NBA Player Rankings: Top 10 small forwards for 2016-17
By Tom West
2nd place – Kevin Durant
Much like the name you know you’ll be seeing at the top of this list, Kevin Durant is a lock for his spot on this list. Except for his stretch of 41 games with at least 25 points in 2013-14 when he averaged 32 points for the season and became NBA MVP, Durant hasn’t really made us question who the best small forward in the league is since.
However, that doesn’t mean that even for a second we should overlook Durant as one of the NBA’s top three players.
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While he’s received endless hate for joining the Golden State Warriors this summer and for some of his cool shooting in the playoffs, Durant still put together some remarkable stretches of play during the postseason.
He used his quickness and length to devastating effect against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, and truly showcased just how deadly he can be on defense when he isn’t pouring in jumpers over the helpless, outreached arms of his opponents.
As impressive as his defense can be, though, that isn’t what we know Kevin Durant for. That isn’t the main reasons why he’s ranked 2nd on this list.
It’s because of his scoring, which comes in possibly the most unique, fluid, and lengthy package we’ve ever seen.
Players near 7’0″ with 7’4″ wingspans aren’t supposed to handle the ball like a guard and drain 40 percent of their threes like Durant can. But that’s what he does every night, and it’s the way he makes it look so effortless that we all love.
With 28.2 points on 50.5 percent shooting (38.7 percent from three), a career-high 8.2 rebounds, five assists, one steal and 1.2 blocks per game last season, Durant yet again defined unprecedented scoring ability with efficiency. He even raised his accuracy from every distance between two feet and the arc, and recorded the third best PER (28.2) of his career.
Durant will receive plenty of hate again next season. But it’s not that hard to argue why he’s the Warriors’ new best player, and why he’s made the first 73-9 team even better.
Next: 1st place - The King keeps his throne