There’s a variety of veteran stars, young up-and-coming stars, and great players on this list. the Power Forward position was one of the weakest in the NBA for some time in the 2010s, and now it is one of the top positions in the league.
Today, I will rank my top 10 players at the position, with a few honourable mentions thrown in there. It wasn’t an easy list to create, and there are certainly still a few things about the rankings that I’m not 100% sure about, but this is the list.
#10: Tobias Harris
2021–2022 Season Stats: 17.2 PPG 6.8 RPG 3.5 APG 36.7 3P%
I was one of the few people who defended the Tobias Harris contract. A 5-year $180 million contract was a lot for him but considering they were going to lose Jimmy Butler, it was great to have the ability to retain a big 3. A big 3 of Embiid, Simmons, and Harris. Fast forward 3 years later, and one of those guys is on a different team, and Tobias is the fourth option on the 76ers. Next season, he will be a $37 million fourth option.
Despite his god-awful contract, he is still a good scorer and spot-up shooter for Philadelphia that is pretty consistent throughout the season. His percentages dropped off of a cliff in the 2022 season, mostly due to him forcing up shots as the second option at the beginning of the season before Harden showed up and Maxey picked up his game. If he plays as a fourth option next season, I see his production efficiency going way up.
#9: Jerami Grant
2021–2022 Season Stats: 19.2 PPG 4.1 RPG 2.4 APG 1.0 BPG
Grant went from being a fantastic role player on the Denver Nuggets to being the best player on the Detriot Pistons in one offseason, and despite him taking a step back offensively in terms of production, that was mainly due to him taking a lesser role on the team, he is still a fantastic side piece to a team that is trying to contend.
That’s when the Trail Blazers come in, as after acquiring him they have seemed to try to get a complimentary piece for Dame to attempt to continue to win. Grant will bring that with his fantastic two-way game, and his defensive ability is mainly what puts him over Tobias Harris. Having Dame and Simons on his team probably won’t result in the same level of production as Grant, but he still has a lot to offer to Portland
#8: Evan Mobley
2021–2022 Season Stats: 15.0 PPG 8.3 RPG 2.5 APG 1.7 BPG
People knew that Evan Mobley would be a fantastic NBA player when he was drafted third overall by Cleveland in the 2021 draft, but I don’t think anyone expected him to emerge as one of the best rim defenders in the league in his rookie year. Mobley settled in well in a Power Forward role next to Jarrett Allen and formed one of the best one-two punches in terms of a defensive front court in the entire NBA.
Mobley also showed a lot more offensive ability than expected in his rookie season. He did noticeably drop off once Allen got injured later into the season, but it’s hard to expect a rookie to run a front court single-handedly. Finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting as well as making First Team All-Rookie sets Mobley up to have a fantastic career, and don’t forget that this is just the beginning.
#7: Scottie Barnes
2021–2022 Season Stats: 15.3 PPG 7.5 RPG 3.5 APG 1.1 SPG
Scottie Barnes is the perfect Toronto Raptor. A team player that can do just about anything you need him to on the court. Defence, pass, score, creating his own shot, getting into passing lanes, and creating transition plays are all a part of his game. Winning Rookie of the Year was a surprise, however, going into the season Scottie was not the favourite to win the award.
He was just the fifth highest scorer on the Raptors, which I don’t expect to be the same next year. If he can improve on his perimeter shooting as well as his playmaking, both of which he has shown major signs of, he can absolutely be one of the best and most versatile players in all of basketball. His dribbling is a lot cleaner than expected and his effort level is always through the roof. PS Raptors management, it’s not worth trading him for KD. Please don’t.
#6: Miles Bridges
2021–2022 Season Stats: 20.2 PPG 7.0 RPG 3.8 APG 0.9 SPG
I was debating whether or not to put Miles Bridges on this list but considering that we’re currently unsure about the result of his case of Domestic Violence, if he is found to be guilty then you can just scratch him off this list. In the meantime, this is a fair ranking for the unexpected breakout player of the year in. He came on the scene as a 20 PPG scorer out of nowhere, and it’s interesting to see what happens to him next season if he does end up being not guilty as odds are that he won’t be back in Charlotte anyways.
#5: Draymond Green
2021–2022 Season Stats: 7.5 PPG 7.3 RPG 7.0 APG 1.3 SPG
I’m going to start this by saying that I don’t value Draymond as much as the majority of the NBA fanbase does. I understand he’s a great facilitator on offence as well as having a fantastic transitional game while continuing to be one of the game's best 1–5 defenders. Being a key piece in the Warriors championship run, I couldn’t put Draymond any lower than this, but trust me I still wanted to.
Unlike many players, the reason that Draymond doesn’t score as much is mainly that he understands his role in the team as the glue guy that can do just about everything else. While his stats don’t show it the majority of NBA fans can watch and see that he does have a major positive impact on the team, which is pretty rare to see these days. However, expect a few of these guys behind him to leap over him next season.
#4: Pascal Siakam
2021–2022 Season Stats: 22.8 PPG 8.5 RPG 5.3 APG 1.3 SPG
Just know that there’s a major gap between #5 and #4. I debated putting Siakam at #3 as well, but I couldn’t justify it to myself. Siakam had a fantastic “bounce-back year” after an overblown down season in the 2021 season. He just came out and had the best season of his career, playing fantastic interior defence as a Center in certain rotations that had been run by Nick Nurse.
Siakam improved heavily on his efficiency this year compared to the past two seasons where he was the number one option on the Raptors. While you would like him to get more blocks considering his change in role to be more paint driven on defence, that doesn’t matter as much when you consider his ability to rotate easily from blocking the passing lanes and contesting a drive to the rim.
He’s proven himself to be one of the best bigs in the game and his Third Team All-NBA selection this season over the likes of Jimmy Butler speaks volumes to how good he was. His offensive game was much more diverse and while his three-pointer isn’t exactly fantastic, it’s serviceable enough for the role that he plays on the Raptors. By the way, he absolutely should’ve made the All-Star game this past season as well.
#3: DeMar DeRozan
2021–2022 Season Stats: 27.9 PPG 5.2 RPG 4.9 APG 0.9 SPG
From a current Raptors star to the former face of the franchise, DeMar showed that he still got it in his first year with the Bulls. DeMar scored the highest PPG of his career while being the best player on a Bulls team that looked like a legit contender early in the season. While I don’t expect him to have the same level of production as he had last season, he and Zach Lavine should be a scary duo for years to come in the Windy City.
DeMar had the best shooting season of his career by a mile as well, as his three-point percentage was a lot higher than anyone could’ve expected considering he hadn’t shot higher than 30% since his last season with the Raptors in 2018. He may have sacrificed some of his playmaking that he showed off in San Antonio to score as much as he did, but in Chicago, he doesn’t necessarily need to do that with the variety of playmakers that the Bulls have.
Making the All-NBA second team is no easy task, and it is just the third selection to the year-end teams in his career, as well as his fifth All-Star appearance. Being 33 years old when the 2023 season begins, the decline should begin sometime soon. But who knows, maybe he could age like LeBron.
#2: Kevin Durant
2021–2022 Season Stats: 29.9 PPG 7.4 RPG 6.4 APG 0.9 SPG
This was a lot easier of a choice for me than it probably is for most people. Durant is the best scorer in the game of basketball, period. No argument can be made to me that anyone can score from anywhere on the court with any player guarding them as Durant can. while he’s getting slower and his defensive effort is as there due to his age, he is still one of the best players in the NBA.
His production has been proven to be as good as it ever has been, but he has also proven himself to be the worst leader in basketball. Maybe on the court is a story, but his toxic off-the-court relationships with many of his teammates have only resulted in the Brooklyn Nets becoming worse as a team, which eventually lead to him asking for the most unbelievable trade request in NBA history as he hasn’t even started the first year of a new 4 year extension.
Having the worst playoffs of his career didn’t help either, as he lead the Nets to be swept in 4 games by the Boston Celtics in the first round, a series the majority of people picked them to win. If he remains in Brooklyn next season and actually plays games for them rather than holding out I truly hope that he proves me wrong. In the meantime, a better basketball player, and locker room leader, is ahead of him on this list.
Honourable Mentions
There are two tiers of honourable mentions in this list, and aside from that this position is quite weak in terms of depth.
John Collins: 16.2 PPG 7.8 RPG 1.0 BPG
This is the player that I was the closest to adding to the list. John Collins and Tobias Harris are very similar players, both overpaid 4’s that have seen their production fall over recent years. The only difference is that John Collins is the second option on the Hawks, while Harris was the third/fourth throughout the season. He should be better next season.
Julius Randle: 20.1 PPG 9.9 RPG 5.1 APG
I feel like I’m part of the group of people that underrate Julius Randle. Last season, when he erupted as an All-NBA player, I wasn’t falling for it 100%. I didn’t believe that he could replicate that magic and he went and proved that this season. But looking at it now, it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve a spot in the top 10. This is more of a gut feeling pick.
Keldon Johnson and Bobby Portis are also some honourable, honourable mentions.
#1: Giannis Antetokounmpo
2021–2022 Season Stats: 29.9 PPG 11.6 RPG 5.8 APG 1.4 BPG
I don’t need to say too much here. Giannis is the best player in basketball, and he has been for a couple of years now. He’s a top 3 offensive force due to how unstoppable he is when he drives to the rim from just about anywhere on the court. His mid-range game vastly improved this season and it’s extremely difficult to deny his advanced playmaking ability as a big. There’s a total of one whole in his game, which is his perimeter shooting. I promise you that with the kit that Giannis has, that doesn’t matter.
A top 5 offensive player in the league while being one of, if not the best versatile defender in the league is currently coming off of his sixth straight All-Star game and sixth straight All-NBA team with the last four being on the first team. At age 27, he still has so much more to go. he will end his career as a top 10 player (at least) and will be on the hunt for his second championship next season.