With time to kill before the 2018-19 NBA season, it’s time to rank all 30 projected starting power forwards for the upcoming campaign.
August is finally, mercifully, almost at an end. With the start of September comes Media Day, training camp and eventually, a few weeks later, the start of a new NBA season.
However, all that exciting activity is still a few weeks away, leaving us with time to kill before professional basketball is back in our lives. As we’ve done all week, we’re passing the time by ranking all 30 projected NBA starters by position for the upcoming season.
So far, we’ve gone through rankings for point guards, shooting guards and small forwards, so today we’ll be taking a look at the power forward position, which includes more small-ball 4s than ever before.
The obvious question is: What factors come into play with these rankings? Rather than come up with some complicated algorithm or choose one single advanced statistic to judge everyone by, these projections are based on stat lines from last year, a player’s impact on winning, team fit, opportunity, propensity for injury, defense and a myriad of other factors for the new campaign.
These evaluations aren’t based on fantasy projections or contract value; they’re simply based on a player’s projected on-court value to his respective team in 2018-19, with team success, individual numbers, efficiency, health and everything else factored in. These rankings are made looking ahead to the upcoming season, but using past seasons as guidance.
While starting lineups change based on injuries and players exceeding or falling short of expectations, we’ll be taking a look at the 30 players who should be expected to spend the majority of the season starting at the 4-spot. With that being said, let’s dive into our rankings for all 30 starting power forwards in 2018-19.
30. Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento Kings
Easy with those torches and pitchforks, Sacramento Kings fans. A ranking this low doesn’t mean Marvin Bagley III is doomed to be yet another draft bust, but rookie starters typically struggle. That’s doubly true for rookie starters on bad teams, especially if they also looked like a complete wreck in NBA Summer League.
Though he only suited up for one game in Las Vegas, Bagley played three more before that in Sac-Town, and he was even worse in those three games. He’s not going to be the post-up force the Kings seem to be trying to mold him into.
Giving him the ball in space and letting him make moves to the basket is the way to take advantage of his athleticism and quickness. For the time being, this ranking feels safe thanks to the Kings’ own incompetence, a lack of accompanying talent and the fact that he’s a rookie who’s going to take his licks at a position he might not be suited for long-term.
29. Kevin Knox, New York Knicks
After such an impressive time in Las Vegas, where he averaged 21.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game en route to First Team All-NBA Summer League honors, a No. 29 ranking for Kevin Knox feels disrespectful. However, there are a couple of factors holding him back on this list, even if he could very well contend for Rookie of the Year.
For starters, although his game looked undeniably NBA-ready in Vegas, he might be pigeonholed into the starting 4-spot with Kristaps Porzingis on the mend. Fingers crossed for the Zinger to return healthy around Christmas and start the majority of the season here instead, but an ACL tear is no joke, and the New York Knicks won’t be rushing their franchise star back on the court.
Until Porzingis is back, Knox might be too good to come off the bench as a backup 3 behind Tim Hardaway Jr., especially in what looks like a lost season. New York also might not have a more sensible option at power forward, but most draft experts believed it’d be some time before Knox was ready to hold it down as a small-ball 4. Because of those red flags, an out-of-position rookie falls further down the list than his overall talent level deserves.
28. Jerami Grant, Oklahoma City Thunder
With Carmelo Anthony gone and Patrick Patterson‘s 2017-18 struggles still fresh in everyone’s minds, Jerami Grant feels like the frontrunner to start at power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder. After re-signing him to a three-year, $27 million deal, the front office might agree on that front.
Last year, Grant was OKC’s primary scorer off the bench by default, averaging 8.4 points per game on 53.5 percent shooting. He’s a great cutter off the ball, a tenacious defender and an active shot-blocker, and at 24 years old, he could be ready to assert himself as a starting-caliber player.
However, he can’t really spread the floor as a career 30.1 percent 3-point shooter, which would make him the second cutter/non-shooter in the starting lineup alongside Andre Roberson. Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams aren’t 3-point marksmen either, so it’s worth asking whether the Thunder could field a respectable offense with so many non-shooters on the floor at once.
27. Marvin Williams, Charlotte Hornets
Marvin Williams is a veteran stretch-4 who knocked down 41.3 percent of his 3s last year. He’s a career 36.1 percent shooter from deep, plays decent enough defense and would be a welcome addition to any contender thanks to his experience and established skill-set.
However, that’s kind of the point: Marvin Williams probably wouldn’t start for a better team at this point in his career. He’s been a model of consistency, playing in at least 76 games in each of the last four years, but his numbers dipped to 9.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last year.
In short, Marvin Williams is yet another good but not great player preventing the Charlotte Hornets from going anywhere. He turned 32 over the summer, and with one year and a $15 million player option still left on his contract, it’s hard to see many teams being interested in trading for him, which just lends itself to this team’s inability to clean house or improve internally.
26. Danilo Gallinari, Los Angeles Clippers
Another injury-stricken year could easily see Danilo Gallinari plummet to the bottom of this list. Given his recent track record, it’s hard to bank on him staying healthy long enough to climb much higher up the rankings.
Since his ACL tear back in 2013, Gallo has missed 82, 23, 29, 19 and 61 games over the next five seasons. He’s 30 years old now and suited up only 21 times for the Los Angeles Clippers last year, averaging 15.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game on paltry .398/.324/.931 shooting splits.
If Gallo can just stay healthy though, he might be L.A.’s best option as a small-ball 4, and there’s room for hope after watching him score 23 points over the summer as the MVP of the NBA Africa Game. That’s just one exhibition game, but if he can come back strong in 2018-19, perhaps he’ll surprise some people on a team that wants to compete.
25. Taj Gibson, Minnesota Timberwolves
It’s sad that this latter stage of Taj Gibson‘s career consists of watching Tom Thibodeau run his power forward’s 33-year-old legs through a cheese grater, but it is what it is. It took him nine years in the league, but Gibson finally cracked 30 minutes per game for the first time in his career, averaging 33.3 a night in all 82 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.
The good news is Gibson doesn’t have as many miles on his NBA odometer as most guys his age, but we’ve seen how quickly Thibs’ heavy playing regimen can wear down his starters. With that being said, Taj did have one of the best seasons of his career last year.
Though the Wolves barely snuck into the playoffs, Gibson was consistently good, even if he was never great. He averaged 12.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and even shot a career-high 57.7 percent from the floor. With another year of grinding out minutes coming his way though, it may not get much better than “serviceable” from here.
24. John Collins, Atlanta Hawks
John Collins was one of the lone bright spots for the Atlanta Hawks last year, and that should continue to be the case now that he’s got a full season of experience under his belt. As one of the game’s up-and-coming high-risers, Collins was a sound player in addition to being an electrifying dunker.
As a rookie who eventually won the starting job at power forward, the 19th overall pick averaged a promising 10.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in just 24.6 minutes per game. He also shot 57.6 percent from the floor, quickly establishing himself as a nice young piece of Atlanta’s emerging core.
Trae Young is the name that will attract everyone’s attention, and Taurean Waller-Prince might be the Hawks’ best player in 2018-19, but don’t sleep on John Collins taking another sizable step forward after a pleasantly surprising rookie year and dominant second NBA Summer League.
23. Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
Marvin Bagley III was drafted two picks ahead of Jaren Jackson Jr., and Kevin Knox was the best of the trio in Summer League, so why is the Memphis Grizzlies‘ new rookie significantly ahead of both in these rankings? Well, it’s all about the intriguing mix of fit, opportunity and superior supporting talent he’ll enjoy in Memphis.
JaMychal Green may wind up being the starting power forward at the beginning of the season. He’s more experienced, the Grizzlies may want to play JJJ as a backup 5 and don’t forget, this team wants to compete with Marc Gasol and Mike Conley healthy again. However, as the season wears on and injuries (likely) pile up, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft will get plenty of opportunities.
More than likely, he’ll earn the majority of the starts as a terrific complement to Gasol, either because he outplays Green (a guy who only has one year left on his contract and isn’t part of the long-term picture) or because the Grizzlies start losing too many games and it makes more sense to let the future cornerstones develop. Oh and yeah, Jackson is also just a really good two-way player who might have NBA 3-point range from day one.
22. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brooklyn Nets
If this list were based on defense alone, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson would probably be somewhere in the upper half. At only 23 years old, he’s already proving himself as a lengthy, multi-positional defender, even if the Brooklyn Nets‘ defense was only marginally better with him on the floor.
Unfortunately, it’s the other end of the floor that’s concerning. Though RHJ averaged a career-high 13.9 points per game on 47.2 percent shooting last year, it’s only a matter of time before his ceiling is capped as long as he’s unable to spread the floor to 3-point range.
Hollis-Jefferson being able to play the 4 at only 6’7″ is great, but his 24.1 percent shooting from 3 isn’t going to cut it. After three years in the league without passing the 30 percent threshold once, he’ll need to start expanding his range to climb much further up these rankings, especially on another lottery-bound team.
21. Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers
This seems criminally low for a perpetually overlooked player like Al-Farouq Aminu, especially for his role for one of the league’s most improved defenses, but what can we say? The NBA is littered with talented stretch-4s now, and the soon-to-be 28-year-old had another up-and-down year.
Though he shot a career-high 36.9 percent from downtown last season, his numbers hovered around where they were in 2016-17, with Aminu posting 9.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. For the second year in a row, he failed to shoot at least 40 percent from the field.
Aminu has spread the floor somewhat well for the Portland Trail Blazers, but that’s pretty much limited to great shooting from the corners. He’s virtually useless inside the paint and especially at the basket, so until he’s able to be more efficient from an area of the floor that isn’t his trademark corner 3s, there’s only so high he can climb.
20. Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls
Lauri Markkanen may look like Napoleon Dynamite mixed with every character Michael Cera has ever played on screen, but this babyface had one hell of a rookie season. In fact, he may be the best seven-footer shooter the game has ever seen at this age.
The 21-year-old posted 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last year, and though his numbers came on a bad Chicago Bulls team, he certainly wasn’t afraid to let the ball fly from the parking lot. With another season under his belt and more talent around him, the “Markksman” should be able to improve on the 36.2 percent he shot from distance last year.
Markkanen is still a question mark on the defensive end, but so is the entire Bulls roster. He may be destined to put up good numbers on a bad team again in 2018-19, but after grabbing the starting job and running with it last year, there’s no question he’s on the path to establishing himself as one of Chicago’s franchise pillars moving forward.
19. Trevor Ariza, Phoenix Suns
Trevor Ariza spent some time at the 4 in small-ball lineups for the Houston Rockets last year, but P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute were usually there to ease the load. With a plethora of wings on the Phoenix Suns‘ roster, a new head coach in place, and underwhelming options at the 4 in Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, Ariza might be facing a whole new challenge in 2018-19.
Will the Suns actually start the 6’8″ Ariza as a full-time power forward? Will he be able to handle the physical toll that comes with playing there on a nightly basis, or will Igor Kokoskov be creative enough with his lineups to spare the 14-year veteran from that kind of nightly grind?
It’s impossible to say at this point, but since we already slotted in T.J. Warren as the Suns’ starting 3, we’re sticking with Ariza making a full-time switch to the 4 during his one-year stay in Phoenix. He’s going to be one of the team’s best defenders and 3-point shooters right off the bat, but how he handles this change in responsibility is definitely reflected in his lower-than-expected ranking.
18. Markieff Morris, Washington Wizards
Markieff Morris is the epitome of average for a starting power forward in the NBA today. There will be brief hot streaks where he looks incredible, capable of helping lift the Washington Wizards out of the doldrums they’ve been stuck in for the last few years. For the most part though, you know what you’re getting out of Keef on a nightly basis.
Last year, Morris averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on 48 percent shooting. It was the second year in a row he shot around 36 percent from 3-point range, though his scoring and rebounding slightly dipped from the year before. As he approaches his 29th birthday, it’s unlikely his game or production will change all that much in 2018-19.
Morris is adequate and knows his role, but he’d probably be more useful as a fiery bench presence on a good team, like twin brother Marcus Morris is with the Boston Celtics.
17. P.J. Tucker, Houston Rockets
P.J. Tucker continues to be the unsung hero of virtually every team he plays on, raw statistics be damned. When the Houston Rockets switched to him as the starting power forward over Ryan Anderson last year, it unlocked something special on the defensive end. That change should stay firmly intact in 2018-19, Carmelo Anthony or no Carmelo Anthony.
With Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute gone, the Rockets desperately need defense on the wing and in the frontcourt for small-ball lineups. Since we already slotted James Ennis in at the 3, Tucker gets the nod as the undersized 4 who’s strong, smart and tenacious enough to hold down the fort there.
The Rockets could start Tucker at the 3 and put Melo at the 4 where he belongs, but Anthony’s defense is going to be too much of a liability with the starting group. The Rockets would be better off letting Melo thrive in the second unit as a microwave bench scorer, allowing this defensive bulldog and 37.1 percent 3-point shooter from last year to continue doing his thing.
16. James Johnson, Miami Heat
Truthfully, it wasn’t a banner season for James Johnson in the first year of his four-year, $60 million contract. His numbers dropped to 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, and though he converted 50.3 percent of his looks overall, he only made 30.8 percent of his 3s.
After looking like the glue guy the Miami Heat needed to close the 2016-17 campaign on such a hot note, the 31-year-old took a slight step back. Even so, he’s still one of the more versatile players in the league, and barring injury, should be this team’s starting power forward in 2018-19.
Erik Spoelstra likes to tinker with his lineups quite a bit, and that’s part of the reason Johnson only started in 41 of his 73 appearances last year. However, with Kelly Olynyk playing his best minutes at the 5 and Justise Winslow still not looking ready to be a starter (especially at the 4), James Johnson feels like the safest bet.
15. Thaddeus Young, Indiana Pacers
Thaddeus Young is yet another quiet impact player, providing value on both ends for the NBA’s pleasant surprise team of the season. Though the Indiana Pacers went home in the first round, winning 48 games and taking LeBron James to the brink in a seven-game series was far more than anyone expected.
Young was an instrumental part of that success, though his 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game might not indicate it. Young is a versatile defender, a real threat in transition and after opting in for the last season of his contract, still has a lot to give this blossoming team.
The downside is Young just turned 30 over the summer and shot only 32 percent from 3-point range last year. If he can bounce back to the 38.1 percent he shot from distance the year before, he should have more than enough juice left in his prime to warrant a ranking in the top half of the league’s power forwards.
14. Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz
Maybe this is a tad high for a guy boasting mundane averages of 12.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game from last season. Derrick Favors hasn’t been on the All-Star track since 2015-16, due in part to injury problems and also because of the rise of Rudy Gobert.
Still, the Utah Jazz don’t really need him to be their dominant interior scorer or go-to defender. He’s more than capable alongside the Stifle Tower, and though the team’s defense was better with him off the court, he’s a capable two-way player who’s still effective despite his lack of perimeter range.
Favors is one of those players whose impact doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet, but he still managed a career-high 56.3 percent conversion rate from the field last year. As he enters yet another contract year, it remains to be seen whether his production can see another uptick, or whether this 27-year-old’s role has basically reached its ceiling in Salt Lake City — especially without that much-needed 3-point stroke still missing from his game.
13. Nikola Mirotic, New Orleans Pelicans
Sometimes fit is everything. Individually, Nikola Mirotic probably isn’t better than the last few names on this list. As a stretch-4 for the New Orleans Pelicans though, playing alongside Anthony Davis in the frontcourt, Mirotic morphed into the full-fledged “3-Kola” that rained down burning embers on unsuspecting postseason nets.
Okay, so maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but if Alvin Gentry is smart, he will continue to play the Brow at the 5 and let Mirotic spread the floor as the team’s starting 4. With DeMarcus Cousins gone and Julius Randle capable of wreaking havoc off the bench as a 4 or a small-ball 5, it just makes too much sense based on what we saw last year.
His 30-game sample size during the regular season wasn’t anything to write home about, with Mirotic posting 14.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game on .427/.335/.810 shooting splits. However, the team was deadly with Davis at center, and in the postseason, Mirotic looked way more comfortable, unleashing 15.0 points and 9.6 boards per game on 43.1 percent shooting from deep. This partnership is a good one, and it should thrive in their first full season together.
12. Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors
Serge Ibaka‘s been on the decline for the last few years, and that trend continued in 2017-18, with his numbers falling to 12.6 points 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Remember the terrifying rim protector and league leader in swats who went by the name of “Iblocka”? That guy doesn’t really exist anymore.
In his place, however, is a more than effective role player on one of the top contenders in the East. He’s a regular pick-and-pop threat, particularly from 3-point range where he made 36 percent of his 3.9 attempts per game — a “down” year for the reformed stretch-4.
Ibaka is still the Toronto Raptors‘ best option at the 5 when they go small, which will become prevalent in the playoffs if Jonas Valanciunas gets run off the court. For the time being though, he’ll continue to be a very useful, under-the-radar power forward who gets judged unfairly as the guy Oklahoma City chose over the reigning MVP, James Harden.
11. Harrison Barnes, Dallas Mavericks
Whether it’s how irrelevant the Dallas Mavericks have been the last two years or the sour taste lingering in everyone’s mouths from the 2016 NBA Finals, Harrison Barnes is one of the least heralded team scoring leaders the league has to offer.
Sure, he’s putting up good numbers on a bad team, but he’ll have more talent around him in 2018-18 with Luka Doncic, DeAndre Jordan and a more experienced Dennis Smith Jr. in the mix. His individual numbers — 18.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last year — might take a hit, but he should be able to prove his value a bit more on an improved Mavs team.
And yes, in case you were wondering, Dirk Nowitzki would probably be better coming off the bench at this point in his career. No disrespect to the greatest player in franchise history, but a DSJ-Doncic-Wesley Matthews-Barnes-Jordan starting five just makes too much sense if the goal is for Dallas to improve this year.
10. Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic
The $80 million extension has been signed, the building blocks for the future are in place…now it’s time for Aaron Gordon to make the leap from “pretty good young player” to “franchise cornerstone.”
It’s unlikely Gordon will prove himself as a legitimate NBA superstar in his upcoming fifth season, or possibly ever. However, after averaging a career-high 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks per game last year, it’s evident this Arizona product has plenty of two-way potential.
Now it’ll be a matter of providing the Orlando Magic with something they haven’t had since Dwight Howard: an unquestioned leader and star. A good place to start would be proving the mirage of his red-hot 3-point shooting to start last season can be replicated — on a lower scale, of course, but at least something better than the 33.6 percent he shot from deep overall in 2017-18.
9. Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers
Between the constant trade speculation and all the attention being paid to Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and even Markelle Fultz, Dario Saric has to be one of the most underrated players in the entire association. This 24-year-old is more than just a role player, and he’s far more than his raw averages let on.
On the surface, 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game don’t seem like anything noteworthy. The Homie isn’t an elite athlete or rebounder, both of which are normally expected from a starting power forward, even in the small-ball NBA.
However, Saric more than makes up for it with his high basketball I.Q., secondary playmaking, positional defense and 3-point shooting. Saric canned 39.3 percent of his 5.1 triples per game last year, and all this production is after only two years in the league. If the Philadelphia 76ers keep him and let him develop, he could become the piece that pushes this young bunch over the top into “perennial contender” territory.
8. Paul Millsap, Denver Nuggets
Let this sink in: Paul Millsap missed more than half the season last year, and the Denver Nuggets were still one win away from making the playoffs. Expectations are rightfully higher in 2018-19, but if Millsap can stay on the court for more than 38 games, his two-way impact should finally manifest itself.
In the first year of his three-year, $90 million pact, Millsap saw his numbers drop to 14.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, but he also added in 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per game, shot a decent 34.5 percent from 3 and posted the best defensive rating on the roster.
With the Nuggets owning a $30 million team option for 2019-20, the pressure is on for this two-way star to play like one. That starts with staying healthy, but if he’s able to do so, Millsap will be able to step into the perfect defensive role for this offensive juggernaut on the rise.
7. LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs
It’s ironic that in a year that began with LaMarcus Aldridge wanting to be traded, Kawhi Leonard wound up being the disgruntled one on the way out, while LMA enjoyed the best season of his tenure with the San Antonio Spurs so far.
In a throwback to his younger Portland days, Aldridge posted 23.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He shot 51 percent from the floor, earned a Second Team All-NBA nod and led a severely shorthanded San Antonio team to 47 wins in a loaded Western Conference.
Leonard leaving should’ve given Aldridge more responsibility, but the arrival of a healthy DeMar DeRozan could negatively impact his numbers and the team’s overall spacing on offense, since both stars are mid-range masters. Throw in another year of aging for the 33-year-old and we may have already seen the best of LaMarcus Aldridge in a Spurs uniform.
6. Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons
Count us among those willing to give the Blake Griffin–Andre Drummond experiment more than 33 games to prove its merit. Though he’s still not an average 3-point shooter, Griffin’s status as perhaps the NBA’s best passing power forward means this union could work.
In a small sample size with the Detroit Pistons last year, Griffin posted 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and what would’ve been a career-high 6.2 assists per game. He only made 34.8 percent of his whopping 5.4 long range attempts per game, but you can bet head coach Dwane Casey will be able to make this frontcourt pairing work within the construct of a modern NBA offense.
Health remains Griffin’s biggest obstacle to earning this ranking and re-establishing himself as one of the game’s preeminent bigs. If he can do so and embrace his central role in Casey’s system, a bounce-back year into NBA stardom isn’t out of the question for this point forward.
5. Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
Anytime a team loses the best player in basketball, it wasn’t a good summer. However, this second post-LeBron James era shouldn’t be as depressing as the first, mostly because of the intrigue Kevin Love will conjure up as he returns to the role of franchise star.
Will he put up numbers like his Minnesota Timberwolves days, when he posted 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in a similar situation as the team’s lone gunslinger? Will he still look like the third fiddle he became? And most importantly, will he be able to keep the Cleveland Cavaliers relevant in the playoff picture?
Remember, that’s something he was unable to do with the Wolves, no matter his numbers. The Eastern Conference is weaker, but either way, it’ll be fascinating to see how much a 29-year-old Kevin Love can improve on last year’s 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game on 41.5 percent shooting from deep. We’re betting he raises more than a few eyebrows this season.
4. Al Horford, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics could go small with an all-wing lineup and start Al Horford at the 5, but considering Aron Baynes‘ defense, and the fact that Big Al prefers to play the 4, it makes more sense to bring one of Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum off the bench. In that scenario, Horford is the team’s starting “power forward.”
In any case, despite his pedestrian-for-a-star stat line, Horford finally got his due last year as the two-way linchpin for Boston’s success. That was especially evident in the playoffs, when the Celtics came one win shy of the Finals despite Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward both being hurt.
Horford only averaged 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game last year, but he elevated his game in the playoffs, and his importance as a 42.9 percent 3-point shooter and multi-positional defender for the league’s stingiest defense shouldn’t be overlooked. Plain and simple, Al Horford is a superstar on both ends of the floor.
3. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Like Al Horford, Draymond Green‘s numbers — well-balanced as they might be — don’t necessarily leap off the page. Last year, he posted 11.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. However, in addition to leading the Golden State Warriors in rebounds and assists, he also posted 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
His 3-point shooting hovered around a disappointing 31 percent for the second year in a row, but anyone who knows the game of basketball can attest that Green is instrumental to the Warriors’ otherworldly offense and their stifling defense. That won’t change in 2018-19.
Green is the player fans of other teams love to hate, but would love to have on their own team. He’s the heart, soul and attitude of this three-time champion, he’s a deadly playmaker and he’s dynamic defender from 1-5. That kind of value leaps off the stat sheet and into the team’s likelihood to win it all for the fourth time in the last five years, especially since he’s still only 28.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
There’s a decent chance this ranking isn’t good enough for Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2018-19. After averaging 26.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game at the tender age of 23, it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Greek Freak to win the first MVP trophy of his career this season.
However, we have to give preferential treatment to another superstar who deserves the benefit of the doubt, so Giannis finds himself at No. 2. Then again, if Mike Budenholzer is able to space the floor around Antetokounmpo and trot out another top-10 defense like he regularly did in Atlanta, the Milwaukee Bucks could very easily have the NBA’s most unstoppable two-way player.
Giannis is already their point forward and most versatile defender. He still hasn’t even reached his prime, and as he continues to get stronger and quicker, his potential is off the charts. With more 3-point threats around him and a competent head coach, this could be the year Giannis Antetokounmpo begins his reign over the rest of the league.
1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James is typically thought of as a small forward, but in the modern NBA, he’s a point forward. He played the 4 for most of last season, and on a Los Angeles Lakers team severely lacking in frontcourt depth, he’ll do so again in 2018-19. He may even play as a small-ball 5 for the longest spurts of his Hall of Fame career.
It doesn’t matter that King James will turn 34 years old in December, nor does it matter that his teammates are evenly divided into a Meme Team of experienced, head case veterans, and talented, flawed youngsters. It doesn’t even matter that the Lakers — one of the league’s worst 3-point shooting teams last year — didn’t improve this problem area over the summer.
Though he may be forced to coast through the regular season to conserve energy, LeBron James is still the best basketball player on earth when he’s locked in. Playing the 4 full-time will exact a physical toll on him, but in the playoffs, it still won’t matter.
These Lakers won’t be favored over the Warriors or even the Rockets in a seven-game series, and there’s a chance Father Time starts tapping politely on Bron’s shoulder at some point. However, this is also the same guy who posted 27.5 points, 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game last year during his 15th NBA season, and then spiked to a 34-9-9 stat line in the postseason.
He may not win MVP or another title in 2018-19, but you can be guaranteed LeBron James is going to whip this team of unlikely contributors into shape and make the Lakers a playoff team again. Until we see a drop-off in performance with our own eyes, King James is the best player at whatever position he chooses to play.