When you think of the modern small forward in the NBA, really only one player comes to mind and that is the stat sheet filler LeBron James; But so far this season, it has not been LeBron who has dominated the league at the small forward position. The guy who leads my list at this position has scored over 30 points more than the guy right behind him and has dominated every aspect of the stat sheet since the season began.
Small Forward:
1. Rudy Gay- This guy has scored 230 points in 9 games already this season with an astounding 18 3-pointers, 65 rebounds, 24 assists, 16 steals and 6 blocks; so far this year Rudy Gay has been everything and more.
2. Kevin Durant- 197 points, 7 blocks, 64 free throws made and he has played one less game than most teams [7].
3. LeBron James- 69 assists and 51 free throws made in 8 games, while playing on 36 minutes. The only issue I have so far with LeBron is the 35 turnovers, but hopefully over time that will be fixed with chemistry.
4. Carmelo Anthony- Playing a game less than Rudy Gay; ‘Melo’s numbers look eerily similar: 193 points, 59 rebounds, 25 assists, 13 steals and 6 blocks.
5. Gerald Wallace- 65 rebounds, 8 steals, 8 blocks and 44 free throws made. Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson are filling up the stat sheets, but are having a lot of trouble early in the year getting wins.
6. Paul Pierce- 14-3 pointers, 51 rebounds and 23 assists, Paul Pierce is doing his job this season and expect him to roam in and around the 5-7 spots on this list for the rest of the year.
7. Wilson Chandler- The number I am starring at right now is 15 blocks; forgetting the fact he has 136 points and 53 rebounds to go with it.
8. Dorell Wright- I know, I can’t believe this guy is as high as he is, but look at the numbers: 26 3-pointers, 130 points, 40 rebounds, 22 assists, 10 steals and 8 blocks.
9. Danny Granger- The usual New Mexico alum type season: in only 6 games, 126 points, 32 rebounds and 14 assists. He could definitely be doing more, but when people like Mike Dunleavy are putting up numbers its hard to get his share every single night.
10- Luol Deng- Following Deng’s 40-point effort a few nights ago, he has put up a nice 10 3-pointers [pretty good for Luol] with 26 rebounds.
11. Richard Jefferson- Speaking of good numbers, this guy has been on fire. 26 free throws, 16 3-pointers, 130 points, 26 rebounds and 14 assists, I guess you can say he is off to a better start than last year huh.
12. Lamar Odom- He is shooting 62% from the field and has recorded 86 rebounds and 27 assists so far this year. Odom has been an absolute stud in terms of filling up every portion of the stat sheet this year, his versatility gives him the opportunity to move up this list very quickly.
13. Corey Maggette- Maggette has made more free throws than every small forward except for Kevin Durant with 51… enough said.
14. Andrei Kirilenko- 100 points, 32 rebounds, 28 assists, he seems to be doing everything this year; especially with the new haircut from AK-47.
15. Danilo Gallinari- The Italian Assassin has 12 3-pointers, but the surprising stat is he has 35 rebounds, what isn’t surprising is he is shooting 35% from the field.
Notable Mention Small Forward- Tayshaun Prince, Al Thornton, Boris Diaw, Mike Dunleavy and Evan Turner.
