He was one of the most clutch players that the team had seen since Michael Jordan.ĭeRozan is still able to trick defenders with a flurry of shot fakes and superb footwork, even though all of his moves have been on scouting reports for years. Behind Tatum, the Celtics are firmly in the championship conversation.ĭeRozan led the NBA in fourth quarter scoring last season. His regular season averages of 26.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists had him as a sixth-place finisher in the MVP balloting.Īt 24 years old, he should continue to improve. Tatum took his game to another level in the second half of the season and NBA Playoffs before being hampered by a wrist injury in later rounds. But the Lakers could be starting both Anthony Davis and another big (Thomas Bryant or Damian Jones), pushing James back to the wing. He played more at the center position than ever last year, and he did it extremely well. James isn't really a small forward these days. He's set to break the all-time scoring record about two-thirds of the way through the year. He's still an All-NBA level player, and it should be another historic year for him. But he's made up for it with the greatest understanding of the game of all time. He can manufacture offense whenever he needs to.Īt age 37, James doesn't have quite the pop at the rim that he did when he was younger. He's able to bully players with his strength and get to his midrange spots or step out to the 3-point line.

Leonard is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and has been named to an All-Defensive team seven times. At 31, he still has a few high-level seasons left in the tank. Prior to an ACL tear that he suffered that season, he was one of the best players in the league. Leonard's last game played was in June of 2021, so it's understandable if many people have forgotten just how good he is. MORE: Offseason additions and departures for all 30 teams NBA small forward rankings 2022-23 With that out of the way, here are the 30 best small forwards for the 2022-23 season.

As Jalen Rose noted in his live roasting of Skip Bayless, positions are more designations for fans than anything else these days.

More and more, teams play a positionless form of basketball. Some of these positions may also look a little funky. But what do you do with a team like the Raptors when their small forward, power forward and center are all between 6-7 and 6-9? Stick 'em all somewhere. These starting units for all 30 teams are my best guesses, but there will inevitably be some that I get wrong. Small forward is up next.Ī few caveats before we begin - coaches don't release their starting fives before tipoff of games, let alone in October when they've barely seen how their players perform together. We're ranking all 30 NBA starters at every position during the offseason.

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