The small forward position is one of the most versatile positions in all of basketball. In today's NBA, small forwards have to be able to be quick enough to slide over to the shooting guard and big enough to play as a power forward in a small ball lineup.
Not only are they asked to play different positions but there are so many different varieties of small forwards in the NBA. You have your point forwards, your defensive specialists, knock-down 3-point shooters and pure scorers.
But the best of the best small forwards are able to do all of these things at a high level.
Ranking the top 5 small forwards for the 2023-24 season: 5. Mikal Bridges
The small forward position is one of the most top-heavy positions in all of basketball but the number five spot in this ranking could go to a few different players. But Mikal Bridges looks headed for a breakout season.
For the majority of the last season, Mikal Bridges spent his time as the third or fourth option for the Phoenix Suns. In those 56 games, he averaged 17.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from 3, and 89.7 percent from the free throw line.
The moment he got traded to the Brooklyn Nets, Bridges turned into a star. In his 26 games with the Nets, he averaged 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 1 steal while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from 3, and 89.4 percent from the free throw line.
Playing in a much smaller role in Phoenix, Bridges never had the opportunity to prove he can be an All-Star. The moment he got his opportunity to be the guy in Brooklyn, he proved why he can be. Next season he gets to be the first option for a full season and will play just as well as he did to close out the season.
In Brooklyn, Bridges proved that he is an elite two-way player in the NBA. He can score from all three levels and shot 47 percent from the mid-range. In 2022, Bridges finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting so you're getting production at both ends.
If Bridges is able to take another step from what he took when he got to the Nets he is going to be unquestionably a top small forward in the NBA. The only reason he can't be higher just yet is that he hasn't proven whether or not he can lead a team into the playoffs. If Bridges does so this season, he is without a doubt a top-5 small forward.
Ranking the top 5 small forwards for the 2023-24 season: 4. Jimmy Butler
There may not be a more special story in the NBA than Jimmy Butler. He went from being homeless as a kid to carrying the Miami Heat to two NBA Finals. Despite him carrying the Heat to the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed last year, he only ranks fourth on this list.
The thing with Jimmy Butler is that there is a regular season Jimmy and a postseason Jimmy. In the regular season, Butler averaged 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 steals on 53.9 percent shooting from the floor, 35 percent from 3 and 85 percent from the free throw line.
In the postseason Butler stepped up his game averaging 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals, shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from 3, and 80.6 percent from the free throw line.
Butler can do just about everything well. When he wants to be a great scorer he can give you 56 in a playoff game, he is also a very good playmaker putting his teammates in the right position and is one of the best defenders in the NBA.
There are only two weaknesses in Butler's game. The first is that he is a widely inconsistent 3-point shooter. Last season he did shoot 35 percent but for his career, he is a 32 percent 3-point shooter. For the most part, it doesn't affect the Heat because he only attempts around two 3s a game.
The second is that he can't be the best player on a championship team. Even though he's led the Heat to two finals, it was clear that he has been outmatched against his opponents where the series wasn't even close. In both Finals, as the series went on, Butler simply ran out of gas and didn't perform as well.
Butler is a great talent, but his holding out in the regular season and just not being on the same level as the guys in front of him causes him to fall to No. 4.
Ranking the top 5 small forwards for the 2023-24 season: 3. Kawhi Leonard
There may not be a more unreliable player in the NBA than Kawhi Leonard. Nonetheless, he is still one of the best players in all of basketball. The reason he is unreliable is that he manages his body so carefully and even when he's 99% percent healthy, he might choose not to play.
Last season was a down year for Leonard. After coming off an ACL injury in the 2021 playoffs and missing the entire 2022 season, Leonard got off to an expectedly slow start. But he averaged 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals on career-best efficiency shooting 51.2 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from 3, and 87.1 percent from the free throw line.
In the last 40 games that Leonard played in, he averaged over 35 minutes per game and he looked like superstar Kawhi Leonard. He averaged 26.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 45.8 percent from 3, and 89.7 percent from the free throw line.
Leonard has no weakness in his game. He is a three-level scorer and is one of the best mid-range shooters in the NBA hitting 53.1 percent on shots 10-16 feet and 46.3 percent on shots 16-23 feet. He can rebound, make shots in the clutch, and is one of the best defenders in the league.
The only question mark that surrounds Leonard is whether or not he's going to play. This won't be as much of a question mark this season because the Los Angeles Clippers have expressed they want to take the regular season seriously. If Leonard does, he'll play like one of the best players in the NBA but because there will still be plenty of planned rest games even if he's healthy, so we have him third.
Ranking the top 5 small forwards for the 2023-24 season: 2. Jayson Tatum
It is very rare to see a player who has been in the league for six years but is able to continuously get better every single year. Jayson Tatum has done just that and has become a top-10 player in the NBA.
Last season Tatum had the best season of his career averaging a career-high 30.1 points, career career-high 8.8 rebounds, a career-high 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting a career-high 46.6 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3, and 85.4 percent form the free throw line. He was selected to the All-NBA first team and led the Boston Celtics to the second-best record in the NBA.
It is almost virtually impossible for him to play any better than what he did last season. The level he played at last year should be the expectation for him this year.
Jayson Tatum can do just about everything at a high level. Standing at 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan makes him an elite finisher at the rim and it allows him to shoot over his defenders making his shot impossible to guard.
Tatum's large size, wingspan, and quickness allow him to be a great defender as well. He has become one of the best two-way players and one of the best players in the NBA. His biggest weakness is that he tries to be a playmaker and when he does, he turns the ball over a lot. This past season it wasn't as big an issue as it was in the 2022 postseason but his playmaking woes are still a major problem at times.
The reason Tatum isn't No. 1 just yet is that he still hasn't proven he can get it done on the brightest stage. Yes, he's gotten to the Finals but played extremely poorly. The moment he can get it done he'll be number 1 but there is a man older than time himself who is still the best small forward in the NBA.
Ranking the top 5 small forwards for the 2023-24 season: 1. LeBron James
The NBA has been around for a really long time and we have not seen a player enter their 21st season and expect them to still be a top-five player in the NBA. Yet, here we are expecting LeBron James to lead the Lakers to their 18th title in franchise history.
Last season, LeBron James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists, while shooting 50 percent from the field, 32 percent on 3-pointers, and 76.8 percent from the free throw line. These are MVP-type numbers in his 20th season.
James did seem to fade once he got to the playoffs. He suffered a foot injury that kept him sidelined for a month and it lingered him throughout the rest of the season and postseason.
In the playoffs, he averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 49.8 percent from the field, 26.4 percent from 3, and 76.1 percent from the free throw line.
James can do everything at the highest level. He is the all time leading scorer and has averaged 25 points per game for the last 19 seasons. He is arguably the best playmaker in all of basketball he is fourth in all-time assists and won an assist title in 2020. He had the second-highest Box Plus-Minus of all small forwards last season.
With this new, young and energetic Lakers team, James' production will be limited as he'll let Anthony Davis run the ship and will want to get the most out of Austin Reaves in hopes of him becoming the third star.
Even as James enters his 21st season, turning 39 years old in December, and plays a smaller role he's used to having, he will still be the best small forward in all of basketball. With the revamped Lakers, James is still going to have to be the leader of this team.
It is going to be a very exciting NBA season to see who will win what and see how James plays in his 21st season. He is going to have by far the best season out of a player who has played 21 seasons and will still be considered the best small forward in the NBA.
