Power forward is a vital role in basketball, as this player is expected to be physical and aggressive, scoring a high percentage of the team’s points and providing a focal point for the attack.
Who are the very best players in this position in the NBA just now?
Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers
As an 8-time NBA All-Star and 2020 NBA Championship winner, Anthony Davis has earned the right to be classed among the most successful power forwards of recent times.
He had just one season of college basketball, where he was massively successful for the University of Kentucky and led them to a national championship. Davis was the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, where he joined the New Orleans Hornets, who are now known as the Pelicans.
Anthony quickly earned a place on the NBA All-Rookie First Team as he led the league in blocked shots and was the youngest NBA star to score at least 59 points in a single game. He joined the Lakers in 2019 and had continued to be a dominant force in the league since then, although he was recently in the news for being frustrated at the passes received from his team-mates.
Giannis Anteokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks
Sometimes described as a power forward but capable of playing in any forward position, Anteokounmpo was born in Athens and started playing basketball there before joining the NBA in the 2013 draft. He was selected as 15th in the draft, joining the Milwaukee Bucks and becoming one of the youngest players in the league when he made his debut as 18 years and 311 days old.
He led the rookies in number of blocks in his first season and made it into the NBA All-Rookie second team. His overall ability saw him become the first player to be in the top 20 in all of the five more important statistics. He won MVP awards in 2019 and 2020, and was NBA defensive player of the year in 2020. Along the way, he helped the Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971 and was the MVP in the finals.
Zion Williamson – New Orleans Pelicans
Williamson was born in North Carolina and was already regarded as a top prospect at Spartanburg Day School, where he earned the title of South Carolina Mr Basketball and was runner-up to the Mr Basketball USA title. He then had an outstanding season with Duke and had the possibility of a football scholarship as well as being the most hotly- tipped basketball recruit in the country.
He was the top prospect in the 2019 draft, and was chosen as the first pick by the New Orleans Pelicans. Williamson then quickly become the first teenager in the NBA to score 20 or more points in 10 consecutive games, and finished the season with an average of 22.5 points per game. 2021 has seen him continue to dominate games and it seems likely that he continues to go from strength to strength.
Blake Griffin – Brooklyn Nets
Griffin was the college player of the year in his sophomore year with the Oklahoma Sooners, before joining the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 draft, as the first overall pick. Since then, he has been an NBA All-Star 6 times and has become known for his eye-catching slam dunks.
After playing for a few years with the Detroit Pistons, Griffin joined the Brooklyn Nets in 2021 and has been successful since then, although there is a feeling that injuries and age may have robbed him of some of the explosive athletic ability he once had.
It seems that some Pistons fans are still unhappy about his time with their team, but there is no denying that Blake Griffin has had an incredible NBA career that isn’t over yet.
Griffin is the only player mentioned here that is also in the top 10 list of best small forwards of all time. You can check the full list produced by TwinSpires Edge here: edge.twinspires.com/nba/the-best-power-forwards-in-nba-history/
