Ranking EVERY Starting Power Forward From All 30 NBA Teams

Over the last few days, we've been going position by position ranking the starting players at each spot from all 30 NBA teams. Today, this series continues right along after having already put out the videos for the point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards, so go back and check those videos out in case you missed them, but now we are shifting our focus to the power forward position in today's video. This is a position that has seen its role change quite a bit over the years with a lot more variance in how it's played between the stretch fours, the defense first types, and the stronger well-rounded forwards that may have been classified as small forwards in a different era. With that being said though, let's dive right into the list. We'll start at the bottom and work our way up to the number one spot, so coming in at number 30, we have Jake Laravia of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers made a ton of signings and acquisitions this offseason, but the power forward position is one of the areas they did not address. As such, it's looking like Jake is in for a big role again on this team despite having a somewhat poor season overall last year. He is a relatively skilled player on the ball for the position, but he's too inconsistent as a shooter and his production of just eight points and four rebounds per game don't really move the needle. Next at number 29, we have Kyle Kuzma of the Milwaukee Bucks. Kuzma has been trending in the wrong direction for a few years now, coming off of what was the worst season he's had as a pro to this point. There was a point in time where he at least competed hard on defense if his shot wasn't falling, but now he's a lackadaisical defender who plays inefficient ball hog type of basketball and doesn't really produce well with it. He put up about 13 points and four rebounds per game last year, and on a Bucks team that is now rebuilding, they're probably going to look to move him at some point this season in order to prioritize their younger talent. Next at number 28, we have Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings. Murray is another player who seems to regress further and further every season somehow. He came into the league and lit it up as a stretch four that played good defense as a rookie, but his three-point shot has gotten worse and worse every season to the point where he was just one of the worst volume three-point shooters in the whole league last year, making just 28% of his shots from the outside. With averages of about 14 points and six rebounds per game, he still finds way to be effective when his shot's not falling, but his trajectory has been objectively disappointing from where he was as a rookie. Next at number 27, we have PJ Washington of the Dallas Mavericks. Washington is someone who has proven he can be a useful two-way contributor to a lineup competing at the highest level, having been a big part of Dallas's run to the finals in 2024, but he's coming off of a pretty forgettable season for himself and probably doesn't fit the Mavericks timeline anymore as they begin to rebuild. He's a capable defender, a solid rebounder, and has a sneakily good post game, but his three ball hit a slump last season that he's going to try to bounce back from this upcoming year. Next at number 26, we have Rui Hachimura of the Los Angeles Clippers. Hachimura went from one LA team to the other this summer, going from the Lakers to the Clippers, and his time on the Lakers saw him really propel himself into the mix as a strong starting caliber player at the position. There's just so much quality ahead of him on this list, unfortunately. Hachimura doesn't necessarily stuff the stat sheet, averaging about 11 points and three rebounds per game, but he is a ridiculously efficient scorer when opportunities do present themselves, as he made 51% of his shots and 44% of his threes last year. Next at number 25, we have Jabari Smith Jr. of the Houston Rockets. Jabari is a key cog on one of the league's top ranked defenses of the last few seasons as an incredibly versatile player at a spot who provides length and switchability out there. He may not have become the star player that many thought he could be when he was drafted, but he is still an exceptional role player who can score in bunches in a secondary role, and he just averaged about 16 points and 7 rebounds per game, which is nothing to scoff at. Next at number 24, we have Caleb Wilson of the Chicago Bulls. Wilson is an incoming rookie, so he doesn't have any NBA experience so far to go off of, but because this is a list based on a combination of proven production and prediction for the upcoming season, I can confidently say that I do think Wilson is going to be in for a strong rookie year. Wilson is probably the most explosive and athletic of the top picks in this year's draft class, he's a great defensive prospect, and in summer league he showed off a jump shot that may be much better than advertised. Next at number 23, we have Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grizzlies. Boozer was selected one pick ahead of Caleb Wilson in the draft this year, and right now he is sitting as the betting favorite to win the rookie of the year this season. The reason why is because he is such a smart high IQ player who brings a balanced skill set across the board. Boozer is an efficient scorer inside and out, stretching the floor with his jumper, and bullying defenders in the paint. He's a terrific passer for the position, and he absorbs rebounds like nobody's business. Next at number 22, we have Nas Reed of the Charlotte Hornets. Reed has been one of the league's best sixth men over the last few years in Minnesota, but when he was involved in the ball trade this summer, he now finds himself in a position to be in the starting lineup. Reed is one of the craftiest ball handlers of any front court player in the league, who can attack mismatches off the dribble while also being a lethal threat from three. There's good reason to believe that he could post the best numbers of his career in Charlotte this season now that he'll be featured in a bigger role for the first time. Next at number 21, we have John Collins of the Detroit Pistons. John Collins had a ton of pop to his game when he was younger, but now he's essentially molded himself into being the prototypical stretch four, with some lob presence in the pick and roll. He's a very efficient scorer in a supporting capacity, averaging about 14 points and 5 rebounds per game, shooting 55% from the field and 40% from three. He's not necessarily a great defender, but he is an improvement offensively in Detroit's lineup. Next at number 20, we have Tobias Harris of the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs brought Harris in to provide even more veteran experience and leadership in their locker room, and he's also an upgrade defensively, which is a plus as well. Tobias, realistically, is just not meant to be in a prominent role on offense, which has become well known in his time with the 76ers and Pistons, but now in San Antonio, he can stay focused on the strengths of his game, which are defending well, crashing the glass, and scoring in bunches, while being surrounded by a finals caliber core. Next at number 19, we have Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors. Draymond has throughout his entire career been the summation of the idea that impact can go far beyond numbers in the box score. That idea still definitely does apply to Draymond, and the Warriors are consistently at their best when he is on the court and at the heart of their system, but that impact is also definitely dwindling with age. The Warriors are coming off of a season where they missed the playoff, so it becomes tougher and tougher to justify placing Draymond any higher on this list, even if he is still an elite defensive talent. Next at number 18, we have Miles Bridges of the Phoenix Suns. Bridges has been someone that can give you 20 points a night for several years now, but he's also not necessarily someone you particularly want in a go-to role. He's a bit inefficient. His production felt hollow while failing to lead Charlotte to any significant winning, and defensively he leaves a bit to be desired too, but after being traded to Phoenix this summer, he's now in a group that already has a sound defensive identity and can actually utilize Bridges' scoring ability in the lineup that lacked many creators, so I think this is a much better environment for him. Next at number 17, we have Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets. Gordon is the glue holding Denver's lineup together and has been one of their most impactful players at their best, but he's coming off of a season where he struggled mightily with injuries unfortunately. When he's at full strength, he is an outstanding defender which is vital playing next to Nikola Jokic in a front court. He makes all of the effort plays that don't show up in the box score, and he's even worked hard to become a useful stretch big as a spot-up shooter, knocking down 41% of his threes over the last two seasons combined. Next at number 16, we have Jaden McDaniels of the Minnesota Timberwolves. McDaniels continually improves year after year of his career, it feels like, and is coming off of the best season yet. He has taken monumental strides forward as a scorer and overall creator on the ball, so has his jumper, as he just made 41% of his threes, he put up about 15 points per game last season in a reduced role, and now with Julius Randall and Nasreed gone from Minnesota, he is about to be featured even more in the offense, so I expect his production to increase even more. Then on top of all of that, he's also an outstanding defensive talent, making him an incredibly valuable two-way player. Next at number 15, we have Julius Randall of the Brooklyn Nets. Randall is a good player in a vacuum, it's just incredibly difficult to build a true contender where he is heavily featured. He puts up very good numbers, having averaged just 21 points per game last year, and he stuffs the stat sheet across the board with production comparable to some of the very best at the position, but there are quite a few red flags in his game that result in negative impact. Randall, for lack of a better phrase, is a bit of a ball hog in the sense that when he gets it, he's likely going to dribble the air out of the ball trying to create something for himself, and he's just not efficient enough of a scorer to justify that play style at the highest level. He's also not a very good defender, which only makes it worse, and it's ultimately why the Wolves chose to dump his salary onto the Brooklyn Nets this summer. Next at number 14, we have Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans. Zion faces a similar dilemma as an objectively talented player who just doesn't provide true winning impact where it matters. He's one of the best paint scorers in the whole league, but he's a subpar defender, he doesn't pose as much of a threat from the outside at all, and he consistently struggles to stay healthy. The Pelicans haven't been able to accomplish anything of significance with him leading the charge, and we are way past the point of giving him the benefit of the doubt by now. Next at number 13, we have Oji Ananobi of the New York Knicks. Ananobi is the ultimate role player who can serve in whatever role you need from him night after night. He's not always going to be the leading scorer, but he will always be one of the most hounding lockdown defenders on floor. He operates well both on and off the ball, he has a tough midrange pull-up jumper, and if you leave him open from three, he will more than likely be burying it. He was at the heart of the Knicks championship run this year on both ends of the floor, and for that, he gets the nod above plenty of players on this list who may have better numbers on paper, but don't impact the game to nearly the same degree. Next at number 12, we have Paolo Bancaro of the Orlando Magic. Bancaro, in all honesty, should be higher on this list based on the talent that we all understand he has. However, he has a lot to prove before I can move him back up. Bancaro is coming off of what was a really poor season for his standards, where a lot of the time it felt like he was holding the Magic back more than he was helping, despite the numbers that he was putting up. His shot selection can be flat out terrible at times, he's one of the worst jump shooters of those that take a high volume of attempts of them, and even though he has clear all-star caliber talent, he needs to clean up the mental side of the game before he gets back to that point. Next at number 11, we have Jaron Jackson Jr. of the Utah Jazz. Jaron was Utah's big acquisition last season in their attempt to emerge out of the basement of the West in this upcoming year, and it's a fit that I do like a lot. Jaron is one of the league's best defensive talents, with a defensive player of the year on his resume, and a team like Utah desperately needed a boost on that end of the floor. Jaron is also one of the league's worst rebounders though, which is a really big negative, but he is a great source of offense in a secondary role, giving you about 20 points a night over the last few years with a smooth post game and a useful jumper to space the floor with. Now to start off the top 10, we have Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mobley, like Jaron, is a winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award, and is a truly imposing presence anchoring Cleveland's defense to great success. He has a rare ability to be both a rim protector and flawlessly switch out onto perimeter players at an elite level, and that goes a long way. He also gives you about 18 points and 9 rebounds a night, which is very sound production as a third option on the floor. He may not ever develop into the go-to scoring threat that many hoped he could be, but what he is right now is incredibly valuable to any team that wants to win at a high level. Next at number 9, we have Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Chet's season ended in a pretty embarrassing way, but that's not going to completely overwrite everything he's accomplished to this point. He's an all-star, he's first-team all-defense, and was a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award because of his elite versatility and his shot-blocking prowess anchoring the league's number one ranked defense. Offensively, he's also a fairly reliable shooter with more on-ball creation skills than the last two big men we just discussed, hence why he comes in ranked just ahead of them. Next at number 8, we have Denny Avdia of the Portland Trailblazers. Avdia was one of last season's biggest breakout players, emerging as an all-star for the first time in his career. He averaged about 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game, solidifying himself as the team's number one option and leading playmaker, and he also became one of the league's most dangerous drivers of the ball, drawing a ton of fouls and taking the second most free throws per game in the league as a result of it. He needs to improve efficiency-wise, especially shooting the ball from the outside, to really cement himself at the top, but he has done well on this way regardless. Next at number 7, we have Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers. Siakam has flown pretty under the radar over the last year due to the down year Indiana had as a whole as a team, but he individually was still as good as he's ever been. In 2025, he proved he could be a go-to guy on a team that can make the NBA Finals, and his incredible finishing ability in the paint combined with his rare speed at the position and crafty handles make him one of the best drivers of the ball in the game and a dangerous threat in transition. With averages of about 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game, he also has the production to back it up. Next at number 6, we have Anthony Davis of the Washington Wizards. Davis is definitely not coming off of the finest showing of his career, once again plagued mightily by injuries, playing in just 20 games on the season. He also put up his lowest scoring output in a season since his rookie year, his jumper was cold most nights, and defensively you could tell he was dogging it a bit due to the fact that his Mavericks team quickly fell behind and didn't have anything to play for. Now that he is getting started in Washington, you would hope to see a more motivated Anthony Davis regain top form again to get this young group out of the basement of the East, but that is still TBD. Next at number 5, we have Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson exploded last season, continuing his incredible upward trajectory that began the two seasons prior and it culminated in his first all-star game berth. He was a walking triple double threat this season, averaging about 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, doing a little bit of everything on offense, stuffing the stat sheet. If he can keep that up, he could find himself moving even higher up this list, but when you get to this range of talent, you need to not only have the regular season production, but also the playoff pedigree and long-term volume. Next at number 4, we have LeBron James of the Philadelphia 76ers. LeBron may be turning 42 years old later this year, but he is still LeBron James doing LeBron James things. He still sleepwalks his way to scoring over 20 points a night, he's still one of the best passers in the league with all-time court vision and basketball IQ, and now that he's in Philadelphia surrounded by loads of talent, I truly believe he could lead the league in assists again this upcoming season as he did a few years ago. He's not going to have to carry nearly as much of the load as he has in recent years, and in this final chapter that he's entering, he's looking to help elevate the Sixers to be true title contenders. Next at number 3, we have Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors. It still feels like Barnes is one of the most underrated players in the league amongst the top tier of talent. He's not always someone who lights it up scoring-wise in the regular season, but in the playoffs, he had a big time showing in their series against Cleveland, where he averaged about 24 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds per game in that series. Barnes is a highly skilled forward who gets downhill and attacks the rim as well as anybody, he's another player with terrific playmaking feel at the position, and defensively he's truly as impactful and versatile as it gets with a ridiculous combination of length and speed to throw at players at any position. Next at number 2, we have Jason Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Tatum came back from his injury earlier than expected last season, and while he didn't quite look like his old self, he did show significant progress game by game, and I don't think there's any reason to believe that he can't get back to being the superstar caliber player that he was prior to his injury in this upcoming season after an extended amount of time off to rest and recover even more. Tatum is one of the league's best scoring talents, he's a terrific rebounder for position, and he's even improved a ton as a playmaker with a resume that very few others in the league can match. And finally, coming in at number 1 as the best power forward in the game right now, we have Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Miami Heat. Even after a year where Giannis didn't quite play up to his own standards, he still sits in a tier above the rest of the pack at the position. A supposed quote unquote down year for Giannis still sees him put up about 28 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game, providing elite defensive work and the best transition threat in the NBA. Now that he is in Miami, about to start a new chapter, I expect him to have new motivation to get back to being his best, and he could very well be in the MVP conversation this upcoming year. And with that being said, that's all I have for you today. Make sure to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and comment down below how you think the power forwards currently stack up. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you all next time.