Who Is The Best Small Forward From The 2010s?
Today I will be finding the best small forward from the 2010’s.
I can’t do this stuff for 3 weeks. Whatever. Today I will be finding the best small forward from the 2010’s.
#3 – Kawhi Leonard
San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers
I know that you guys think that Leonard should be higher, just hear me out. The 2014 Finals MVP really boosted Kawhi’s resume to people. They thought that he was a 25+ ppg scorer in 2014. He wasn’t. He was good in 2014 and locked down Lebron, but he’s not that 25+ ppg scorer that we know him now to be. Leonard was simply a role player on that team and he had a great impact during that series.
Leonard is sort of like Stephen Curry in the fact this his rise was very quick, but he was not always like this. This is not something I’m dissing Leonard about. It’s just true. Even with the fact that his rise to stardom was so quick, his resume is still very impressive.
During the decade, Leonard is a 2x Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, 3x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Member and 5x All-Defense Member.
Leonard averaged 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds with 1.7 steals. He shot 49.5% from the field and 38.3% from 3.
Leonard started this decade as a great role player for the Spurs on championship level teams, and then he evolved into one of the most lethal two-way scorers in the NBA today.
#2 – Kevin Durant
Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors
This one was kind of obvious. Kevin Durant came into this decade as one of the most promising young stars. He was a great star, but he grew into something much greater. Durant turned into one of the most lethal scoring machines the league has ever seen. Durant was also consistently one of the best in the league. He was just great, period.
Durant was a 2x Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 10x All-Star, 9x All-NBA Member, and was a 4x scoring champ.
Durant averaged 28.0 points and 7.4 rebounds with 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks. He shot 50.1% from the field and 38.4% from 3.
While nobody will ever respect Durant’s two rings and Finals MVP’s with the Warriors, they still count for something. Many people like to discount the fat that these things ever happened, although they did. Lots of people would rank Kawhi over KD simply because they respect his rings more. Fine, you can do that. But KD was great even before his move to the Warriors. He was an MVP caliber player every single year after 2012. He was a top-3 player throughout the decade. Hate him or love him, KD deserves this #2 spot.
#1 – Lebron James
Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers
This one was sort of obvious. From the time he came in the league, James was a star. He was one of the best players from the mid-to late 2000’s. Then he came into the 2010’s and dominated once again with multiple teams. James is the superstar of our times, the guy that has been compared to Michael Jordan like no other player. From getting back-to-back titles with Miami to getting Cleveland back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals to win their first sports title in 52 years, James was nothing short of greatness during the decade.
James was a 3x Champion, 3x Finals MVP, 3x MVP, 10x All-Star, 10x All-NBA Member, and 4x All-Defense.
He averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.6 assists with 1.5 steals. He shot 52.9% from the field and 35.3% from 3.
James was the best player in the 2010’s for about 7 years in the decade. And even as he has gotten older, he is still top-5 in many people’s book. Many still consider him the best in the NBA. It is amazing that James is as great as he is this late into his career. Most people of his age are in the decline of their careers while James is still going strong. The 2010’s were the golden age of Lebron James and basketball, and he gave basketball fans lots of memories along the way. Anybody who does not give James the #1 spot as not only the best small forward of this decade, but also the best player from this decade is kidding themselves.
What do you think? Who would be on your top-3 list? Would Lebron be your #1? Leave all of your comments down below.
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