s established 3-and-D wings. He hasn’t been quite the same since his career-altering Achilles injury, but he still posted 12.7 points per game for the Dallas Mavericks last year. He also shot 38.1 percent from 3.
More than likely, Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic will hold things down in the backcourt, and though Dirk Nowitzki could return to his original position at the 4 with DeAndre Jordan holding down the 5, it’s more likely Rick Carlisle continues using Harrison Barnes as a small-ball 4, keeps Matthews on the wing as a 3 and moves Dirk to the bench where he probably belongs (gasp!).
With that being said, Matthews is also going to turn 32 years old before the start of the upcoming season, so there’s no question his gradual decline is coming. Even in a “contract year,” it’s unlikely he’s going to suddenly gear up in preparation for another payday next summer.
20. Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic
Is this a bit high for a raw 20-year-old who played in a grand total of 27 games as a rookie? Yes. Is this even his true position? Maybe not. But the Orlando Magic now have three players who are best-suited either as 4s or small-ball 5s between Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon and Mohamed Bamba, so we’re going with Isaac here, since he’s really a wing trapped in a (near) seven-footer’s body.
Gordon at the 3 was a failed experiment, and will likely yield the same disastrous results unless his new contract suddenly imbues him with the 3-point shooting powers he teased as the start of last season (before his percentages took a steep nosedive off a cliff). Isaac is a versatile enough defender to possibly hold it down on the wing, and shot a promising 34.8 percent from 3 as a rookie.
Like the Phoenix Suns have done with Dragan Bender in the past, the Magic might try and slot Isaac in at the 3 and hope he adjusts better, which he should be able to do based on his mobility and defensive instincts. Isaac is a moldable ball of clay at this point, but regardless of where he’s playing, he should surprise some people this season as long as he stays healthy.
19. Kyle Anderson, Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies could start Kyle Anderson at the 2 instead, but since Dillon Brooks is probably their best option there, “Slo Mo” should stick with his natural position at the 3. Given the Grizzlies’ four-year investment in him, he should easily earning the starting job here.
Anderson isn’t much of a scorer, athlete or 3-point marksman, but he’s a committed defender, smart playmaker and high-I.Q. player who can do a little bit of everything. He should be a natural fit with the Grit-N-Grind mentality.
Still, his “career year” with the Spurs entailed 7.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He shot 52.7 percent from the field, but only converted 33.3 percent of his 3-pointers. Perhaps more minutes and an expanded role will help facilitate growth, but his development has unfolded at a pace not unlike his nickname.
18. DeMarre Carroll, Brooklyn Nets
Lost in all of the Brooklyn Nets‘ roster maneuverings and notable lack of a franchise star last year was how good DeMarre Carroll quietly was for Kenny Atkinson’s squad. Aside from supplying the expected veteran presence, the 32-year-old wing actually brought it on the court too, averaging a career-high 13.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.9 minutes per game.
Sure, a lowly team like the Nets needs someone to score, but getting that kind of production and leadership out of Carroll in his first season there was a pleasant surprise, especially as he defended the wing and made 37.1 percent of his 5.4 long range attempts per game (another career best).
Ideally, this will be the last year Brooklyn need Carroll’s two-way talents as he heads for free agency next summer, but it’s hard to see someone supplanting him in the starting lineup after he started all 73 games last year. That says as much about Carroll’s effectiveness even at this stage in his career as it does about the current state of the Nets.
17. Taurean Waller-Prince, Atlanta Hawks
For all the hype over rookie Trae Young and the high-flying John Collins, Taurean Waller-Prince is the best player in the Atlanta Hawks‘ young core right now, and probably will be throughout the 2018-19 campaign.
Last year, Prince played in all 82 games, posting 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. His 3-point touch looks promising (38.5 percent on 5.6 attempts per game), he grew leaps and bounds from his rookie season and it won’t be long before he starts reminding people of another former Hawks wing, DeMarre Carroll. And no, not just because they both have dreads.
The 24-year-old Prince still plays on perhaps the worst team in the NBA, which will limit his impact on winning basketball. With that being said, he should prove himself as the Hawks’ two-way wing of the future and be one of their more consistent scoring options next year.
16. Bojan Bogdanovic, Indiana Pacers
For all the talk about Bojan Bogdanovic‘s struggles on defense, he looked passable enough once the playoffs rolled around, even going toe-to-toe with LeBron James in a memorable Game 3 victory where he posted 30 points on a scorching hot 11-of-15 shooting.
His value to the Indiana Pacers shouldn’t be judged by one playoff detonation, of course, but the floor-spacing he provided was instrumental for Victor Oladipo and the team’s offense last year. He shot 47.4 percent overall, including 40.2 percent from downtown, and with only one year left on his contract, he’s the perfect stopgap until Doug McDermott proves he’s ready to take over.
That day may actually come in 2018-19 if Bogdanovic can’t replicate his career high 14.3 points per game from last season, but for the time being, he should be pencilled in as the starter who’s found a great team fit in Indiana.
15. Tim Hardaway Jr., New York Knicks
This is probably a bit lofty for a guy who tripped, fell on his face and then tumbled down an entire mountain in the first year of his massive contract with the New York Knicks. Even so, Tim Hardaway Jr. can’t be that bad again in 2018-19, right?
Last year in his return to the Big Apple, THJ thoroughly underwhelmed. Though he averaged a career-high 17.5 points per game, they came on inefficient .421/.317/.816 shooting splits. He didn’t really contribute anywhere else on the stat sheet and he missed 25 games due to injury.
So how on earth does Hardaway rank so high heading into the upcoming season? Call this a leap of faith that a 26-year-old who shot 45.5 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent the year before will be better in his second season with the Knicks — especially under a more competent head coach who will feed him the ball with Kristaps Porzingis still sidelined.
14. T.J. Warren, Phoenix Suns
In a league that values the 3-and-D skill-set more than ever, T.J. Warren brings neither attribute to the table. It’s for that very reason that he could be jettisoned from the Phoenix Suns‘ glut of wings, especially with Josh Jackson and even rookie Mikal Bridges nipping at his heels for the starting job.
Even so, unless Warren gets hurt again or is traded (a distinct possibility), he should enter the season as the starter on the wing, with Trevor Ariza spending a good chunk of his time as a small-ball 4. Under these conditions, perhaps improved spacing will help open things up for one of the NBA’s best cutters in Warren.
Even without the 3-ball in his arsenal, Tony Buckets is still a damn good scorer. He averaged a career-high 19.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on 49.8 percent shooting last year, so although he’s a poor passer, long range shooter and defender, his nose for the basket is undeniable. At only 24 years old, there’s a chance he could be prepped for a breakout year — if he can just avoid any more mysterious head injuries, of course.
13. Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers
Say what you want about Robert Covington‘s streaky shooting or his disappearing act in the playoffs, but his stifling wing defense was an essential part of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ success last year, and when he actually was feeling it from 3-point range, this team looked like a legitimate contender.
There should be concern over his shooting percentages diving face-first onto a live grenade in the playoffs, and over the fact that other than a couple of hot stretches throughout his career, he’s mostly been a below-average 3-point shooter. Either of those things recurring in 2018-19 could put his future with the team in further doubt as the Sixers search for a star upgrade.
For the time being though, Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James aren’t going anywhere, making Covington the clear choice on the wing over the new arrival, Wilson Chandler. Covington is an elite defender, bested Ill Will’s 3-point percentage last year and is nearly four years younger. RoCo isn’t perfect, but if he can just be more consistent, he’ll eventually win over that tough Philly crowd.
12. Will Barton, Denver Nuggets
Will Barton got overpaid in free agency this summer, but no one can say he didn’t earn some kind of payday after his career year, averaging 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game on tidy .452/.370/.805 shooting splits.
With Wilson Chandler gone, the Denver Nuggets are paying Barton to be their new starting small forward. The second unit will miss his scoring punch off the bench, but was already playing starter’s minutes last year anyway.
There are times when Barton gets a little shot-happy and tries too hard to take the game into his own hands, and he’s certainly no lockdown defender, but with the title of starting small forward, he may be able to build on his career year with a more efficient 3-point shot and more opportunities. Plus, he’s still only 27, so he’s barely entering his prime now.
11. Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz
One of the league’s perpetually underrated wings, Jinglin’ Joe Ingles finds no such disrespect on this list, nearly cracking the top 10 despite his mundane averages of 11.5 points, 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Still, as any Utah Jazz fan will stand up and stop traffic to attest, Ingles’ impact extends beyond the basic stat sheet, and even beyond his en fuego 44 percent shooting from 3-point range. Ingles is not only a key part of Utah’s top-five defense, but he’s also an underrated secondary playmaker and ball-handler.
He’ll rarely post the kinds of numbers that fairly indicate his value to the Jazz, but as he quietly shoots blistering percentages from downtown, lends stellar wing defense across multiple positions and does all the little things, this on-the-rise team will continue to threaten for a top-three seed in the loaded Western Conference.
10. Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
Andrew Wiggins‘ work ethic has been brought up on multiple occasions this season, as has his displeasure with being the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ third fiddle behind Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns. The problem with that line of thinking is…well, you have to be better than either one of those guys to be upset about being the third fiddle, Andrew.
Though he still averaged 17.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last year, Wiggins’ scoring dropped nearly six points per game with Butler’s arrival, his shooting percentages dipped, he didn’t improve defensively and he continues to only contribute in one stat column. He rightfully made our list of “good players on terrible contracts” for all of these reasons.
Wait, what were we going to say about Wiggins’ bright side? Oh yeah, he can still score, his team isn’t using him properly, he’s incredibly athletic and he’s still only 23 years old. We’re not ready to give up on a 6’8″ wing fitting that description just yet, even if the pressure is definitely on this season.
9. Josh Richardson, Miami Heat
It’s almost comical that from the 2015 NBA Draft class where supposed two-way wings like Mario Hezonja, Stanley Johnson and Justise Winslow all went in the top 10, Josh Richardson — the 40th overall pick — has been better than all of them.
Miami Heat Twitter has been raving about Richardson’s two-way potential for a couple years now, and they aren’t wrong to do so. He’s already one of the league’s elite wing defenders who didn’t get nearly enough buzz for an All-Defensive Team selection, and his offense is expanding too.
He’s hardly a go-to scorer, averaging a career-high 12.9 points per game last year, but he’s becoming efficient, shooting 45.1 percent from the floor and 37.8 percent from deep. Heading into his fourth season, this 24-year-old could be poised to make “the leap.”
8. Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers
People aren’t talking enough about the leaps-and-bounds improvements Brandon Ingram made in his second season compared to his disappointing rookie year. He didn’t quite enter star territory, but his numbers shot up across the board to 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on 47 percent shooting from the floor and 39 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
With LeBron James in town, the pressure is on for the young Los Angeles Lakers to step up, but you can expect Ingram to be one of the first to answer the bell. He improved his 3-point stroke, ball-handling, passing and rebounding in year two, and this 20-year-old is just getting started.
Playing with the King brings a whole new set of expectations, which could be a lot to handle for a third-year wing who’s already facing the pressure of having the highest ceiling among L.A.’s youngsters. Still, playing with LeBron should make Ingram’s job — and overall development — easier, even if he won’t be undergoing the trial by fire many were looking forward to seeing him embrace.
7. Tobias Harris, Los Angeles Clippers
Is there an NBA wing more universally under-appreciated than Tobias Harris right now? The guy continues to improve his game and quietly put up solid numbers, almost unbeknownst to the rest of the league that continues to shuffle him from team to team.
Even so, Harris caught some attention last year in 80 games between the Pistons and the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 18.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on 41.1 percent shooting from 3-point range — all of which were career highs.
Harris increased his scoring to 19.3 points per game in his 32 appearances with the Clips. After turning down an $80 million extension, the pressure is on in 2018-19 to prove he’s worth even more money on the free agency market. Those are lofty goals to live up to, but either way, Harris should thrive in his first full season in L.A. as the team’s designated scorer with the starters.
6. Otto Porter Jr., Washington Wizards
This is a big season for Otto Porter Jr., who is not only entering the second year of his massively inflated contract, but has also failed to become that undisputed answer to the Washington Wizards‘ Big 3 question. In his sixth NBA season, it’s time to become a star.
With that being said, even if Porter hasn’t become a rock-solid third member of the team’s Big 3 just yet, he’s still one of the NBA’s best two-way wings. He’s also drastically improved most areas of his game since looking like a draft bust for his first couple of seasons in the league.
Last year, Porter posted 14.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting a blistering 44.1 percent from 3-point range. All of those numbers were career highs, and his length is useful on the defensive end too. In 2018-19, the Wizards will need him to take yet another jump toward stardom if they want to seriously challenge for the Eastern crown.
5. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
The clock is ticking for the Milwaukee Bucks to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo with enough talent to contend for titles, but Khris Middleton certainly isn’t part of that problem. As one of the league’s best two-way wings and most underrated players in general, Middleton put up some eye-catching numbers last season.
For anyone concerned about how he’d play after an injury-riddled 2016-17 season, Middleton put doubts to rest with a career year, averaging 20.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on solid .466/.359/.884 shooting splits.
Middleton is a solid 3-point sniper, but ironically enough, he did most of his damage with a shockingly efficient mid-range game last year. Under a new head coach in Mike Budenholzer, expect his versatile defense, floor-spacing and long range accuracy to be even more potent for the Bucks in 2018-19.
4. Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics
Hey basketball gods, can the Boston Celtics get more than five minutes out of Gordon Hayward this season, please? Because it’d be great if we finally got to see what this Eastern contender looks like with him, a healthy Kyrie Irving and mastermind Brad Stevens at the helm.
A gruesome injury robbed the Celtics of Hayward last year, but oddly enough, the silver lining was more minutes for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to grow into the two-way monsters they became. Hayward will hold down one of the starting wing spots, leaving Stevens to decide between Brown and Tatum with the other spot (we gave the starting 2-job to Brown).
In any case, even if Tatum comes off the bench as a super sixth man who unlocks Boston’s small-ball lineups, don’t forget that Hayward is one of the best wings in the game on both ends. It was only a year ago that he posted a career-high 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on efficient shooting splits while doubling as the best player on a team that won a playoff series.
3. Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
Paul George‘s first season with the Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t go according to plan. The ball stuck far too often, Russell Westbrook jacked up too many 3s and Carmelo Anthony never embraced the bench role that was oh-so-obviously his calling at that point in his career.
However, with PG-13 committing to the team for the long-term, OKC has its Big 3 of Russ, George and Steven Adams locked in for the foreseeable future. Even better, Melo’s ball-stopping is gone, and Dennis Schroder will help bolster a backup point guard spot that badly needed an upgrade.
With Melo gone and PG’s re-signing, it’s time for the Thunder to empower George a bit more than they did in year one. Anthony leaving helps, but Russ also needs to cede control a bit more to a guy who averaged 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game on 40.1 percent shooting from deep last year, especially since George doubled as their second-best wing defender.
2. Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors
There’s the chance Kawhi Leonard’s mysterious quad injury derails yet another season for a potential MVP candidate, but why go down that avenue when being optimistic makes the top of the Eastern Conference so much more interesting?
Though he was only able to suit up for nine games last year, and although his ugly exit from the Spurs was highlighted by distrust, contradicting reports, bad blood and wounded fans, people shouldn’t forget that when healthy, the Claw is still a top-five NBA player.
Every new tidbit that drops about his desire to sign with a Los Angeles team in free agency next summer will soak up the headlines, but for the upcoming season, Kawhi needs to prove he’s still an NBA superstar to earn a max payday from anyone, which will only make the Toronto Raptors more dangerous if he’s able to do so.
This is the guy who averaged 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on .485/.380/.880 shooting splits in his last healthy season, the guy who was a legitimate MVP candidate and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. If he can stay on the floor, and take over playoff heroics for Kyle Lowry, the Raptors have the firepower to challenge for a spot in the Finals.
1. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
Kawhi Leonard got close to challenging Kevin Durant for this spot back in his prime, and he actually had a better 2016-17 season than KD. However, considering his shaky health status and Durant’s immaculate fit with the Golden State Warriors, there is no small forward more dangerous in the NBA than Kevin Durant. That probably won’t change in 2018-19.
While people prattle on about his legacy being tarnished by joining this super-team, Durant continues to pile on accolades, including his second straight title and second straight Finals MVP award. He did so while averaging an eye-popping 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game on .526/.409/.963 shooting splits in the championship round.
Sure, the amount of talent around him makes his job easier, but for our purposes of ranking the league’s best starting small forwards, that context matters. There’s no better partnership between a wing player and his team in the NBA right now, and it makes Durant the most dangerous 3 in the association.
Considering KD still posts unholy numbers and doubles as Golden State’s second-most versatile defender, he’s not just sitting around and coasting on his supporting cast’s talent. Durant has made the league unfair, but before anyone tries to minimize his value because of the team he plays for, remember that it’s his demi-god status that makes this partnership so unfair in the first place.