The NBA season is quickly approaching and that means its time to start previewing what the 2015-16 season will have in store. In this edition of ‘Def Pen Picks’ we take a look at the Top 15 NBA small forwards going into the 2015-16 season.
Now, in today’s NBA, there is a lot more ‘position-less’ basketball, meaning there is no specific position assigned to a specific player. Teams play real big and others can play real small. There are different levels of it but at the end of the day, every player is assigned to one natural position. So for example, Tim Duncan will be playing center this season for the San Antonio Spurs with the arrival of LaMarcus Aldridge but his true position will always be power forward. The same can be said for Chris Bosh, who played center during the LeBron James era in Miami but now with the arrival of Hassan Whiteside, he has returned to his natural power forward position. On the flipside, a player like Greg Monroe technically played power forward last year for the Detroit Pistons but his natural position is center and that list will be coming at you next week.
Here’s the top 15 NBA small forwards going into the 2015-16 season.
15. Luol Deng, Miami Heat
2014-15 stats: 72 games played, 33.6 minutes per game, 14 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals
14. Trevor Ariza, Houston Rockets
2014-15 stats: 82 games played, 35.7 minutes per game, 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.9 steals
13. DeMarre Carroll, Toronto Raptors
2014-15 stats: 70 games played, 31.3 minutes per game, 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals
12. Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks
2014-15 stats: 66 games played, 33.1 minutes per game, 15.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steals
11. Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets
2014-15 stats: 71 games played, 33.5 minutes per game, 9.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals
10. Tobias Harris, Orlando Magic
2014-15 stats: 68 games played, 34.8 minutes per game, 17.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals
9. Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
2014-15 stats: 76 games played, 34.4 minutes per game, 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.4 steals
8. Rudy Gay, Sacramento Kings
2014-15 stats: 68 games played, 35.4 minutes per game, 21.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.0 steals
7. Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
2014-15 stats: 82 games played, 36.2 minutes per game, 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steals
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
2014-15 stats: 81 games played, 31.4 minutes per game, 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals
5. Paul George, Indiana Pacers
2014-15 stats: 6 games played, 15.2 minutes per game, 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 steals
4. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
2014-15 stats: 64 games played, 31.8 minutes per game, 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.3 steals, 0.8 blocks
3. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
2014-15 stats: 40 games played, 35.7 minutes per game, 24.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals
2. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
2014-15 stats: 27 games played, 38.5 minutes per game, 25.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.9 steals
1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
2014-15 stats: 69 games played, 36.1 minutes per game, 25.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.6 steals
