Having a fairly good starting small forward is now a must-have for NBA teams. With how the game is played today, many of these guys are tasked with defending well and scoring at the same time. Small forwards need to be flexible and versatile at all times. The birth of the three-and-D wing truly emphasized the importance of this position in the association within the past decade or so.
Ranking all of the players on this list will be challenging, as the small forward spot is loaded with big-name players throughout the league.
Who are the top small forwards in the NBA this 2024-2025 season?
30. Derrick Jones Jr. (Los Angeles Clippers)
You know it’s a tough list when Derrick Jones Jr. is ranked 30th. He’s a super athletic player with a developing three-point shot. After a career year with Dallas on a minimum contract, he secured the bag with the Clippers this offseason.
29. Grant Williams (Charlotte Hornets)
Another Dallas alumni, Williams struggled on the floor when he was given a starting role for both the Mavs and the Hornets last season. Does he still have some room for improvement? Yes, especially if he can develop some consistency with his jump shot.
28. Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks)
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The 2024 draft class really doesn’t have much fanfare across the NBA landscape this season. In all honesty, Risacher looks sneakily good despite his young age. The 2024 number-one overall pick is out to surprise everybody this year.
27. Harrison Barnes (San Antonio Spurs)
After a few seasons with the Kings, Barnes is now donning the Spurs jersey. At 32 years old, expect him to provide veteran guidance to this young San Antonio while still retaining his ability to provide some scoring.
26. Max Strus (Cleveland Cavaliers)
For an undrafted play, Strus truly carved out a nice NBA career at the small forward spot. He’s deadly from beyond the arc once he gets it going and does not shy away from taking the big shots when the game goes to the wire.
25. Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons)
Thompson has shown that he can be a nightly double-double threat in the league during his rookie year with the Pistons. He crashes the boards well for his size and plays to his strength on the defensive side of the court.
Also Read: Ranking All 30 NBA Teams Starting Small Forwards From WORST To FIRST For The 2023-24 Season
24. Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors)
Uh oh…Warriors fans definitely don’t want to see Wiggins ranked this low, but his play has regressed significantly since the 2021-2022 campaign. It’s hard to gauge which version of him will show up for the Dubs this year.
23. Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota Timberwolves)
McDaniels knows his role for Minnesota, and that’s to disrupt their opponent’s best offensive player on the defensive side of the floor. While he’s not asked to generate offense, he’s a decent shooter on corner threes.
22. Luguentz Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Dort had a down year with OKC, and his scoring has regressed over the past three years. His value truly lies on the defensive end. Have you seen how he pestered Luka Doncic in their 2024 playoff series? He’s one of the toughest small forwards in the NBA today.
21. Josh Hart (New York Knicks)
Hart at 20? New York’s heart and soul? That’s how tough this list is to rank. Hart truly embraced the Knicks culture and played his heart out for the team since arriving there in 2022. He rebounds the ball well despite only standing at 6 foot 4.
20. Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
This was a tough pill to swallow, ranking Middleton this low. The truth is he’s no longer the star he once was due to all the injury woes he’s suffered in the last couple of years. Can he stay relatively healthy throughout the season?
19. Dillon Brooks (Houston Rockets)
Brooks struggled with his shot with Houston last season but still retained his reputation as a pesky defender. There’s hope that he could turn it around this year, as he’s had a good showing while playing for Canada in the 2024 Olympics.
18. Kyle Kuzma (Washington Wizards)
Are Kuzma’s numbers inflated? Due to the Wizard’s abysmal showing in the 2023-2024 season, it certainly looks like it. While he’s coveted by numerous contenders around the league, it looks like he’s content on jacking up shots with much further consequences for the Wizards for years to come.
17. Deni Avdija (Portland Trail Blazers)
Avdija was a revelation for the Wizards last season, as his numbers all jumped up across the board. The game finally slowed down for the former lottery pick. Now, with the Blazers, he is bound to have another career year and establish himself as one of the NBA’s best small forwards.
16. Aaron Nesmith (Indiana Pacers)
With an improved outside shot and defense, Nesmith showed Indiana that he was capable of handling a bigger role for this young squad last season. Pacers fans should be excited about his further growth as he’s on his way to becoming a very good small forward in the NBA.
15. Cameron Johnson (Brooklyn Nets)
Johnson had to deal with a few injury woes for the Nets for most of last season. With Mikal Bridges gone, he’ll be primarily tasked to shoulder the offensive load of the team alongside mercurial guard Cam Thomas, should he stay healthy.
14. RJ Barrett (Toronto Raptors)
After his trade from the Knicks to the Raptors at last season’s trade deadline, Barrett started to show the world why he was taken as the third overall pick in the 2019 draft. This year will be a challenging time for him as he’s expected to switch from being a two-guard to a small forward for Toronto for the 2024-2025 NBA season.
13. Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls)
LaVine only played 25 games for the Bulls for the 2023-2024 season due to injuries. He’s expected to shoulder a ton of offense for Chicago this year as DeMar DeRozan is no longer part of the roster.
12. Klay Thompson (Dallas Mavericks)
Thompson looked like he lost a step or two in recent years. His jump shot looked a bit shaky, especially on the three-point line. Maybe a change of scenery this season will help him get back into his old form now that he’s with Dallas.
11. Michael Porter Jr. (Denver Nuggets)
After missing a lot of time during the earlier part of his career, MPJ played in an impressive 81 games for the Nuggets last season. Now, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope jumping ship to Orlando, he needs to add to his game and become a much more potent scorer for Denver moving forward.
10. Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans)
Ingram’s future with New Orleans is still pretty much in the air right now. When healthy and engaged, he’s one of the best-scoring small forwards in the NBA. Is his behind-the-scenes feud with the Pelicans management going to hurt his play this season?
9. Bradley Beal (Phoenix Suns)
Beal had a relatively quiet year for the Suns due to the adjustments he personally made to accommodate the playstyle of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. With Tyus Jones in town playing the point, Beal will be thrust into new territory and is expected to play the small forward spot for this team this year.
8. Desmond Bane (Memphis Grizzlies)
Bane proved to everybody in the league that he was capable of handling the scoring load for the Grizzlies when Ja Morant was out during the early part of the 2023-2024 season. He was having a career year with them, but an injury cut it short after just 42 games.
7. Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic)
Wagner’s numbers went up with the Magic due to his maturity and solid play on the court. He is widely considered the second-best player for this young Orlando team behind star Paolo Banchero.
6. Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz)
For the third year in a row, Markkanen assumes the role of Utah’s main man on the offensive side of the floor. He’ll slide back to the small forward spot for them this NBA season, his natural spot. He’s a potent scorer in all three levels.
5. DeMar DeRozan (Sacramento Kings)
Coming home to California should do wonders for DeRozan’s personal game and the Kings. Despite being at the back end of his prime, DeRozan continues to silence critics regarding his effectiveness in the scoring department.
4. Paul George (Philadelphia 76ers)
George has proven that he can be the number-one option on the team, even with Kawhi Leonard’s extensive absences from the court during his time with the Clippers. Now, with the Sixers, he’ll be given a ton of neat looks from anywhere on the floor, with Embiid and Maxey commanding the brunt of opponents’ defense.
3. Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
Since joining the Heat in 2019, Butler has become the man for Miami, leading them to two NBA Finals appearances within the last five years. However, injury woes have started to hound him in recent seasons. But it’s hard to bet against Jimmy, as he is capable of turning it all around in an instant and leading this Miami team to success whenever he’s healthy.
2. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
Arguably the GOAT, James continues to defy everybody’s expectations as he turns into a 40-year-old freak train this season. His numbers from 2003 until this day are somewhat identical, which is mind-boggling. LBJ is still the main man of this Lakers team, regardless of what pundits might say.
1. Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
Jaylen Brown silenced all his critics after he was awarded the Finals MVP after the Celtics won it all last June. He is proving to everyone that while Jayson Tatum is widely viewed as the alpha on this Celtics team, he’s also an alpha, and they are basically at the same level on the court. It’s not surprising that he’s number one on this list, as he’s proven that he could lead a team to the promised land due to his otherworldly basketball talent.
Also Read: All 30 NBA Teams’ Mount Rushmore…Which 4 Players Made It For Your Favorite Team?
