Positional Power Rankings: 30 best power forwards in the NBA
By John Buhler
The NBA has a great deal of awesome power forwards across the league. Here are the 30 best players at that position group currently in the NBA.
Power forward has become an increasingly important position in the NBA. The small-ball movement has guys playing the four that can make 35 percent of their 3-point attempts. It has allowed the floor to open up more in terms of spacing and see guys that were tweeners become key role players, sometimes even stars.
The position doesn’t operate entirely off the block any more. Power forwards are expected to have some degree of finesse to their offensive game, as well as cleanup on the glass defensively. In a way, power forward plays small forward did less than five years ago.
According to positional designations from Basketball-Reference.com, here are the 30 best power forwards in the NBA today.
Jared Dudley
Power Forward, Phoenix Suns
Let’s start the list with a guy who is largely responsible for the small-ball era movement in the NBA: Phoenix Suns veteran stretch-4 Jared Dudley. He has bounced around the league for the last few years, but Dudley has had value as a veteran leader coming off the bench and stretching the floor with his sharpshooting at the four.
While it wasn’t always the seminal part of his game, Dudley has been able to stay in the NBA past his prime because of his ability to knock down 3s on offense and hold his own in the low post defensively. He’s not the best stretch four the NBA has ever seen, but he was one of the prototypes for the position.
Whether he’s been with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Washington Wizards or back with the Suns for a second go-around, Dudley is at least a good locker room guy for a young team that is either rebuilding or making a playoff push.
If his legs stay under him, Dudley can age gracefully to close out the decade and his NBA career. Phoenix isn’t anything close to a playoff team, but Dudley is valuable as somewhat of an on-court coach as his NBA career starts to wind down.