Ranking EVERY Starting Small Forward From All 30 NBA Teams

In my last two videos, we got things started with this series, and we're keeping things moving right along here, progressing through the rankings, with the small forwards being next to cover. Basically what we're doing is we're going through all five positions in basketball, and we're ranking the starting player at each spot from all 30 NBA teams. In my last two videos, we already covered the point guards and the shooting guards, so go check those out if you missed them, but now that means it's time to rank the small forwards, which is a position not only with high-end stars, but a ton of elite defensive talent and quality versatility. Now without further ado, let's dive right in. Starting at the bottom and working our way up to the number one spot, coming in at number 30, we have Yaxel Lendeberg of the Golden State Warriors. Yaxel was a lottery pick in this year's draft, coming in as a rookie who in theory should be more NBA ready than some of his fellow rookies due to his age and experience. I have no doubt that Yaxel will show out and prove that he belongs once he gets going, but for lists like this, I typically like to wait and see before ranking rookies ahead of proven commodities unless those rookies are high-end, top-tier prospects, and Yaxel isn't quite that. Next at number 29, we have Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans. Every year around the trade deadline, we hear about Herb Jones being a potential trade ship that could be a big-time 3&D wing for a contender, and reports indicate that the asking price for him is something like two first-round picks, but he never gets traded, and I really feel like the idea of Herb Jones exceeds the reality of what he is. Yes, he is a very good defender, but he gives you next to nothing on offense, he's not a good shooter, always shooting subpar percentages from three, and he's always injured on top of that. Next at number 28, we have Jalen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies. Wells actually finished third in the rookie of the year voting because he is a wing that competes on defense, and has stretches where he can really catch fire from three. The problem is that his offensive output is incredibly inconsistent, and overall, he hardly improved much from year one to year two. His field goal percentage and three-point percentage are slightly below league average, he doesn't generate many turnovers for a defender, and he's not much of a creator on the ball, so while he definitely has a role in the lineup, he's probably the fifth starter out of five out on the court for Memphis, even in this new rebuilding era they're in. Next at number 27, we have Quinton Grimes of the Los Angeles Lakers. Grimes was the 76ers' sixth man last year, and in all honesty, he had a disappointing season. Grimes is a solid perimeter defender, and offensively, you can see he has legitimately tight and crisp handles with a quick first step, and a beautiful looking pull-up jumper, but on the flip side, he often tries to do too much and can play a bit out of control. Grimes is also a supposed sharpshooter by nature, but he just didn't shoot the ball well at all last year, making just 33% of his threes, so now on the Lakers, where he will be inserted into the starting lineup, he's hoping to have a bounce back year. Next at number 26, we have DeAndre Hunter of the Sacramento Kings. Hunter is another player who has definitely had better seasons than the one that he just had in 2026, but the struggles that he went through were hard to ignore. He's been a two-way wing player that defends well and spaces the floor for most of his career, but last season he went cold, making just 30% of his threes, and then injuries held him out of about half the season. He still gives you about 14 points a night even in a down year, so if he can get healthy, I think he has the talent to be ranked higher on this list in the next rendition, but he's gotta prove it. Next at number 25, we have Max Struess of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Struess may not be the most versatile player in the world, but he is out there to do one thing, and he did it at a very high level last season, which is to shoot the basketball. Struess averaged about 11 points per game, taking seven three-point attempts a night, and he made them at a 40% cliff, which is exceptional for that volume. The spacing he gives the Cavaliers offense is integral to their success because the team's frontcourt can offer very little of it, and when Struess heats up, it makes Cleveland a very tough team to slow down. Next at number 24, we have Aaron Neesmith of the Indiana Pacers. Neesmith is another sharpshooting wing who can break a game open once he heats up. He's definitely someone that's pretty reliant on playing next to a quality playmaker like Tyrese Halliburton because after being one of the most efficient wing shooters in the league in 2024 and in 2025, he took a noticeable dip there in 2026 without Halliburton, but with Tyrese back on the court this year, Neesmith should revert back to being someone knocking down over 44% of his threes comfortably while giving you about 14 points per game. He's also someone who happens to be the team's best perimeter defender, so he actually does encapsulate that 3 and D archetype. Next at number 23, we have Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks. Daniels is such a well-balanced, two-way talent on the wing, giving the Hawks a little bit of almost everything. I say almost because he's really not a good three-point shooter at all, but he is truly elite as a perimeter defender. He's a selfless playmaker dishing out about a six assists a night, he's a very good finisher at the rim, and he's a pretty good rebounder for the position too, so that kind of versatility in the middle of Atlanta's lineup make him the ultimate glue guy. Next at number 22, we have Chumani Kamara of the Portland Trailblazers. Speaking of ultimate glue guys, Kamara is very similar in that regard, only he's a far better shooter, which gives him the edge as an overall player in my book. Kamara is also an elite defender with a nomination to the league's all-defense team on his resume, he knows how to operate as an off-ball threat, and he makes defenses pay if they leave him open from the outside. He's someone who will take on any matchup on defense, and most of the time, he comes out on top and is a hidden gem for a sneakily good Blazers squad. Next at number 21, we have Cameron Johnson of the Denver Nuggets. Johnson started his first season in Denver slowly, but gradually as the year progressed, he got more and more comfortable, and by the end of the year, he actually finished as one of the very best shooters in the whole league. On the season as a whole, he averaged about 12 points per game, shooting a ridiculous 43% from 3, which is exactly what he was brought there to do. No, his game isn't as diverse as others on this list, but he's a shooter who converts at a very high rate. Next at number 20, we have Maras Bozelis of the Chicago Bulls. Bozelis is an interesting young talent because some of his tape shows off a player with a clear all-star upside, but through two seasons, he is still pretty raw overall and has a ways to go before he gets to his peak. He's a legit 6'9", with impressive ball skills, who poses for matchup nightmares for opposing teams, and some of the ways he gets to finishing around the rim just look unfair. He's still very thin though, so he struggles with physicality. He turns the ball over a bit too much and his overall efficiency is decent at best, but as long as he and the Bulls stay the course, he could be a big-time player here in the future. Next at number 19, we have Jaime Jaquez of the Milwaukee Bucks. Jaquez has been the Miami Heat's 6th man the last three seasons and is coming off of a campaign where he nearly won the 6th man of the year award, but now after being included in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, it's looking like he'll be in the starting lineup. Jaquez is a highly skilled, big-bodied wing player who navigates his way to the rim with ease and is a very efficient finisher in the paint. He averages about 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, so pretty balanced production across the board, and while he's not much of a 3-point shooter, he's a very good productive secondary option on offense. Next at number 18, we have Asar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons. Asar is one of the most impactful defenders in the entire NBA right now and was a big factor in the Pistons finishing as the one seed in the East last year. He was named first-team all-defense, he was a finalist for the defensive player of the year award, and he led the league in steals. Thompson is an incredible athlete with the size, length, and speed to absolutely hound the opposition, and in transition, he is a weapon. He just desperately needs to improve on the offensive side of the ball because at the moment, he's a complete non-threat as a shooter, which suffocates the floor a bit for this team. Next at number 17, we have Devin Vassell of the San Antonio Spurs. Vassell has had seasons previously where he's put up bigger numbers, but now that the Spurs are one of the league's top contenders, he has settled into a role where he's out there to punish defenses shooting the ball and be a spark plug in the middle of that lineup. He's one of the better 3-and-D guys in the game today, and he played a big role in the Spurs making a run to the NBA finals, demonstrating that he does provide winning value. Next at number 16, we have Andrew Wiggins of the Miami Heat. A couple seasons ago, it felt like Wiggins was starting to fall off a bit as a player, but now he's coming off of what was quietly a pretty strong year for him. Wiggins averaged about 15 points and 5 rebounds per game, shooting a red hot 47% from the field and 41% from three. His defensive work rate is still solid, and he's an incredibly efficient source of offense, which will be pretty important this year in order to space the floor out for newly acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo. Next at number 15, we have Ayo Dasumu of the Minnesota Timberwolves. After all of the moves that this team made in the offseason, it looks like they're about to run a three-guard lineup, so while Dasumu isn't naturally a small forward, he is still someone talented enough to thrive in this regard. Dasumu is a terrific defender with a strong frame and long arms, and on top of that, his defensive work rate has also gotten better and better, plus his offense has improved so much. Last season, he averaged about 15 points and 4 assists per game, and was one of the most efficient secondary scorers in the whole league, making 52% of his shots and 44% of his threes. Then in the playoffs, he exploded for a pivotal 43-point game for Minnesota, showing just how good he can actually be as a scorer when needed. I know Dabansa is a completely unproven player in the league at the moment, but as the number one pick in a loaded draft class, I am comfortable ranking him pretty far up this list because I find it very difficult to imagine him genuinely struggling. Dabansa is one of the most impressive scoring talents we've seen come through the ranks in recent memory, as a 6'9 creator that blows by slower guys with his size, and he abuses smaller, quicker guys that they put on him too. He's someone I could easily see average over 20 points per game as a rookie, and because of that confidence I have in him, the top half of the list is where I'm going to be before he even debuts. Next at number 13, we have Paul George of the Boston Celtics. The Celtics turns heads for all of the wrong reasons when they traded Jalen Brown for Paul George, because at this point in his career, George is just not close to being a star caliber player anymore. His last two seasons in Philadelphia have been filled with injuries and noticeable regression in his production, averaging about 17 points per game, shooting 44% from the field and 39% from three. George is still a good shooter of the ball, and if he's healthy he can play some strong defense out on the perimeter, but he's a role player at this point, and he's being paid a supermax contract at the end of the day. Next at number 12, we have Mikael Bridges of the New York Knicks. Bridges was brought to New York for a ridiculous five first round picks, which got ridiculed at the time, but after helping the Knicks win a ring this year, that price has proven to be well worth it. Bridges is another player that fights as hard as anybody on defense out on the perimeter, and on offense, he's a competent floor-spacing shooter of the ball with a nice pull-up jumper in the mid-range, and is a smart enough decision maker to keep the ball moving and not force things, so he knows how to impact winning without having to stuff the stat sheet to do it. Next at number 11, we have Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets. Miller just had the best season of his career, and now he's entering a year where he will likely be the team's number one option on offense without lamello ball there anymore. Miller jacks up a ton of threes per game, averaging about eight attempts a night, and he knocked them down at a solid 38 percent clip, which justifies that volume. Overall, he averaged about 20 points per game, which is a number that will surely go up this year under the circumstances, and he's also the heart of the team's defense, so he should be in for a year that could propel him up further on this list. Now to start off the top 10, we have Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic. Franz unfortunately struggled mightily with injuries this season, which set him back a bit after breaking out in a big way in 2025, but even with this setback, he is still top 10 at the position. He may not be a very good three-point shooter, but he's a very crafty, strong-bodied wing that plays good defense, has a high basketball IQ, and is an effective slasher getting to the rim, and when he's at full strength, has shown that he can be a big-time scorer in this league. It's been a big debate about whether the Magic should commit to building around him or Paulo Banqueiro, and for that to even be a conversation, it speaks on how good Franz has become. Next at number nine, we have Brandon Ingram of the Toronto Raptors. Ingram's current team is still up in the air, as he was included in the Kawhi Leonard trade that has been put on pause due to an ongoing investigation, so he may actually be the Clippers starting small forward, but that needs to sort itself out first. Ingram put up an efficient 21 points per game, giving this group another reliable shot creator to alleviate things for everybody else on the Raptors. Ingram unfortunately had a really poor showing in the playoffs though, which hurt his team's chances of winning a very winnable series against Cleveland, and that does get taken into account on a list like this, but overall, he's still in the upper echelon of the position. Next at number eight, we have Michael Porter Jr. of the Brooklyn Nets. Porter spent most of his career as a third option on offense in Denver, playing strictly off ball, spacing the floor, playing off of the playmaking of Nikola Jokic, so when they shipped him out to Brooklyn, it was the first time he could truly play freely, and he exploded in this freedom. Porter just averaged about 24 points and seven rebounds per game, while also dishing out about three assists a night, and if you know anything about Michael Porter Jr., you know that those assist numbers are the most shocking of all. He was an efficient, high-volume, three-point shooter who displayed more on-ball creation than ever before, and all of a sudden, he's become one of the most valuable trade pieces if Brooklyn ever do want to cash in on him. Next at number seven, we have Laurie Markkinen of the Utah Jazz. Markkinen's time in Utah has seen a lot of ups and downs, but he's coming off of what was his best season in terms of pure scoring output, averaging 27 points per game, and overall, he's regained his confidence as a go-to scoring threat, which seemed to be wavering a bit in 2025. Laurie is a seven-footer that completely plays as a wing, with a handle that causes matchup nightmares, and a pure shooting stroke that he can easily get off over most small forwards because of his size. Next season, Utah seems geared up to make a playoff push, which will be a big moment in Markkinen's career because he's largely only played for tanking teams. Next at number six, we have Dylan Brooks of the Phoenix Suns. I don't think anybody anticipated Brooks being able to bolster his reputation to this degree after he was ostracized from Memphis a few years ago, yet Dylan Brooks' stock has never been higher than it is right now, league-wide. Brooks is a truly elite defender, not only for the work he himself puts in on that end, but for how contagious his energy is on that end of the floor through his leadership in the locker room, and it's demonstrated by Phoenix being one of the top-ranked defenses last year. He is a tone setter that establishes a tough-nosed culture wherever he goes, and leads by example and backs it up. He also just averaged a career high 20 points per game, improving a ton in that regard as well, and that kind of two-way impact has shot him way up this list. Next at number five, we have Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Last season was pretty much a complete wash for Williams, who missed over half the season due to nagging injuries, and when he was on the court just never really looked like himself. This is a real cause for concern, don't get me wrong, but after the incredible season that he had in 2025 where he was one of the best two-way wings in the entire league and helped the Thunder win the championship, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, expecting him to return to form this upcoming season now that he has had some time to rest and fully recover in the offseason. If he doesn't though, he will be sinking quite a bit down this list in the next rendition. Next at number four, we have Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks. Flagg was the rookie of the year last season, and it feels like that's the floor of what Flagg is capable of. Putting up about 21 points, seven rebounds, and four and a half assists per game is already incredible output, and yet he's also capable of so much more, which I believe he will show with a year of experience now under his belt. I mean, he's somehow still just 19 years old, and was the youngest player in NBA history to drop 40 points in a game and to drop 50 points in a game. On top of that, he has elite defensive IQ and feel, he's a genuine two-way star before he can even legally drink a beer, and he has real superstar upside. Next at number three, we have Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets. Durant's been doing what he's been doing for so long now that it feels like his longevity gets taken for granted compared to other greats from his generation. He's still one of the most efficient three-level scorers going, having just averaged about 26 points a night, nearly joining the 50-40-90 club. The problem is that Kevin Durant and that experience always seems to come with a bit of drama. Social media hiccups have been a storyline too many times for Durant, and unfortunately his and the team's season didn't quite end on the note that they were hoping for, but regardless, Durant continues to be one of the best at the position, even as he's about to turn 38 years old. Next at number two, we have Jalen Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers. Brown is coming off of the best year of his career, and the Celtics saw that and decided that they needed to swap him out for an old washed-up Paul George. In the absence of Jason Tatum last year, Jalen Brown kept the Celtics afloat, stepping into a lead role, keeping the group near the top of the standings without Tatum, and individually, Brown averaged about 29 points per game, which ranked fourth in the entire NBA last year. Now that he's in Philadelphia, he finds himself in the middle of an absolutely loaded lineup, so while his individual production will likely dip, it may help his efficiency improve due to the shot quality likely increasing. And finally, coming in at number one as the best starting small forward, we have Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers. As I discussed with Brandon Ingram, Leonard may actually be headed to Toronto, but the trade is on pause until the league's ongoing investigation into Leonard and the Clippers' business dealings concludes. Still though, who would have thought that we'd get a complete Kawhi Leonard resurgence like this? Leonard has had a lot of great seasons in his career, yet last season is when he just put up a career high, scoring the ball, averaging about 28 points per game, shooting 50% from the field, and 39% from three. There was a point in time where he was looking somewhat washed up, but has managed to completely return to form and prove that he still has a lot left in the tank. 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 small forwards currently stack up. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you all next time.