The Best Power Forwards Of The 2017-18 NBA Season
Who were the best NBA power forwards in 2017-18?
Physical small forwards have slid up a position for faster, more-skilled lineups. Meanwhile, slowing big men are resorting to life at center, a la David West. As a result, no NBA position has changed more in 10 years than the power forward. Here are our picks for the best NBA power forwards who thrived in this new environment in 2017-18. Not including anyone who couldn’t muster 50 contests in the regular season. (Sorry, Paul Millsap and Kristaps Porzingis.) For more reviews of the 2017-18 NBA season, check out our center and point guard rankings, as well as our lists of the most underrated and overrated players in the league.20. Lauri Markkanen
The 20-year-old entered the league with a reputation as a shooter and did little to shed it once in a Bulls uniform. The seventh pick in 2017 shot 7.1 threes per 36 minutes, and connected on 36.2 percent of them. He also showed enough mobility to get by on the defensive end.
19. Michael Beasley
[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id=”RTK_K67O” mobile_id=”RTK_5yk0″]
The 29-year-old supplied the Knicks with volume scoring on decent efficiency, getting the nod for 30 starts in his 74 appearances. Among the Knicks, Beasley finished second only to Kirstaps Porzingis in usage percentage, at 26.9 percent, and managed to post a 55.6 true shooting percentage (according to Basketball Reference, from where we’ve culled all the stats in this list), scoring 13.2 points in 22.3 minutes per game.
18. Taj Gibson
Only Timberwolves head coach Tom Thidobeau could see a big man with no perimeter skills to speak of and call him a power forward in 2017-18.
But in fairness, Gibson’s interior presence on both ends of the floor complemented Minnesota’s young star center Karl-Anthony Towns, who provided all the shooting in their starting frontcourt.
17. John Collins
Lacking range and perimeter skills, Collins might not be a power forward for long. But he played the role admirably in 2017-18 thanks to a Hawks center rotation with enough shooting to complement his game as a vicious pick-and-roll finisher.
He also proved to be a fairly capable rim protector, blocking 1.1 shots in 24.1 minutes per game.