CS's Top 10 Small Forwards for the upcoming Season

[CitySushi]

1) Lebron James
2) Kevin Durant
3) Kawhi Leonard
4) Paul George
5) Jimmy Butler
6) Andrew Wiggins
7) Chandler Parsons
8) Gordon Hayward
9) Rudy Gay
10) Jae Crowder

Lebron James at #1 is a no brainer. After that it gets a bit tricky. IMO 2-4 could be ranked in any order based on your preference. I still have KD at 2 because even with a few less touches, he's still going to put up similar numbers as he always has because his opportunities are going to be me exponentially better, quality wise. Even though it's "Steph's Team", I fully believe KD will be the focal point if not to start the season by at least mid-season.

Kawhi at 3 slightly ahead of George because of his defensive impact, but again, if you had either ahead I wouldn't be able to argue it. I think George is in for a fantastic year with all the help he's gotten in the off-season. Butler is new to this SF group because of the addition of Wade. I think his production drops a bit offensively, but he's one of the best defenders in the NBA at any position.

6-9 gets a bit dicey for me, so I went with a guy feeling on who I think will have the better year. Wiggins will be in for a big year, and while everyone (myself included) is raving about KAT, Wiggins could be the real breakout player with all the focus on Towns. Parsons is going to be relied upon heavily in the revamped Grizzlies offense. His scoring might not jump up, but he's going to be so important to any scheme the Grizzlies have. He's a great passer, good handle, good shot and just a generally high IQ offensive player. Defensively he's meh, but he's not outright terrible either.

Hayward at 8 makes sense for me. I rewarded him a bit more over Gay because his team will be fighting for a playoff spot, which makes him more important. Production and number's wise though Rudy Gay will be right there at the top, but the stats will be relatively empty.

Lastly I rounded it out with Jae Crowder, mostly because I just really appreciate the guy's game. I'm sure you could have named a few other guys to take here, but I think he'll be the "forgotten man" for the opposing defenses with the addition of Horford. If Crowder can make the most of his opportunity, I think he has a good shot to be a real difference maker on offense. Defensively, he's really good.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I think the consensus picks here are: LeBron at #1---- Durant/Kawhi/PG from #2-#4 in some order, #5 butler.

Are you considering Melo a 3 or 4?- Obviously you had Giannis at the #4 i guess....

1. LeBron
2. Kawhi
3. Durant
4. PG
5. Butler
6. Heyward
7. Parsons
8. Crowder
9. MKG
10. Wiggins

 

[CitySushi]

I think the consensus picks here are: LeBron at #1---- Durant/Kawhi/PG from #2-#4 in some order, #5 butler.

Are you considering Melo a 3 or 4?- Obviously you had Giannis at the #4 i guess....

1. LeBron
2. Kawhi
3. Durant
4. PG
5. Butler
6. Heyward
7. Parsons
8. Crowder
9. MKG
10. Wiggins

Shit I forgot about Melo. Going to revise in a second.

 

[CitySushi]

Revised top 10, with @WiggyRuss pointing out I forgot Melo.

1) Lebron James
2) Kevin Durant
3) Kawhi Leonard
4) Paul George
5) Jimmy Butler
6) Carmelo Anthony
7) Andrew Wiggins
8) Chandler Parsons
9) Gordon Hayward
10) Rudy Gay

Jae Crowder drops outside my top 10.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Revised top 10, with @WiggyRuss pointing out I forgot Melo.

1) Lebron James
2) Kevin Durant
3) Kawhi Leonard
4) Paul George
5) Jimmy Butler
6) Carmelo Anthony
7) Andrew Wiggins
8) Chandler Parsons
9) Gordon Hayward
10) Rudy Gay

Jae Crowder drops outside my top 10.

revise also- considering Melo is there....also- reconsidering- id rather have MKG over Crowder

1. Bron Bron
2. Kawhi
3. Durant
4. PG
5. Butler
6. Melo
7. Heyward
8. Parsons
9. MKG
10. Wiggins

hardest and most important position to fill in the league in my opinion.

 

[fordman84]

Revised top 10, with @WiggyRuss pointing out I forgot Melo.

1) Lebron James
2) Kevin Durant
3) Kawhi Leonard
4) Paul George
5) Jimmy Butler
6) Carmelo Anthony
7) Andrew Wiggins
8) Chandler Parsons
9) Gordon Hayward
10) Rudy Gay

Jae Crowder drops outside my top 10.

Should drop Parsons. he won't play but about 35 games anyhow. It isn't like he will be relied on any more than Dallas relied on in MEM

 

[CitySushi]

revise also- considering Melo is there....also- reconsidering- id rather have MKG over Crowder

1. Bron Bron
2. Kawhi
3. Durant
4. PG
5. Butler
6. Melo
7. Heyward
8. Parsons
9. MKG
10. Wiggins

hardest and most important position to fill in the league in my opinion.

I love MKG's defense, but he just doesn't do enough offensively to be a real top 10 worthy player for his position. He's more of a defensive specialist in my mind, similar to Tony Allen.

 

[CitySushi]

Should drop Parsons. he won't play but about 35 games anyhow. It isn't like he will be relied on any more than Dallas relied on in MEM

I think Parsons will be used much differently than he was in Dallas. It's true injuries will factor in, but if the Grizzlies are intent to speed up their offense, Parsons is going to be the x-factor. Conley will have the keys to the car, Z-bo will do what he does and bang low and Gasol will run the high post. What Parsons does is he gives additional spacing to the bigs and with Gasol being a great passer, he's going to get a ton more looks. The difference between Dallas' scheme and Memphis' scheme is that opposing teams will still have to pack the paint to defend Memphis. It opens a lot more up on the perimeter and gives Parsons much more space to operate.

 

[Mebert]

At this point Wiggins is no more than a volume scorer that does not shoot particularly well. I really hope he puts it all together and becomes what he is supposed to be.

 

[CitySushi]

At this point Wiggins is no more than a volume scorer that does not shoot particularly well. I really hope he puts it all together and becomes what he is supposed to be.

I'll trust your assessment since you watch more of the Wolves than I do. But from everything I've seen of Wiggins, he possesses at least the capacity to become an elite player. It's mostly about just putting it together. He needs to work a bit more on discipline with his shots. I think he has all the tools to become a really great defender too. I think Thibs will make a large impact on his development. Sam Mitchell didn't do him any favors last year.

 

[Mebert]

I'll trust your assessment since you watch more of the Wolves than I do. But from everything I've seen of Wiggins, he possesses at least the capacity to become an elite player. It's mostly about just putting it together. He needs to work a bit more on discipline with his shots. I think he has all the tools to become a really great defender too. I think Thibs will make a large impact on his development. Sam Mitchell didn't do him any favors last year.

For sure Wiggins could take the next step to being elite at any point. At the moment it is mostly athleticism though. He does not dribble well enough to attack the basket as well as he could, his defense is not what you would expect, but if Thibs does not fix that I would be shocked.

This is year 3 so I expect a massive leap for him, especially with KAT removing a lot of the pressure from his shoulders.

 

[WiggyRuss]

For sure Wiggins could take the next step to being elite at any point. At the moment it is mostly athleticism though. He does not dribble well enough to attack the basket as well as he could, his defense is not what you would expect, but if Thibs does not fix that I would be shocked.

This is year 3 so I expect a massive leap for him, especially with KAT removing a lot of the pressure from his shoulders.

the lack of defense really surprises me about Wiggins. I thought that was going to be his forte upon entering the league...

i guess even for elite athletes like him who come into the league as hyped defenders- it still takes time to develop both physically, and from a skills standpoint.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I love MKG's defense, but he just doesn't do enough offensively to be a real top 10 worthy player for his position. He's more of a defensive specialist in my mind, similar to Tony Allen.

well- i kind of object to the specialist thing since he is alsop robably the best rebounding SF in the game--- and he is a terror on the break....

but i get your overall point....id have him well within my top 10 though.

 

[Mebert]

the lack of defense really surprises me about Wiggins. I thought that was going to be his forte upon entering the league...

i guess even for elite athletes like him who come into the league as hyped defenders- it still takes time to develop both physically, and from a skills standpoint.

That is why I am curious to see Dunn. His calling card is defense, but can he step right in and be great at it?

 

[CitySushi]

That is why I am curious to see Dunn. His calling card is defense, but can he step right in and be great at it?

I thought his calling card would be his ability to get to the basket and finish. Defense was plus as I recall, but I didn't know he was significantly good at it.

 

[Mebert]

I thought his calling card would be his ability to get to the basket and finish. Defense was plus as I recall, but I didn't know he was significantly good at it.

I think he was considered the best perimeter defender in this draft class.

 

[Black Adam]

Wiggy rated Leonard over Durant. oh the shock...

Kawhi's great, but he's not better than Durant. nice try...

 

[tlance]

Wiggy rated Leonard over Durant. oh the shock...

Kawhi's great, but he's not better than Durant. nice try...

I don't think he is either, but it is close. George is ahead of Butler, but closer to him than KD and Leonard, IMO. I agree Melo is 6, and then there is a huge drop off in talent. There are many players one could make a case for sliding in between 7 and 10.

 

[tlance]

Heyward and Wiggins are the next two for me though. And Wiggins has as much talent as any outside of the top 2, but he just isn't there yet.

 

[wildturkey]

List sucks. Nick Young > Everybody