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As we continue to countdown to the start of the 2021-22 NBA season, we now take a look at the top five players at the small forward position in the East and the West. We have already ranked the five best point guards in the Eastern and Western Conferences and the five best shooting guards in both conferences.
The small forward position is bursting with talent, with at least two players figuring among the top 15 all-time great NBA players. There are also several young players who could blossom into future hall-of-famers, but for now, we take a look at the five names who make this list in the Eastern Conference.
Top five small forwards in the NBA Eastern Conference
#5 DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls)
DeMar DeRozan gets the nod ahead of Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons in this ranking. DeRozan is a four-time NBA All-Star and has been a very consistent player over the course of his 12-year NBA career.
He averaged 21.6 ppg last season with San Antonio while shooting nearly 50.0% from the field and 88.0% from the free-throw line.
DeRozan has a solid mid-range game, but his lack of three-point shooting success over the course of his NBA career has hurt him.
While his three years in San Antonio saw his playmaking production increase (DeRozan averaged 6.2 assists in three seasons with the Spurs to 3.1 assists in his nine seasons with Toronto), it will be interesting to see how his new team, the Chicago Bulls, make use of him.
He and Zach LaVine could become one of the most formidable wing combinations in the league, a la Kawhi Leonard and Paul George with the Los Angeles Clippers.
#4 Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
Khris Middleton with his Olympic gold medal
After a couple of dismal postseason showings with the Milwaukee Bucks, Khris Middleton finally silenced his doubters in the NBA’s 2021 postseason. Middleton averaged 20.4 ppg in the 2021 regular season, but that number jumped to 23.6 ppg (Also 7.6 rpg and 5.1 apg) in the 2021 Playoffs.
More importantly, Middleton was clutch for Milwaukee in several games against Miami, Brooklyn and Phoenix throughout the postseason.
That he followed up the Finals effort with a gold medal for Team USA at Tokyo 2021, shows just how far the 2012 second round draft pick has come. Middleton has forged one of the best duos in the NBA with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
If they can bring Milwaukee a couple more NBA championships, Middleton would solidify his status as one of the best players in Milwaukee’s franchise history.
#3 Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
It’s almost a year since Jimmy Butler put up a couple of sizzling performances in the 2020 NBA Finals to help the Miami Heat push the LA Lakers to a six-game series. Butler came out on the losing side but his two triple-doubles in Games 3 and 5 of those Finals were absolutely epic.
Butler carried that form into the 2020-21 NBA season, averaging 21.5 ppg, shooting a phenomenal 49.7% from the field and posting career-best numbers in rebounding (6.9 rpg), assists (7.1 apg) and steals (league-best 2.1 spg).
Like DeRozan, Butler has never been a great three-point shooter in his career, but he more than makes up for it with his tenacity and toughness on both ends of the floor.
#2 Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
He's the youngest player on this list and someone who has a great future ahead of him. Jayson Tatum has played four NBA seasons so far, but fans are still figuring out what his real ceiling is.
His scoring average has improved by nearly twice as much since his rookie season, where he averaged 13.9 ppg. Tatum averaged 26.4 ppg in 2020-21, also posting a career-best 7.4 rpg and 4.3 apg.
The highlight of Tatum’s 2020-21 NBA season, undoubtedly, was his 60-point outing against the Spurs on 30 April 2021. It made him only the second player (after Larry Bird) in Celtics franchise history to score 60 points in a regular season game.
A few weeks before the game against San Antonio, Tatum also dropped 53 points and 10 rebounds on the Minnesota Timberwolves, making him the youngest Celtics player to hit a 50-point game. Simply put, Tatum is an elite wing player, who also walked off with a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
#1 Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
Not just the best small forward in the Eastern Conference, but Kevin Durant is possibly the best player in the world. Had it not been for his big feet touching the three-point line, the Milwaukee Bucks may not have had an NBA championship against their name this year.
But even in that 2021 Conference semis matchup against the Bucks, Durant showed why he is the best in the business.
With James Harden and Kyrie Irving unavailable for the entire series, Durant put the Brooklyn Nets on his lean shoulders and single-handedly nearly eliminated Milwaukee.
He averaged 35.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg and 5.4 apg, shooting nearly 50.0% from the field in the series. His Game 5 triple-double (49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists) and Game 7 heroics (48 points, hitting the basket that sent the game into overtime) will be discussed for years to come.
Guess the Lakers players!
