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08-23-2009, 12:16 PM
Top 5 Power Forwards
By: Alex Raskin Last Updated: 8/21/09 6:19 AM ET | 11730 times read
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Around five years ago, in a basketball-coaching seminar at Alfred University (Alfred, NY), students struggled to explain what exactly a power forward did. They had a firm grasp of what a power forward wasn't, but couldn't conjure any words beyond "post" and "rebound" to describe what it was.
It was easy to offer "Chris Webber" or "Karl Malone" as examples, but the class still fumbled through their turbid thoughts to give any concrete definition.
Before you dismiss the students though (and the ridiculous excuse for a course) remember that the NBA doesn't give itself a firm definition either. Most team sites don't specify between "small" and "power" forwards on their roster pages and the biggest distinction seems to be that a power forward is listed in the box score above the center but below the small forward.
In any case, HOOPSWORLD has assembled a list of the game's Top 5 power forwards. But before revealing it, we should discuss who is and who isn't a power forward.
***
The positions were largely determined by official NBA box scores. Regardless of where you, the reader, would play these guys, all of the following are considered centers for our discussion: Atlanta's Al Horford, Toronto's Andrea Bargnani, Minnesota's Al Jefferson, New Orleans' Emeka Okafor, Boston's Rasheed Wallace, San Antonio's Matt Bonner (which obviously affects Tim Duncan's status), Golden State's Andris Biedrins and Denver's Nenę.
Philadelphia's Thaddeus Young split time between both small and power forward last year. However, with Elton Brand expected to return, that suggests he is going to stay at small forward. Also, Atlanta's Marvin Williams and Josh Smith were interchangeably listed at power and small forward. It appears that Williams was listed at small forward slightly more, so Smith will be considered instead.
That means the pool we're looking at today includes: Boston's Kevin Garnett, New York's David Lee, Philadelphia's Elton Brand, Toronto's Chris Bosh, Cleveland's Anderson Varejao, Indiana's Troy Murphy, Atlanta's Smith, Charlotte's Boris Diaw, Miami's Michael Beasley, Orlando's Rashard Lewis, Washington's Antawn Jamison, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, New Orleans' David West, San Antonio's Duncan and Antonio McDyess, Memphis' Zach Randolph, the Clippers' Blake Griffin, the Lakers' Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, Phoenix's Amar'e Stoudemire, Denver's Kenyon Martin, Minnesota's Kevin Love, Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge, Utah's Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap and, finally, Oklahoma City's Jeff Green.
Now that that's out of the way…
1. Tim Duncan, San Antonio: There are power forwards from the field that are better offensively than Duncan. There might be one or two that are better at defense. However, nobody combines the two as lethally as the man from St. Croix.
Duncan still blocks nearly two shots per game, but that doesn't come close to quantifying his defensive presence. Even well into his thirties Duncan is a master at denying the shots of both forwards and centers. He still rebounds nearly 20% of missed shots when he's on the floor and his offensive game is as efficient as ever.
A career 50.7% field goal shooter, Duncan's biggest weakness comes at the free throw line where he's shot 68.5% for his career.
And of course, the San Antonio Spurs don't win four titles without Tim Duncan. But don't let that fool you. The two-time MVP isn't on this list because of his past accomplishments. He's the best power forward because of what he can do on the basketball floor TODAY.
2. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas: A few people may gripe about his defensive shortcomings, but that issue is overblown. Dallas' strategy has always been to keep Nowitzki off of tougher assignments and have him avoid fouls and conserve energy instead.
Even with that asterisk though, Nowitzki is still among the most impactful players in the game. Who else combines elite passing, ball-handling, shooting and rebounding like Nowitzki?
Not one other player on this list can compete with his ball skills or shooting range, but Nowitzki isn't an incomplete power forward. He ranked ninth overall in the NBA last season in terms of Player Efficiency Rating thanks to his 8.4 rebounds per contest.
If Germany produces a long line of tall point-forwards, we'll know who to thank.
3. Kevin Garnett, Celtics: It's tough to gauge his position on this list without first considering the repercussions from his knee injury. He and the Celtics do seem quite pleased at how the joint has responded, but nobody can be certain.
What is certain is Garnett's level of intensity. If his knee lets him step on the court next year, he won't be at half-speed. Garnett only plays at full-tilt which is a major reason he brought Boston its 17th title.
You could refer to Garnett's stats to see why he's on this list (20.2 ppg and 11.1 rpg for his career) but it's a myriad of intangibles that separates Garnett from the rest of the league.
Exhibit A: Boston's defense.
Garnett frequently covers opponents' weakest scorers so that he may focus on help-defense. So, instead of trying to defend every option in the playbook, Boston's guards simply funnel their assignments towards Garnett who then either forces a turnover or denies the shot.
Ray Allen wasn't a great defender before arriving in Boston. But when he's asked to defend someone in only one direction, Allen can conjure images of Michael Cooper,
4. Pau Gasol, Lakers: The post-Shaq era in Los Angeles was starting to look like Kobe Bryant and a whole lot of question marks. Then Pau Gasol arrived.
What Phil Jackson immediately discovered was that it didn't matter if Gasol played power forward or center. The 7-foot Spaniard simply produced.
Never noted for his defense, Gasol transformed himself into an interior obstacle and even developed a mean streak similar to that of Garnett's. Still only 29 (hey, that's young for this list), Gasol shoots over 50% from the field and nearly 80% from the line. He also picks up over three assists per game and is always a threat to put the ball on the floor.
His game has been called "ugly" but that's not something that hurts the credibility of a power forward.
5. Chris Bosh, Toronto: Only the second power forward on this list that was born in the continental United States (and it just figures he would play professionally in Canada), Bosh is an NBA junky's dream.
At 6-10 and only 230 pounds, Bosh can challenge big and small opponents on both ends of the floor with his quickness and cunning. His ball-handling skills aren't as appreciated as they should be and only a few outside Ontario recognize that he's one of the premiere free throw shooters among post players (81.7% from the line last year).
His defense has been questioned, but some of that has to do with Toronto's pace (the Raptors averaged 94.2 possessions per game last year).
Even without elite defense though, Bosh has proven to be among the most calculating forwards in the NBA. The Dallas native has always been a smart player, but GM Bryan Colangelo seems to be molding him into much more of a thinker on the court. His shot selection has visibly improved each season.
Honorable Mentions: David Lee, Rashard Lewis, Lamar Odom, Amar'e Stoudemire, and LaMarcus Aldridge.
The "Honorable Mentions" were even more difficult to choose than the list itself. Elton Brand isn't being punished for his shoulder issue last season. Rather, he is the victim of his PER's downward spiral. From the '05-'06 season, Brand's rating has gone from 26.67 o 14.65. The same can be said for another Blue Devil, Carlos Boozer (from 24.11 to 17.28 over the last three years). Obviously Garnett's PER dropped last year as well, but he doesn't have the same overall trend that Brand and Boozer have. Garnett also provides much better defense.
New York's David Lee had a great stat line last year, but also played 35 mpg for a team void of any interior scoring and rebounding. Had Lee been surrounded by better teammates, his line might not be 16 ppg and 11.7 rpg. However, he does wear-out opponents and that isn't represented in the box score. Lee is a very underrated athlete with energy to spare.
Suspension aside, Rashard Lewis has been worth the big contract Orlando gave him two seasons ago. He's a power forward in name only, but his shooting helps spread the floor to give Dwight Howard room to operate.
Lamar Odom is capable of technical perfection on the basketball court. While he sometimes plays small forward, his best work comes in the post. Odom has footwork that perhaps no other power forward can match. Of course, it's that same finesse that makes him an unusual fit at power forward. Odom's game could benefit from some more assertiveness near the basket.
Amar'e Stoudemire didn't fall from the Top 5 simply because he had eye surgery. Stoudemire's offensive game is nearly flawless, but his defense is inconsistent at best and toxic at worst. He still battles on the boards and is among the most exciting players in the game, but he can still grow.
Finally, LaMarcus Aldridge is right on the cusp of something special. The jump shot, the athleticism, the 7-0 frame—it's almost too much to defend. When he puts it together, he will be a terror.
By: Alex Raskin Last Updated: 8/21/09 6:19 AM ET | 11730 times read
Adjust font size:
Around five years ago, in a basketball-coaching seminar at Alfred University (Alfred, NY), students struggled to explain what exactly a power forward did. They had a firm grasp of what a power forward wasn't, but couldn't conjure any words beyond "post" and "rebound" to describe what it was.
It was easy to offer "Chris Webber" or "Karl Malone" as examples, but the class still fumbled through their turbid thoughts to give any concrete definition.
Before you dismiss the students though (and the ridiculous excuse for a course) remember that the NBA doesn't give itself a firm definition either. Most team sites don't specify between "small" and "power" forwards on their roster pages and the biggest distinction seems to be that a power forward is listed in the box score above the center but below the small forward.
In any case, HOOPSWORLD has assembled a list of the game's Top 5 power forwards. But before revealing it, we should discuss who is and who isn't a power forward.
***
The positions were largely determined by official NBA box scores. Regardless of where you, the reader, would play these guys, all of the following are considered centers for our discussion: Atlanta's Al Horford, Toronto's Andrea Bargnani, Minnesota's Al Jefferson, New Orleans' Emeka Okafor, Boston's Rasheed Wallace, San Antonio's Matt Bonner (which obviously affects Tim Duncan's status), Golden State's Andris Biedrins and Denver's Nenę.
Philadelphia's Thaddeus Young split time between both small and power forward last year. However, with Elton Brand expected to return, that suggests he is going to stay at small forward. Also, Atlanta's Marvin Williams and Josh Smith were interchangeably listed at power and small forward. It appears that Williams was listed at small forward slightly more, so Smith will be considered instead.
That means the pool we're looking at today includes: Boston's Kevin Garnett, New York's David Lee, Philadelphia's Elton Brand, Toronto's Chris Bosh, Cleveland's Anderson Varejao, Indiana's Troy Murphy, Atlanta's Smith, Charlotte's Boris Diaw, Miami's Michael Beasley, Orlando's Rashard Lewis, Washington's Antawn Jamison, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, New Orleans' David West, San Antonio's Duncan and Antonio McDyess, Memphis' Zach Randolph, the Clippers' Blake Griffin, the Lakers' Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, Phoenix's Amar'e Stoudemire, Denver's Kenyon Martin, Minnesota's Kevin Love, Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge, Utah's Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap and, finally, Oklahoma City's Jeff Green.
Now that that's out of the way…
1. Tim Duncan, San Antonio: There are power forwards from the field that are better offensively than Duncan. There might be one or two that are better at defense. However, nobody combines the two as lethally as the man from St. Croix.
Duncan still blocks nearly two shots per game, but that doesn't come close to quantifying his defensive presence. Even well into his thirties Duncan is a master at denying the shots of both forwards and centers. He still rebounds nearly 20% of missed shots when he's on the floor and his offensive game is as efficient as ever.
A career 50.7% field goal shooter, Duncan's biggest weakness comes at the free throw line where he's shot 68.5% for his career.
And of course, the San Antonio Spurs don't win four titles without Tim Duncan. But don't let that fool you. The two-time MVP isn't on this list because of his past accomplishments. He's the best power forward because of what he can do on the basketball floor TODAY.
2. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas: A few people may gripe about his defensive shortcomings, but that issue is overblown. Dallas' strategy has always been to keep Nowitzki off of tougher assignments and have him avoid fouls and conserve energy instead.
Even with that asterisk though, Nowitzki is still among the most impactful players in the game. Who else combines elite passing, ball-handling, shooting and rebounding like Nowitzki?
Not one other player on this list can compete with his ball skills or shooting range, but Nowitzki isn't an incomplete power forward. He ranked ninth overall in the NBA last season in terms of Player Efficiency Rating thanks to his 8.4 rebounds per contest.
If Germany produces a long line of tall point-forwards, we'll know who to thank.
3. Kevin Garnett, Celtics: It's tough to gauge his position on this list without first considering the repercussions from his knee injury. He and the Celtics do seem quite pleased at how the joint has responded, but nobody can be certain.
What is certain is Garnett's level of intensity. If his knee lets him step on the court next year, he won't be at half-speed. Garnett only plays at full-tilt which is a major reason he brought Boston its 17th title.
You could refer to Garnett's stats to see why he's on this list (20.2 ppg and 11.1 rpg for his career) but it's a myriad of intangibles that separates Garnett from the rest of the league.
Exhibit A: Boston's defense.
Garnett frequently covers opponents' weakest scorers so that he may focus on help-defense. So, instead of trying to defend every option in the playbook, Boston's guards simply funnel their assignments towards Garnett who then either forces a turnover or denies the shot.
Ray Allen wasn't a great defender before arriving in Boston. But when he's asked to defend someone in only one direction, Allen can conjure images of Michael Cooper,
4. Pau Gasol, Lakers: The post-Shaq era in Los Angeles was starting to look like Kobe Bryant and a whole lot of question marks. Then Pau Gasol arrived.
What Phil Jackson immediately discovered was that it didn't matter if Gasol played power forward or center. The 7-foot Spaniard simply produced.
Never noted for his defense, Gasol transformed himself into an interior obstacle and even developed a mean streak similar to that of Garnett's. Still only 29 (hey, that's young for this list), Gasol shoots over 50% from the field and nearly 80% from the line. He also picks up over three assists per game and is always a threat to put the ball on the floor.
His game has been called "ugly" but that's not something that hurts the credibility of a power forward.
5. Chris Bosh, Toronto: Only the second power forward on this list that was born in the continental United States (and it just figures he would play professionally in Canada), Bosh is an NBA junky's dream.
At 6-10 and only 230 pounds, Bosh can challenge big and small opponents on both ends of the floor with his quickness and cunning. His ball-handling skills aren't as appreciated as they should be and only a few outside Ontario recognize that he's one of the premiere free throw shooters among post players (81.7% from the line last year).
His defense has been questioned, but some of that has to do with Toronto's pace (the Raptors averaged 94.2 possessions per game last year).
Even without elite defense though, Bosh has proven to be among the most calculating forwards in the NBA. The Dallas native has always been a smart player, but GM Bryan Colangelo seems to be molding him into much more of a thinker on the court. His shot selection has visibly improved each season.
Honorable Mentions: David Lee, Rashard Lewis, Lamar Odom, Amar'e Stoudemire, and LaMarcus Aldridge.
The "Honorable Mentions" were even more difficult to choose than the list itself. Elton Brand isn't being punished for his shoulder issue last season. Rather, he is the victim of his PER's downward spiral. From the '05-'06 season, Brand's rating has gone from 26.67 o 14.65. The same can be said for another Blue Devil, Carlos Boozer (from 24.11 to 17.28 over the last three years). Obviously Garnett's PER dropped last year as well, but he doesn't have the same overall trend that Brand and Boozer have. Garnett also provides much better defense.
New York's David Lee had a great stat line last year, but also played 35 mpg for a team void of any interior scoring and rebounding. Had Lee been surrounded by better teammates, his line might not be 16 ppg and 11.7 rpg. However, he does wear-out opponents and that isn't represented in the box score. Lee is a very underrated athlete with energy to spare.
Suspension aside, Rashard Lewis has been worth the big contract Orlando gave him two seasons ago. He's a power forward in name only, but his shooting helps spread the floor to give Dwight Howard room to operate.
Lamar Odom is capable of technical perfection on the basketball court. While he sometimes plays small forward, his best work comes in the post. Odom has footwork that perhaps no other power forward can match. Of course, it's that same finesse that makes him an unusual fit at power forward. Odom's game could benefit from some more assertiveness near the basket.
Amar'e Stoudemire didn't fall from the Top 5 simply because he had eye surgery. Stoudemire's offensive game is nearly flawless, but his defense is inconsistent at best and toxic at worst. He still battles on the boards and is among the most exciting players in the game, but he can still grow.
Finally, LaMarcus Aldridge is right on the cusp of something special. The jump shot, the athleticism, the 7-0 frame—it's almost too much to defend. When he puts it together, he will be a terror.