Ranking the Top 10 Small Forwards entering the 2019/20 NBA Season

The modern NBA is spearheaded by small forwards, some of whom are the best players in the league due to their size, length, athleticism and elite skill on both ends of the floor. The end result is that they are often the best player and the leader of the team.

Historically, Larry Bird and Julius Erving are players who come to mind when you think about the greatest small forwards ever. However, LeBron James has surpassed both of those legends with his incredible never-before-seen all-round ability, athleticism, leadership, and longevity.

He's still amongst the best players in the league at an age of 34, so without further ado, let's scroll down to find out if "The King" still reigns as the best SF in today's NBA.

Honorable mentions (injured players in bold)

Kevin Durant (BKN)

Rudy Gay (SAS)

TJ Warren (IND)

Gordon Hayward (BOS)

Joe Ingles (UTA)

#10 Danilo Gallinari

Gallo is a very skilled and experienced offensive player as he can really shoot the ball well, post-up and create for his teammates. Plus, he can be aggressive at the rim when needed and is very successful at that due to his 6'10 height.

As part of the Paul George trade, Gallinari finds himself on the Oklahoma City Thunder where he could be a go-to option on offense. However, sooner or later, due to OKC entering a rebuild, I believe the Italian forward will be traded again. The fact that he has an expiring contract could be enticing for franchises looking to clear some cap space.

#9 Otto Porter Jr.

Porter Jr. is one of the best 3 and D role players in the whole league because he is so efficient at shooting the ball from downtown and is a very effective defensive player. He has also shown that he can create his own shot and get 20+ points per game if given the opportunity.

On the Bulls, he can continue to be the starting SF that helps the younger players on the team such as White, Carter Jr. and Gafford get used to the level of NBA basketball.

#8 Brandon Ingram

Last season, Brandon Ingram made strides as a scorer because he improved his mid-range shot and attacked the rim more often which he is great at due to his immense length and athletic ability. The former Duke forward is also a very solid passer and can therefore be a point forward when needed.

By being traded to the Pelicans, Ingram will be an integral part of a very young talented group of players that can contend for championships in the long-run.

#7 Jayson Tatum

Tatum's rookie year was incredible as he was the best player on a Celtics team that took LeBron James and the Cavs to 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward's returning from their respective injuries, Tatum's role was reduced which meant that his growth this past season was limited to a certain extent.

Now, with Irving and Horford's departures, Tatum can be that second offensive option after Kemba Walker on a very young and exciting Boston roster.

#6 Bojan Bogdanovic

After Victor Oladipo was ruled out for the season last January, Bogdanovic took over the poor Pacers offense and was the only guy who could average over 20 points every game. The Croatian forward is a brilliant shooter and has a very smart all-round offensive game.

After signing with the largely improved Utah Jazz, he will help Conley in taking offensive pressure off of Donovan Mitchell which can make the team contenders next season.

#5 Tobias Harris

After Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick chose to leave the Sixers in free agency, Tobias Harris re-signed with Philly as he can play his normal SF role as the primary perimeter scorer on the team. Toby is a professional scorer as he has a great jump-shot and can drive to the hole.

With star point guard Ben Simmons running the offense, Harris will be found open on offense which means that he has a chance to improve his efficiency in addition to increasing his scoring average at the same time.

#4 Jimmy Butler

With a new role as the leader of the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler can lead the team on both ends of the floor as he is a fantastic scorer, perimeter defender, and killer in clutch moments. However, if Butler is all about winning, one wonders why he would choose to leave the Sixers who were seconds away from eliminating the eventual champions Toronto Raptors in the 2nd round roughly two months ago.

#3 Paul George

By being successfully recruited to the Clippers by Kawhi Leonard, Paul George can continue to thrive in his MVP-caliber form along with the reigning Finals' MVP. PG13 is a fabulous all-round two way player.

This is shown by his career-high average of 28 points per game last season whilst being nominated for the Defensive Player of the Year Award that was won by Rudy Gobert.

#2 LeBron James

LeBron James with teammates Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma

As stated earlier, LeBron is not slowing down as he is still the best playmaker in the league and the most difficult player to guard. After an injury-plagued season in 2018-19 that saw the Lakers miss out on the playoffs by a large margin, by successfully recruiting superstar big man Anthony Davis as well as several role players such as DeMarcus Cousins and Danny Green, "The King" looks set to make a run at the NBA Finals once again.

On the other hand, it's not as easy as it sounds because of the sheer amount of competition in the Western Conference. One poor run of results could be the difference between gaining homecourt advantage and barely making the 8th seed.

#1 Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard's free agency decision took ages in comparison to all of the other superstars and therefore became the subject of high speculation from NBA analysts who said that he's either going to be re-signing with Toronto or forming a big 3 in the Lakers.

So when he decided to join the Clippers, that was already a surprise, but when it was revealed that he joined the team with the intention of forming an unbelievable duo with Paul George, the whole NBA world was shocked. As a result, the Clippers are favorites to win the 19/20 title in many people's eyes.

What edges him ahead of LeBron is his superiority on defense as Kawhi is recognized as one of the best on-the-ball defenders of all time.

Edited by Raunak J