Projecting NBA's Best Small Forwards in 2017‑18
1 / 12OrlandoMagic.com’s Josh Cohen projects the best small forwards in the NBA this season. Click through this gallery for full rankings and analysis. Honorable Mentions Harrison Barnes – The move to Dallas was a major promotion on an individual level. While not on a championship-caliber team at the moment like he was with the Warriors, Barnes proved last season he can be an elite scorer. Otto Porter – The Wizards, as expected, matched the Nets’ $104 million max offer sheet to Porter earlier in the summer. Porter made significant progress last year, especially from 3-point range (43 percent). Nicolas Batum – The belief is that Batum will return to his more natural position (played mostly shooting guard last year). While his statistical averages the past two seasons were comparable, Batum seemed far less impactful at the two. Jayson Tatum – Tatum is one of the most polished and developed rookies we’ve seen in years. The concern for him is mainly opportunity. Playing on a squad with several All-Star caliber players could thwart his maturity. Jaylen Brown – The same can be said for Brown, who will probably see a lot of playing time at the shooting guard position this season. Brown is more known for his defensive potential than Tatum, although he did show some impressive offensive flashes late last year and in the playoffs. Terrence Ross – Ross and Evan Fournier are expected to toggle back and forth between the two and the three. Ross had several outstanding performances after the trade to the Magic. He scored 20 points or more four times late in the year. Danilo Gallinari – He’s been recovering from a fractured right hand (hurt it in a EuroBasket exhibition game). He should be ready for the season and should help stretch the floor with his new team in L.A.