NBA Positional Player Rankings: Power Forwards
The most definitive ranking of my opinions
Preseason has begun, Petrostate blood money has been acquired, and the NBA season is fast approaching. This is part two of my NBA player positional rankings. I covered centers earlier, and there is a link below if you’re interested. While ranking every position one through 35 is an incredibly tedious and time-consuming task, it is an incredibly valuable exercise. Analysis is about splitting hairs, making rash judgments, and infuriating fanbases, and I’ve had to do all that and more over the course of thousands of words. The traditional notion of a power forward is slowly being phased out of the game. In today’s NBA, there are now wing-forwards and center-forwards. It’s not that power forwards don’t exist; it’s that positional lines have been blurred.
A few notes: player positions are based on Basketball Reference’s positional estimates, these are my rankings for the upcoming season, and the tiers are far more important than rankings within a tier. Now, onto the power forwards!
Above the Break’s Top-30 Power Forwards
Honorable Mentions
Obi Toppin: Indiana Pacers
There have been few better marriages in the NBA than the union between Obi Toppin and this current iteration of the Indiana Pacers. Toppin is not a particularly good player. He can’t really defend anyone, isn’t a particularly dangerous 3-point threat, and you’d be insane to let him run an offense, but on these Pacers, all they ask him to do is what he excels at. Toppin is a fantastic transition threat, can hit corner threes well enough, and can fake it at power forward or center just enough that teams forget to put him in the action every single play. Since joining the Pacers, Toppin has averaged 10.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on an effective field goal percentage (eFG%) of 64.1%. For a bench player, that’s fantastic, but it’s the whole being a bench player that’s the problem. If you start Toppin, you’re cooked. But the Pacers aren’t starting Toppin, which is why he’s effective, and also why he’s only an honorable mention.
Nicolas Batum: Los Angeles Clippers
I really don’t care what Batum’s stats are. The dude has been one of the best role players in the league since he joined the Clippers in 2020-21. Entering his 18th season, Batum should theoretically eventually succumb to age, but he probably has at least one more year as an excellent floor spacing four with enough size and guile to be an asset on defense. While I think the Clippers will manage his minutes during the regular season, I expect him to be on the court when the game is on the line, either at power forward or as a small-ball five. With the additions of Brook Lopez and John Collins, there’s a chance this is finally the year Batum is phased out, but considering how good he was in the playoffs last season, I think he’ll have to fall off a cliff not to be a big part of Ty Lue’s plans.
Jonathan Issac: Orlando Magic
From 2019-20 through 2022-23, a span of four seasons, Issac played 45 total games and missed the entirety of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. At only 25, there was a distinct possibility that Issac’s career was over. Instead, the Magic decided to put him in bubble wrap, play him 15 minutes a night, skip back-to-backs, and reap the reward of one of the best defensive players in the league. While Issac’s 2024-25 was a bit of a step back from his stunning 2023-24, I’m expecting him to rebound and split the difference. His 25.8% 3-point shooting last season was completely out of line with his 34.1% career figure, and his defense remained as sharp as ever. There aren’t many role players who are actually elite on one side of the ball while also not being a significant negative on the other. Issac bucks that trend because he’s only a role player, because his body has betrayed him. You can’t be a star playing 15 minutes a night, but you can help your team win.
Jake LaRavia: Los Angles Lakers
If Jake LaRavia hadn’t signed with the Lakers, he’d just be one of the many random white guys that make up the back of a rotation. However, he did sign with the Lakers. So, now, he’s the next Larry Bird. I kid, but only slightly. LaRavia is going to get more press than he deserves this season, but he’s also a really solid player. He’s a fine defender who’ll likely be asked to do more than he’s capable of this season. If he rises to the occasion, then he’ll make himself a ton of money. But honestly, it’s not his defense that intrigues me, it’s his offense. LaRavia isn’t an exceptional scorer, but he’s a decent 3-point shooter and an underutilized passer. I think his heady passing will make him a great fit next to Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves as a connective passer, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up closing games over the likes of Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart.
Larry Nance Jr: Cleveland Cavaliers
You might not know this, but Larry Nance is fucking awesome. If it weren’t for injuries and age, he’d easily be in my top-30, but injuries and age have a way of destroying your body. The selling point with Nance is his versatility. He’s long, mobile, and athletic, which allows him to be impactful at both power forward and center. He’s not an elite rim protector, but he can provide weakside help, which plays best when he’s next to another center. At the beginning of his career, he was a non-shooter, but since the 2019-20 season, he has shot 37.1% from three. The combination of size, shooting, and versatility at the power forward spot is invaluable. Nance allows you to play big or small and should fit like a glove in Cleveland’s frontcourt rotation.
Solid Role Player
30. Harrison Barnes: San Antonio Spurs
As has been the case for his entire career, Barnes is a player you love to have, but also a player you have no qualms about moving. At his best, he could space the floor, defend threes and fours well enough that coaches didn’t smash clipboards, and even rack up an obnoxious number of free throws. Now, all he really does is space the floor. Barnes is coming off his most efficient season of his career, but it also coincided with one of his lowest usage rates and the highest corner 3-point attempt rate of his career (54.7%). Floor spacing is always valuable, but ideally, your corner three specialist adds value on defense, which Barnes doesn’t. I expect Barnes to remain efficient and post solid stats, but I think the edges of his game have been worn down enough that this is his final season as a starter.
29. John Collins: Los Angeles Clippers
I honestly feel bad about ranking John Collins 29th. He’s a really good player, in the prime of his career, and is coming off a season where he averaged 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game on a true shooting percentage (TS%) of 62.8%. The problem with Collins is that he’s a tweener. He can’t really defend threes or fives, although his weakside shot blocking is adequate, his 3-point shot is historically just fine, and he doesn’t create much on his own. Simply put, it’s nearly impossible to get the most out of him without sacrificing somewhere else. Collins can help a good team, but I think he’s better suited to put up impressive numbers on mediocre to bad sides. The talent is obvious, but power forwards with no positional versatility need real shot creation to be useful.
28. Rui Hachimura: Los Angeles Lakers
Is Rui Hachimura good? I guess? Maybe? Sure? Probably not? For as much as I hate the way he plays, Hachimura has helped the Lakers win a bunch of games over the past two seasons. He is an adequate defender at the four, played a smattering of small-ball five last season, and has defended threes before. I’m not suggesting he’s a lockdown defender or anything, but that level of versatility is valuable. On offense, Hachimura has developed into a solid 3-point shooter, whose inability to see the court is hair-tearingly frustrating. Look, I don’t love Hachimura either, but the Lakers are better when he plays, and over the past two seasons, he has averaged 13.4 points per game on an eFG% of 60.4%. At the end of the day, he’s a low-level starter.
27. PJ Washington: Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks’ addition of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford before the 2024 trade deadline turned them into a bona fide playoff problem. Now, the biggest reason they made a run to the Finals is no longer on the team, but PJ Washington still is, and he’s a perfectly adequate power forward. I find Washington to be an incredibly odd player. He’s a power forward who is more of a wing than a frontcourt player, but somehow, Basketball Reference claims he has only played 2% of his minutes at small forward. Regardless, his combination of size and mobility is exactly what teams are looking for on the perimeter. His offense is where I’m left most baffled. Washington hasn’t had an eFG% above or at the league average since 2021-22, and has seen his 3-point and 2-point efficiency swing wildly throughout his career. Part of that is due to the constantly shifting roles and talent around him, but I’m at the point where I think he’s just an offensive negative. Another issue is that he’s a poor passer. While I like Washington as a defender, I’m really concerned about his offense this upcoming season. Perhaps he’ll surprise me, but I think we could be in for a rough showing this year.
26. Dorian Finney-Smith: Houston Rockets
Let’s keep this as simple as Finney-Smith’s game is. Defense? Check. 3-point shooting? Check. 3-and-D? Double-Check. And that sums up his game. Now, for a bit of detail. Finney-Smith is a solid on-ball defender, but at this stage in his career, he’s best deployed as a strong team defender or against slightly less able ball handlers. While he’s not a stopper, he’ll help any defense he’s a part of. On offense, DFS catches and shoots threes. Is he an elite shooter? No, but he has shot 37.7% from three on 5.1 attempts per game over the past five seasons, which will play from the wing.
25. Jonathan Kuminga: Golden State Warriors
The Warriors and Kuminga finally came to terms on a deal, and while that’s great for them, or maybe not, they seem to hate each other; it does mean he’ll presumably play basketball this season. Kuminga is coming off a disappointing season, but I still think there’s a low-level starter in there. He’s an incredible athlete, and there just aren’t that many players with his combination of size, explosiveness, and ball handling. This ranking is a bet on potential. Kuminga could become great. And while he probably won’t, all he needs to do is improve a bit as a defender or shooter, and suddenly, he’s a top-15 power forward. Remember, as a 21 and 22-year-old, he averaged 15.8 points per game on a league-average TS%, and that includes a “down year.”
24. Keegan Murray: Sacramento Kings
I don’t feel like Murray should be ranked this low, but he should also 100% be ranked this low. After a promising rookie season, Murray has largely stagnated and is coming off the worst shooting season of his young career. I’m confident he’ll rebound from a 34.3% showing beyond the arc, but great shooters simply don’t shoot that poorly. Defensively, Murray takes on tough assignments and can credibly defend two through four. All of this sounds like a good 3-and-D wing, but Murray has yet to put it altogether, and he’s already 25. I think Murray is a way better player than this, but I don’t know if he can show it with the way Sacramento is constructed. They need him to be a wing stopper and floor spacer, and while he’s clearly capable of that, and might even be good at it, I think he has way more self-creation under the hood. Hopefully, the Kings find religion, who am I kidding? They’re a perpetual cluster fuck. Let me rephrase, hopefully, Keegan Murray leaves and goes somewhere where he can actually show off how talented I think he may be.
23. Jerami Grant: Portland Trail Blazers
After the season Grant just had, he has no business even sniffing the honorable mentions. I know no one was paying attention, but he averaged 14.4 points per game on an eFG% of 46.7% and shot, I shit you not, 38.1% on twos. To put into perspective how regressive a figure that is, you have to go back to 1953-54 to find a season where the league average shooting efficiency didn’t clear 38%. I can’t even say, “Not great, Bob!” to it because that pretend line wouldn’t even be pretended to be uttered for at least another decade. So, why do I still believe in Jerami Grant? Well, in the four seasons before that abomination, he averaged 20.8 points per game on an eFG% of 51.4%, and was slightly more efficient than that in his first two seasons in Portland. Grant is no longer an impact defender, but it’s hard to find power forwards who can shoulder a 25% usage rate with solid efficiency. I’m assuming the slew of injuries he suffered through, culminating in his season ending early due to knee tendinitis, is the main culprit for his faceplant. Grant has done enough, recently enough that I still think he’s a top-25 power forward, but I could be very wrong about this one.
22. Jaden McDaniels: Minnesota Timberwolves
Perhaps I’m far too low on Jaden McDaniels, or perhaps most people are far too high on him. Let’s start with the good. McDaniels is an excellent wing defender. He’s great on-ball and saw his steal and block percentages tick up this past season. On top of great defense, he has been exceptionally durable, which means you get exemplary wing defense for 75-plus games a year. As much as I love great defense, the other side of the ball always matters too, and McDaniels is quietly pretty abysmal on offense. Following the 2022-23 season, when he shot 39.8% from three, he has shot 33.7% and 33% from beyond the arc. For a low-usage wing, that’s simply a massive drain on your offense. McDaniels’ reputation is almost certainly enhanced by his career 42% 3-point shooting in the playoffs, but even that is a tell. Teams do not guard him. They beg him to shoot. In reality, his 42% shooting on threes comes at the expense of driving lanes for Anthony Edwards, which doesn’t seem like a tradeoff any reasonable person would make. If McDaniels could ever develop a consistent 3-point shot, he’d be one of the best 3-and-D wings in the league, but until then, he’s a one-way player cast in a two-way role.
21. Jabari Smith Jr: Houston Rockets
Much like the AI market and cryptocurrencies, my faith in Jabari Smith is purely speculative. But just like AI– not crypto, crypto is stupid– I see the potential, and one little breakthrough could make AI the 21st best power forward in the NBA. Smith’s combination of lateral mobility and length allows him to guard three through five, and I think with added strength, he’ll only get better. However, his selling point as a prospect was always his shot, and it just hasn’t quite landed. After a dismal rookie season, Smith has shot 35.9% from three, but I think there’s still a lot of upward mobility there. His shot looks gorgeous, and throughout his career, he has been efficient in the ten-to-16-foot range. I guess you could say I’m planting my flag, but 2025-26 will be the year Smith finally shoots like expected and becomes the 3-and-D wing-forward we all know he can be.
20. Tobias Harris: Detroit Pistons
By the end of the 2025-26 season, Tobias Harris will have earned over $300 million in NBA salary. While pointing to player earnings is reductive, I think it highlights something crucial when discussing Harris: he’s good at basketball. Although he is certainly in his decline phase, he averaged the fewest points per game (13.7) since his second season back in 2012-13, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a useful player. 13.7 points per game on almost a league-average true shooting, while playing solid defense, is something just about every team will take at the power forward spot, and he does all of that while seldom missing a game. Over the past ten seasons, he has averaged 74 games played per season, which includes two pandemic-shortened seasons. Harris is a known commodity in a league full of unknowns. The Pistons didn’t conjure one of the largest single-season turnarounds in history just because of Cade Cunningham. Harris is still a good player who happens to employ an elite agent.
19. Santi Aldama: Memphis Grizzlies
To say Santi Aldama has had an interesting voyage to the NBA would be an understatement. Born and raised in Las Palmas, the capital city of the Canary Islands, Aldama, a significant recruit from Spain, ended up playing his college ball at Loyola Maryland before being selected by the Grizzlies with the final pick of the 2021 first round. However, after such an unorthodox journey, all Aldama has done is get better since entering the NBA. Each season, he has improved his points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game, and it culminated in a three-year, $52.5 million contract this offseason. In fact, I’d argue that Aldama, if he had been an unrestricted free agent, could have done far better. Last season, his 2.5 offensive box plus/minus ranked 40th among qualified players and seventh among power forwards. The reason he isn’t higher is that I’m not banking on that performance being an establishment of a new level. Regardless, Aldama is a well-rounded power forward who would comfortably start for close to half the league.
18. Miles Bridges: Charlotte Hornets
Since there is no character clause in my rankings, Miles Bridges gets an inclusion, but if there were, he could go fuck himself. With that out of the way, Bridges is one of the better scoring power forwards in the league. He’s by no means a star, but over his past three seasons, he’s averaged 20.5 points per game, albeit on poor efficiency. However, I don’t think his efficiency issues are too concerning. He has a 24.8% usage over that period, peaking at 28% last season, and his efficiency has followed an inverse correlation with his usage. When you factor in how bad the healthy surrounding talent has been on the Hornets, it’s pretty easy to conclude that Bridges is actually a very dependable offensive contributor at the four. Unfortunately, he is a poor defender, and his rebounding and passing metrics haven’t been anything to write home about. Still, scoring is king, and Bridges can fill it up well enough to be a useful player.
High-Level Role Player
17. Paul George: Philadelphia 76ers
Perhaps I’m overreacting to one bad season, but nothing scares me more than when a player collapses in their mid-30s and then gets offseason knee surgery. George was routinely one of the best small forwards in the league for the past decade, but I think age has finally caught up to him. He averaged 16.2 points per game, his lowest since 2011-12, on an eFG% of 51.4%, which, adjusted for the league average, was the lowest of his career in any season he played over 35 games. I’m aware that George dealt with a ton of injuries last season, but I don’t see him getting back to the two-way force he was before. He’ll probably be better than the 17th power forward in the league when he wants to, but I envision him playing sparingly and only ramping it up when necessary. A sensible yet judicious use of his talents gives the Sixers their best chance at making a deep playoff run, but it’ll cost him in these rankings.
16. Tari Eason: Houston Rockets
I’ve been a member of the Tari Eason fan club since before he entered the NBA. When I saw his college stats and then heard he had the biggest hands since Kawhi Leonard, that was all I needed to know he was a dude, and he has not disappointed. Eason’s offensive game has slowly improved since entering the league, and it culminated in his first league-average eFG% last season. However, Eason isn’t 16th because of offense; he’s 16th because he is one of the most fun and productive defenders in the world. Not a true lockdown on-ball defender, Eason is one of the best defensive “event creators” in the world. He hoards steals and blocks and thus stocks like a mutual fund, and he caps it all off as one of the best positional offensive rebounders in the league. If Eason had played enough minutes to qualify, his offensive rebound percentage of 9.4% would have been first among non-centers. As long as he hits an acceptable amount of threes, he’ll be one of the best role players in the league, and if he improves his scoring touch even a tad, he’ll continue to vault up these rankings. The biggest concern for him is injury and minutes load, but he’s just so good when he’s on the court, I don’t care if he fails to reach 2,000 minutes.
15. Toumani Camara: Portland Trail Blazers
Realistically, Toumani Camara is probably a small forward, but that’s more a product of the restrictive and antiquated positional distinctions we’ve inherited. What Camara really is is a wing, and he might be the best on-ball defender of them all. His combination of point of attack defense and “event creation” is rare. Most of the best players at guarding the ball have to sacrifice steals to never lose their position, while many of the steals leaders will risk a blown coverage to go for glory. Camara is able to have it all, which makes him an impenetrable wall that will also steal your lunch money. Offensively, Camara is coming off a season where he shot 37.5% from three, up from 33.7% as a rookie. Basically, we need another season to know what type of shooter he really is. However, even if he’s in the 33% range, he’s such a good defender that you’ll still start him ten times out of ten.
14. Julius Randle: Minnesota Timberwolves
Did you know that Julius Randle has made two All-NBA teams? If you’re a Knicks fan, I’m sure you did, but for everyone else, that sounds like two too many. Randle is one of those players who is fantastic at acquiring stats, but I’m not sure if he really helps you win. Since 2020-21, he has averaged 22.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on a TS% of 56.3%. However, his teams have been -2.5 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the court over that span. Entering his age-31 season, Randle’s offensive usage should only continue to decline, which is probably for the best, but it also makes his skillset far less useful. His ability to create average offense at volume, a rare skill, is what makes him valuable, and since he’s a poor defender and 3-point shooter, there are diminishing returns in diminishing his role. I still think he’s a valuable player, but I also think he’s fast becoming eminently replaceable.
13. OG Anunoby: New York Knicks
There are few better plug-and-play 3-and-D wings than OG Anunoby. He can guard three through five, and I’m pretty sure he could excel deployed against twos and ones depending on the matchup. Versatility isn’t the only defensive skill Anunoby possesses, as he’s just flat out one of the better wing defenders in the league. He’s a set-it-and-forget-it defender who also racks up steals and blocks. On offense, his ability to be efficient on threes and layups supports woeful shooting in the mid-range. Fortunately, under 10% of his shots come between ten feet and the 3-point line, but honestly, that figure should be zero. The appeal of Anunoby isn’t hard to understand. Over the past five seasons, he has averaged 16.6 points per game on an eFG% of 55.8% while playing excellent defense. At only 28, he’s a few seasons away from when we need to really start worrying about decline. The biggest wart in his game has been availability, but he managed to play 74 games and average 36.6 minutes per game last season, so at least the most recent sample is positive.
12. Aaron Gordon: Denver Nuggets
Since arriving in Denver in the middle of the 2020-21 season, the Nuggets have been a true blue championship contender. Unfortunately, an untimely ACL injury to Jamal Murray nuked their chances in 2020-21 and 2021-22, but they won the whole thing in 2022-23 and have been a threat ever since. Gordon isn’t the reason the Nuggets are great, but he was their final piece and has established himself as a true star role player. In Denver, he has averaged 14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on an eFG% of 58.6%, while playing strong defense. His defensive versatility isn’t to the level of an OG Anunoby, but he can hold his own against the league’s best wings, and can even moonlight, as he has in the playoffs, at center. Even though he is not an average spot-up threat from beyond the arc, his synergy on offense with Nikola Jokic has made him highly efficient. Watch any Nuggets game, and there will be at least one play where it looks like Jokic has thrown up a helpless floater only for it to be a perfect lob to Aaron Gordon for a slam. His weakside cutting is such a threat that teams become reluctant to double Jokic in the low post, itself a bad idea. Gordon isn’t just a perfect fit for the Nuggets; he’s a damn good player, and that shouldn’t change this season, although it’ll be interesting to see how he ages as he trudges into his 30s.
11. Cameron Johnson: Denver Nuggets
Surprisingly, the power forward position isn’t as well-stocked with knockdown shooters as you would think, but that ends now. Cameron Johnson is one of the elite floor spacers in the NBA. He doesn’t just hit threes (40.2% since 2021-22), he does it at volume (6.3 attempts per game, 8.0 per 36 minutes). There are a ton of guys who take a few unguarded threes every game at a superficially efficient clip, and then there are guys like Johnson, whom teams gameplan for, and he still bombs away efficiently. Real floor gravity is worth its weight in gold, and as such, possessing it makes you incredibly valuable. Marooned on a rubbish Nets team last season, Johnson was able to spread his wings a bit as a self-creator, and showed he’s more than just a shooter on offense, setting career highs in assists per game (3.4), usage (22.9%), and unassisted 2-point field goal rate (44.4%). While his defense is most charitably described as adequate, he isn’t an absolute no-show on that end either. Now in Denver, he’ll be asked to create less but should have the cleanest looks of his career playing off Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Second Star Type
10. Lauri Markkanen: Utah Jazz
If his EuroBasket performance is any indication of what’s to come, ranking Markkanen tenth might be too low. Upon arriving in Utah in 2022-23, Markkanen broke out and established himself as an All-NBA level talent. Over three seasons in Salt Lake, he has averaged 23 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.0 3-point attempts per game on an eFG% of 56.7%. Markkanen, at his best, is an elite play finisher, and at 7’0 tall, is nearly uncontestable on catch-and-shoot jumpers. Unfortunately, his most recent season saw him take a serious step back. However, injuries, a constant factor for Markkanen, and a completely abysmal supporting cast likely played a significant role, but those two concerns aren’t going to change heading into the season. Still, I’m betting on Markkanen bouncing back in a big way. His defense and rebounding aren’t special, but he has played small forward before and is seven feet tall. He’ll never be an exceptional defender, but there are definitely schemes where his length and mobility can be used to positive effect. Regardless, his offense is positionally elite, so adequate defense is perfectly fine.
9. Draymond Green: Golden State Warriors
Despite all of the shenanigans, Green remains one of the best defenders in the world. He can guard one through five, all while anchoring an elite defense. It’s not a coincidence that since Green debuted, in every season he has eclipsed 45 games played, the Warriors have had an above-average defense, with six top-five finishes. Defense is why he’ll be a Hall of Famer, but Green’s offensive contributions are far less heralded than they should be. He’s an exceptional passer, and Stephen Curry benefits as much from his screen and table setting as he does from Curry’s shotmaking. Unfortunately, Draymond is one of the worst scorers in the league, and that’s where he’s seen the most decline in recent seasons. While he’ll remain a valuable contributor due to his defense and passing, we’re likely looking at Green entering a phase where he’ll be at or under five field goal attempts per game. That’s fine for a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but any slippage on that end could really hurt the Warriors.
8. Zion Williamson: New Orleans Pelicans
Whether he has been skinny or fat-Zion, the man has produced when on the court. Unfortunately, the “when on the court” disclaimer has been a consistent problem throughout his career. Over six NBA seasons, Williamson has played 214 games, or approximately 45.3% of all available contests. That’s not good, but career averages of 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on an eFG% of 59.3% is. I have no faith that Zion will stay healthy, but if he hits 55 games played at his established level, he’s easily a top-10 power forward. Defensively, Williamson has never lived up to the hopes of his prospect billing, but last season, he showed, at times, more effort and concentration. I think he can be a neutral defender, while being one of the five best offensive threats at his position. An interesting development throughout his career has been that as his ability to get to the rim has diminished from god-tier to simply elite, his playmaking has improved. I think this will be the season that Zion puts it all together on offense and averages 25 points and seven assists per game. Where he’ll deserve to rank, as always, will come down to games played.
7. Scottie Barnes: Toronto Raptors
Based on the surface-level statistics, Barnes’ ranking this highly might be a little surprising. Over the past two seasons, he has averaged 19.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game on an eFG% of 50.3%. Those are more in the Julius Randle vein of numbers than the truly elite players at the position. However, Barnes is a good defender, even if he is more of a weakside helper than a true on-ball defender, and he has spent the past two seasons basically playing without a real point guard and spacing. As a point-forward with an iffy 3-point shot, Barnes needs two things to be successful on offense. First, he needs space to operate, and second, he needs someone to occasionally get him the ball in his spots. He hasn’t really had either for two seasons now, and he has still managed to post strong counting stats. With a hopefully finally healthy Immanuel Quickley and a shiny new Brandon Ingram, Barnes should, in theory, have the room and talent around him to operate as a more efficient scorer while showing off his promising playmaking. I’m not saying he’ll breakout as much as he’ll be unshackled, which are kind synonyms, but also, in this case, not the same.
6. Pascal Siakam: Indiana Pacers
If you have a problem, Pascal will solve it. For years, around an ever-changing supporting and leading cast, Siakam’s teams have been winning games and kicking ass. His uncanny malleability is a superpower that prevents him from being a star, while still providing star impact, and it’s his arrival in Indiana turned them into a true contender. Since his breakout in 2018-19, Siakam has averaged 21.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game on an eFG% of 54%, while averaging 70.4 games played a season. The only players who eclipsed those figures last season were Nikola Jokic and LeBron James. Now, selecting arbitrary statistical cutoffs to get lesser players next to greater ones is one of the true universal sins, but Siakam has a wildly positive on-court and on/off-court net rating in pretty much every season but his rookie year.
I don’t think you could build a true high-level team around Siakam, but I know he can fill in all the gaps next to just about any superstar. He can defend, create, rebound, and score, and he does it all at an above-average level. His only real weakness is that he isn’t a great 3-point shooter, but that’s pretty much it. Every team could use a Pascal Siakam; the only problem is that there is but one.
5. Paolo Banchero: Orlando Magic
Banchero’s placement at the top of the second star category is a hedge between what he has actually been in the NBA and what, if everything breaks right, he could be. Let’s start with what he has actually been, instead of getting swept up in the precocious hype that follows him. Banchero, thus far, has been a usage-hog, who racks up points inefficiently, gets assists at the cost of turnovers, and it may or may not actually help his team win games. If you don’t believe me, last season, which was his best season thus far, he had the lowest TS% (55.1%) of any high-usage (33.6%) player in the league. The player with the next highest usage, but lower TS%, was RJ Barrett, the owner of a 28.7% usage and 54.7% TS%. As a passer, his combination of 4.8 assists with 3.0 turnovers had him in the same category as Jordan Poole, Anthony Edwards, and Kevin Durant. While Edwards and Durant are viewed as stars, their ineffective playmaking is tolerable because of efficient scoring. And now for the kicker. The Magic have never been any good when Banchero plays. Over three seasons, the Magic have a -2.0 net rating with Banchero on the court– it has yet to be positive– and their on/off net rating with Banchero is -4.8. To make matters worse, the Magic’s offensive rating has only improved by +0.69 with him on the court, going from 111.85 to 112.54, and this is consistent year to year, not an artifact of a poor rookie season. So, why is Paolo Banchero the fifth-best power forward? Well, despite all of that, he is clearly incredibly talented and only a few small tweaks from a breakout. A trimming of turnovers, an uptick in efficiency, a smattering of assists, and suddenly, Banchero is the player that the general public says he is. However, Banchero has yet to achieve that, and those aren’t easy gains to make. There’s a potential tent-pole star in there, but I don’t think Banchero is quite there yet.
Build a High-Level Team Around
4. Kevin Durant: Houston Rockets
I’m probably far more concerned about Kevin Durant than just about anyone. Yeah, he’s Kevin Durant, but he’s also 37-year-old Kevin Durant. People say he’s as good as ever. And, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, they’re flat out wrong. That doesn’t mean he isn’t still a great player, but we have to be honest about the degradation in his skill set from one of the best players in the league to merely a very good player. So what am I basing this on? Well, first, offensive BPM paints a pretty clear picture that Durant, over the past two seasons, has become a less impactful offensive player. From 2020-21 to 2022-23, Durant posted an elite 6.3 OBPM; in the two seasons since, it has come in at 3.9. Last season, among qualified players, a 6.3 OBPM would have seen him finish fifth in the league, while the 3.9 he did post was tied for 15th. Still great, but not the same Kevin Durant of old. The primary culprit behind his recent decline has been a subtle decline in 2-point efficiency, free throw generation, and assist-to-turnover ratio.
Despite all this doom and gloom, why am I still relatively bullish on Durant heading into 2025-26? Well, he’s Kevin “Fucking” Durant. Even a diminished Durant is still excellent, and his 3-point shooting has remained exceptional. A simple redistribution of shots behind the arc could stop or even reverse the efficiency bleeding. On top of that, these two decline seasons were spent with the Suns. While their offensive talent was greater than the current Rockets, their defensive talent was so poor that Durant was legitimately their best defender. Durant won’t coast on defense with the Rockets, but compared to what he had to do with the Suns, it’ll feel like a walk in the park. I don’t think Durant can get back to his 2020-21 through 2022-23 levels on offense, but I think he can split the difference and be a top ten offensive player again.
3. Evan Mobley: Cleveland Cavaliers
Evan Mobley won Defensive Player of the Year and made his first All-NBA team last season, but I think 2025-26 will be the season he really breaks out. Mobley is likely a center, but he’s a center talented enough to play power forward, which is a defensive cheat code. It’s no surprise the Cavaliers have had a top ten defense each of the past four seasons, and Mobley’s excellence and versatility are a big reason why. However, defense only gets you so far in player rankings, and it’s Mobley’s growth on offense that is so promising. We now have 121 games of Mobley shooting 37% from three. It’s only 289 attempts, so I’m not trying to suggest he’s a true 37% talent shooter, but when combined with year-over-year improvement in free throw shooting, it’s enough for me to believe that he can shoot threes and occasionally teams will guard him. Mobley is also coming off his most efficient season on 2-pointers, while also increasing his percentage of unassisted field goals. It’s unlikely he’ll reach the level of Giannis Antetokounmpo as a self-creator, but I think the Cavaliers will start to lean into Mobley as a true offensive hub. Defensive anchors who can be the second option on offense are incredibly rare and even more valuable. Mobley has proven to be one, and made strides towards the latter, and I think he’ll take another step forward on the offensive end and cement himself as one of the best players in the league.
2. Jayson Tatum: Boston Celtics
Following an Achilles tear in the playoffs, there’s been some buzz that Tatum will return to the court during this regular season, but his ranking is more a snapshot of the player he was, and less a projection of who he will be going forward. Instead of trying to rank him based upon a projection (which, if you’re interested, I did in this article), I figured it’d be better to honor a great player who may never reach the same heights. Tatum has been the quintessential franchise player over the course of his career. Across eight seasons, he has averaged 73.125 games played, plus an additional 15.125 playoff games per season. That durability, combined with his production and defensive versatility, has been the backbone of the Celtics’ incredible consistency. Since 2019-20, Tatum has averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on an eFG% of 53.6%. His ability to be a high-volume wing scorer, who can actually rebound like a power forward, allowed the Celtics to build devastating offensive and defensive lineups. While his consistent inclusion in top-five player conversations is not really supported by his production, his value to a franchise very well could be. Hopefully, Tatum will return as a similarly productive and durable player, but until then, just remember that he was one of the best players in the world.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks
Honestly, Giannis is in a tier of his own. He isn’t simply the best power forward in the league; he’s one of the four best players in the world, and on any given night, he’ll take the best player in the world mantle by the scruff of its neck. Since 2018-19, a seven-season span, Antetokounmpo has won two MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year, made the All-NBA first team each season, and finished no lower than fourth in MVP voting. Good players need stats to explain their greatness, but All-time greats can let the accolades do the talking. However, let’s laugh a bit at these stats because they’re bonkers. Over that same seven-season run, he has averaged 29.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game on an eFG% of 59.6%. Does Giannis have deficiencies? Sure, but they’re irrelevant because his strengths render them a moot point. It would be like saying Babe Ruth didn’t hit for enough contact. Cool, but who gives a fuck when he’ll hit more home runs than an entire team? So yeah, it’d be great if Giannis could shoot threes, but who cares when he has more dunks than entire teams? Which I just learned is actually true. In 2018-19, Giannis had 279 dunks, which was more than six (SIX!) teams. Giannis is probably going to start slowing down as he trudges deeper into his 30s, but do you know how long it takes for a runaway train to stop? This is one of the greatest players in NBA history, and if he’s not at the peak of his powers, he’s damn close.
That concludes my power forward rankings. If you’ve made it this far, I’d love a comment on omissions and any rankings you did or did not like. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for the next installment.
For any inquiries about work, discussion, and the like, you can email me at nevin.l.brown@gmail.com.