Advertisement

2021 NBA Rankings: Top 10 Small Forwards

Khris Middleton

For the month of June, we will be ranking the top 10 NBA players at each position. These rankings will be based only on the 2020-21 regular season and will not include any injured players. The positions of players were determined by ESPN. Without further ado, let’s rank the top 10 small forwards from the 2020-21 NBA season.

Check out my previous rankings for point guards and shooting guards

No. 10 | Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors

With Klay Thomson sidelined for the entire 2021 season, Wiggins stepped up for the Warriors and put together a solid campaign. He averaged 18.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and one block per game on 44 percent shooting from the field.

Advertisement

No. 9 | Michael Porter Jr, Denver Nuggets

Porter, a finalist for Most Improved Player, stepped into a larger role for the Nuggets’ this season after star point guard Jamal Murray suffered a torn ACL. Over 61 games, Porter averaged 19 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 54 percent shooting. He also shot a career-best 45 percent from three.

No. 8 | Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons

Grant signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Pistons last offseason and proved to be worth the money. Despite missing several weeks with various injuries, Grant averaged 22.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and a position-best 1.1 blocks per game. He was also a finalist for the Most Improved Player Award.

Advertisement

No. 7 | Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks

Middleton dominated this season with consistent shooting and improved playmaking. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s sidekick put up 20.4 points, six rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. Middleton also posted 48/41/90 shooting splits.

[pickup_prop id=”8283″]

No. 6 | Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

Despite the Pelicans missing the playoffs, Ingram was sensational in his second season in New Orleans. He finished third at the position with 23.8 points per game, while also averaging 4.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

No. 5 | DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs

After picking up his player option in the offseason, DeRozan hoped to play well enough to get offered a max contract next year. That’s exactly what he did. The veteran guard averaged 21.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and a career-best 6.9 assists per game.

Advertisement

No. 4 | Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

After making the NBA Finals in 2020, the Heat were swept in the first round of the playoffs this year. Their disappointing season had several bright spots, including stellar play from Butler. Over 52 games, he averaged 21.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and career-highs in assists (7.1) and steals (2.1) per game.

No. 3 | Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Tatum officially made the jump to superstardom this season. He led the position with 26.4 points per game, while also averaging 7.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals. Tatum scored upwards of 50 points three times this season, including a career-high 60 point performance against the Spurs. The forward will likely be selected to one of the All-NBA teams.

No. 2 | LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

James battled an ankle sprain near the end of the season, however, when he played, the King was dominant. In 45 games, he averaged 25 points and led the position with 7.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists per outing. James’ best performance came against the Cleveland Cavaliers in which he scored 46 points and knocked down seven three-pointers.

No. 1 | Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers

Leonard was nothing short of phenomenal this season, leading the Clippers to the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. The two-time champion put up 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while posting 51/40/89 shooting splits. Leonard’s top performance of the season was when he dropped 45 points on 18-25 shooting in Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs.


Check us out on our socials:   
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk 
Instagram: @ptsportstalk

Follow Kyle O’Connell on Twitter @KyleOConnell23

Main Image Credit:

Embed from Getty Images

Advertisement

Check us out on our socials:   
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk 
Instagram: @primetimesportstalk

Advertisement

Share this:

nba spurs
Latest News

NBA Cup Week 4: Sore Box Score

The last day of the Emirates NBA Cup’s elimination round is finally done. It doesn’t mean that the in-season tournament is over, though. Remember, eight teams are still alive. How these teams perform should be intriguing to follow and we now have something to cheer about in the early parts of December.

Read More
Timberwolves, NBA, Anthony Edwards
Latest News

NBA Cup Week 3: Sore Box Score

The third week of the Emirates NBA Cup (formerly known as the In-Season Tournament) gave us hints on which teams got eliminated and which teams gained paths to the Knockout Rounds. With the stakes getting higher and higher, players are supposed to step up. Unfortunately, being under the bright lights of the tournament can get in your head sometimes.

Read More

2 Responses

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Browse by Category:
Advertisement
Advertisement

Visit ChiefsBlitz.com for
hard-hitting KC Chiefs coverage.