In this five part Roundtable series, I will count down the players that I believe will be the best at their position for the upcoming NBA season. Next up, the small forwards.
The OKC Thunder boast an All NBA/All Star/All Defense talent at the three spot. But does the fact that those accolades were all collected the season before last knock Jalen Williams off the list? While his unfortunate injury laden year may have absurdly cost Williams some NBA2K rating points, the maker of this ranking does not have a short memory.
Top 10 Small Forwards For 2026-2027
10. Trey Murphy III.One of the hottest annual names in trade machine talks stays in New Orleans for the time being.
9. Franz Wagner.There is an argument that Wagner, and not the much more heralded Paolo Banchero, is actually the Orlando Magic's best player.
8. Mikal Bridges. Okay, I may be giving the New York Knicks' fourth best player a slight championship bump. But it comes with the title territory.
7. Jaden McDaniels. An elite, versatile lockdown defender who has proved he is more than just a one way specialist. McDaniels has also proven to be key to the Minnesota Timberwolves' success.
6. Deni Avdija.One of the best drivers in the league led a young Portland Trail Blazers squad to their first postseason in five years.
5. Cooper Flagg.It's only a matter of time before the young Dallas Mavericks star is contending for the top spot on this list.
4. Jalen Williams.The fact that nearly every NBA analyst agrees that if Williams was healthy, the Thunder would have gone back to the NBA Finals illustrates how important he is to OKC's success. Forget the injury plagued season last year. Don't forget that he was the second best scorer, playmaker and most versatile defender on an NBA championship team at 24 years old.
3. Jaylen Brown.A two way star who joins a talented roster in Philadelphia. What will his new role be on the 76ers? How Brown acclimates in his new environment could move him up or down this list.
2. Kawhi Leonard.I cannot in good conscience rank a player who just cost his soon to be former team 5 1st round picks at the top. Not to mention his ongoing injury concerns. That said, Leonard somehow had one of his all time greatest seasons last year at 34 years old.
1. Kevin Durant.The ageless former Thunder star takes the top spot. But a young current Thunder star is nipping at his heels.
