NBA Rankings: The 5 best power forwards in basketball

New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) is fouled by Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) after securing a rebound following a free throw attempt during the fourth quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Clippers 98-96. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) celebrates at the end of game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Thunder 101-99 to tie the series 2-2.Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

3) Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

If you blinked, you may have missed the fact that Blake Griffin made “the leap” last season.

The 25-year-old Griffin averaged career-bests in true shooting percentage (58.3 percent), scoring (24.1 points per game), PER (23.98) and even usage rate (29.0), and when Chris Paul missed significant time with injury issues, Griffin did a very solid impression of “the best player in the league”. The former number one overall pick drew a reputation as a pure “dunker” early in his career, but anyone who refers to him in that vein at this point is simply wrong, and Griffin owns a wide array of offensive moves, including a quality jump shot that extends near the three-point line.

Defensively, the days are gone when he was a flat-out liability, and this season, he was arguably a positive on that end. The gap between Griffin and the top two players on this list is a minimal one, and frankly, he is a bonafide superstar in a league that doesn’t always recognize him in that conversation.

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