Top 10 NBA Power Forwards Today

We rank the top 10 power forwards right now and explain the choices with role, impact, and playoff value in mind. From Aaron Gordon’s defense to Giannis’s crown, we weigh scoring gravity, switchability, health, and how each player scales next to stars.

• Why Aaron Gordon fits at ten for defense and versatility
• Bam Adebayo’s edge in playmaking and switching
• Lauri Markkanen’s scoring gravity and second-option ceiling
• Alperen Sengun’s leap as a hub and scorer
• Domantas Sabonis’s strength, rebounding, and DHO engine
• LeBron’s present value versus aging curve
• Paolo Banchero’s rise over LeBron on two-way impact
• Anthony Davis’s defense and health asterisk
• Kevin Durant’s elite skill with near 50-40-90 efficiency
• Giannis’s rim pressure, playmaking, and defensive range
• honorable mentions that almost cracked the list

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Transcript

Setting The Stage: Top 10 PFs

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show Get a Bucket. I'm your host, Train as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Listen, if y'all don't know by now, we're talking about the top 10 power forwards in the NBA. Alright, y'all heard the first three episodes. Y'all know we went over power point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards. Alright. So if you don't know by now that we're talking about power forwards, I just don't know what to tell you. And you can't deduce what's going to happen next episode. Oh wow. Well, stay tuned and we'll find out. But again, top 10 power forwards in the NBA. Y'all know how this goes, hopefully. I got some honorable mention that we can mention, honestly. Obviously. But we're going to start it off with number 10, and we're going to work our way on up to number one. So number 10 for me. Hear me out when I say this. Hear me out when I say this. Because this one is going to be a little controversial. I got Aaron Gordon. Number 10. And hear me out. Because there are some names that as I look right now, I'm just like, huh. I could be a little wild for this one. That doesn't, that's on brand with my last name, though. So okay, I understand that. But also, when I think Aaron Gordon, Aaron Gordon is a vital part of the Nuggets. Like, yes, we know of Nicola Yoke. Yes, we know of Jamal Murray, but Aaron Gordon is by far their best defender. By far their best athlete. Like second in terms of rebounding. Maybe third in terms of assist. And maybe third in terms of scoring. Now the third scoring part, we could, we, we could, we could argue. But Aaron Gordon has been very versatile. Remember when he was on the on the magic, right? Everybody was thinking, oh, he's gonna be a shorter version of uh Blake Griffin. Well, to be clear, Aaron Gordon is a much better defender than what Blake Griffin was. And he's shorter than Blake Griffin, too. He got a lot of heart. I'm not saying Blake Griffin won't. That's where the comparison stopped the moment I stopped, the moment I said heart. But Aaron Gordon has a lot of heart and he produces pretty well on the court. If you want to talk about natural talent, all right, I can hear some players being more skilled, maybe. But then again, Aaron Gordon kind of skilled himself too. Dunk contest champion. You know what I'm saying? Like he's not that bad. But again, number 10 for me, I got him slated there. If you feel like you got a gripe with that one, I can hear it on some names. But then I also hear why you why I have him in my top 10. He plays the games, although, granted, he's been injured, but he plays the game. Like he's been relatively healthy. He is a champion. He is known. He is their he is the Nuggets backup center. Like he does his job as not an undersized power forward, but hell, as the game gets a little higher, yeah, he might be undersized. And he got to play their center at times. I'm just saying. Backup center. Because Jokic is their center, to be clear. But then again, as we think about it, maybe Jokic can be viewed as a power for. We'll talk about it another episode, another day. Anyways, number 10, like I said, Aaron Gordon. Number nine, we got Bam out of bio. Okay, hear me out. Hear me out, hear me out. I don't think he got the same hops as Aaron Gordon. But I think offensively, Bam is better, or at least can be better at minimum. So their minimum, at minimum, it's a wash on scoring. Playmaking wise, I give it to Bam. Defensive wise, I give it to Bam. Rebounding wise, I give it to Bam. Now, that might be unfair because AG, again, plays with Nicola Jokic. So while he does get amplified, it also does take away some of his production. But Bam is at least shown us he can be a second option. Aaron Gordon, could he, eh, I like him better at third, personally. Bam is cool. I like Buddy. I do. He gives me sometimes KG vibes. Now, again, again, again, flow with me here. On offense, I gotta lean KG, but let's not act like Bam on center there trying to develop that little mid-range. And let's not act like he's not versatile. KG just taller. KG's just a little lankier. You know what I'm saying? That that's the real difference. Like KG, you can say he got more dog in him too. Okay, cool, but that's also a little, that's subjective. Like, Bam is cool. Don't get me wrong. Bam is cool. I might lean with you if you say that KG got more dog in him. Cool. Big ticket was like that. So I hear you. But I can't act like Bam is a scrub. So again, in terms of the NBA today, like respectfully, hell, if you put Aaron Gordon with Luca, we're doing some things. But if you put Bam with Luca, that's a solid second option right there. I can't front with you. I can't hold you. Because Bam can can guard the bigs and the smalls. And Dagona, if you got Luca on your team, you're gonna need somebody to guard something. Because he's not. But that's another discussion for another. Actually, that episode is out there. So if you want to listen to it, go ahead. And there's gonna be most, so stay tuned. But number eight, we already talked about nine and eight. Which again, sometimes I be feeling like my bottom's a little tricky. Hey, no Diddy. Y'all get what I'm saying, though, right? Like I hear you. Sometimes the name, my the names can be removed potentially based on some of the names that I even have in my honorable mentions, all right? But y'all know how this goes. We're gonna talk about some other names. So, number eight, we're gonna worry about the top 10. And I got Laurie Markinon. That's right, I got Laurie Markinen. Respectfully, Laurie Markinen can be a second option on the championship team. I genuinely believe that. He gives me palgasol vibes. He genuinely gives me palgasol vibes. And I hate the fact that he cannot be on a contending team, man. Like, I hate to say it, but hell, if he can go on my Lakers, I'm not mad at him. Or if the Warriors can sit up there and grab him, I that would be very interesting. Because A, A, and then depending on what moves they make, A, you know what I'm saying? Like that could be smooth. Or what if the Wolves get them? A yo. Now that's nice. Because when I'm looking at Lori, remember, ladies and gentlemen, the Jazz were one of the top teams a couple seasons ago. Lori was at the helm. That was when he was first starting to cook. And he's still been cooking along the way. What about? Shem one, shem foot? Like, buddy got some height to him. And he's a little mobile. Now, he don't play the exact same level defense that Bam and Aaron. AG do. I lean them as the better defenders. But Laurie can move them puppies. On offense, I lean Lori. Now, scoring meaning, shooting meaning, playmaking, the other two got it. But I've seen Laurie be a really solid, calibral player to where we just wondered, maybe if he had some different help, what would that team look like? Could they get to the playoffs? I ain't saying contenders, I'm saying to the playoffs. So again, Laurie Marking. I just sound old. Laurie Marketer. Number eight for me. I don't think that's bad. Power forward-wise, if you feel differently, argue with your mama. But I'd be very curious who you'd want to put in there in lieu of Lori. But let's go ahead and stop talking about Laurie. Because again, I like him. Hell, if he can go to my team, I'd be happy. But let's talk about someone else who I might not be too shabby at having on my team. Number shell, we're gonna go Alprin Sin Gun, who was an all-star. Now, you can have some reservations about Alprin being this low or high, however you depend on it. Here's my thing. I think he plays a little bit better defense than Lori offensively. He scores better than all of them, or at least matches what Lori can do. And then playmaking-wise, he's better than everybody that I talked about. So he might also be the youngest player that I mentioned, in fact. That's kind of crazy when you think about it. Lil Charmander is growing on up. Which, if y'all know that reference, again, Jokic is supposed to be Charizard, DeMontus Abonis is supposed to be Charmillion, and Alprin Sengun is supposed to be Charmander. But Alprin has grown on up to the point that he might be in between Charmeleon and Charizard. Like, we like it's starting to get to that level. He definitely at Charmillion level, though. Shout out to the Pokemon fans. But when we talk about Alprin Sengun again, he he has been an all-star before. Okay? He's paired well with Kevin Durant. I think he has all NBA caliber talent. Will he get there? I would not lean it. And that's no slight to him. That's just the talent that we have. I think they might end up, you know what I'm saying, reaching to where he is. But he could. He could. Maybe a couple years, maybe. But again, offensively, better than the folks I just listed off. Defensively, better than the fo well, not better. But he's at least on par with marketing. So that for me rises him above all of them. Now, if you want to reshuffle some players around, or if you feel like I got out print a little too low, well, just sit tight because we got some people to name. So number six, kind of already said his name, DeMontis Sabonis. DeMontis has been, hey, dog, now he don't got the same skill that the others have, meaning from like a shooting perspective, but he can get a bucket. He can grab a rebound and he can get an assist. Now his defense is where he, you know what I mean? Like he's not really there. Like he. Yeah, he's probably the worst defender I've listed off, okay? Like, everybody else I listed off, they got a little athleticism. DeMontes is okay, but I'm not saying he's yoke. You know what I'm saying? But like he may be two steps above, which that's not really that high, if I'm being honest with you. And again, he's kind of limited in terms of scoring ability. Like, if he had a better jump shot, I might entertain DeMontes being a little bit higher. But that has not been the case. And I eventually think DeMontes is actually going to drop below a couple of these players that I just listed off. Like next season, this listing could be a little different. But for right now, though, he's still got that grown man's strength. He's a little stronger than them. And that does matter, ladies and gentlemen. Especially in the game of basketball. I understand football is, you know, a lot more hectic in terms of being hit and physical, but you still gotta be able to have a little strength if you're on the block. And respectfully, DeMontis got more strength than Al Prince Sengoon. Laurie Markin, I think he can be. He he probably matches with Bam, right? But again, scoring perspective, I I hear you if you say DeMontis scores better than BAM. I hear vice versa, also. Rebounding wise, DeMontis Abonis. Playmaking wise, DeMontis Abonis. Like there's so many he does, while I think you can win a championship better with these other players, DeMontis Abonis as a player is still a little bit better than them. No disrespect to the others. But that's enough about DeMontis because we got a couple players. I think y'all are gonna love to hear who I got right here. So at number five, we do have LeBron James. He did have an all-star season. I'll give you that. Well, he was selected for the all-star. I think some other people could have gotten it, but it is what it is. But Braun, 41, right? 23rd year, like you know what I'm saying? That's shoot, that's not too shabby. He looked solid for a 41-year-old. He look he's much more athletic than my a. And listening, and whoever listening to, yo, he's more athletic than you too. And that's okay. That is okay. But Father Tom is the reason why he is kind of declining for me on this list. It's not hater aid. I promise you it's not. I don't even really hate on the man. I do want him off my squad. He do look a little, I do look a little long in the tooth sometimes. I don't like the fact that he's calling people out and talking about some, well, we can't go off for 48 minutes. Nah, bro, you probably can't. You probably can't. That's part of our issue. Along with Luca, along with Austin Reeves. But again, that's another episode for another day. One of them's out there already. You can listen to the other ones later. Stay tuned. But with Braun, his age is the main reason why we declined. His scoring's dipped a little bit. His rebounding and assists are kind of, they got ebbs and flows. They got a little ebbs and flows here and there. His defense is not the same. He just is not as athletic. And honestly, again, I gotta say this too. Braun, can you get off my squad, please? Damn, you know what I'm saying? But again, Braun at number five. Number four. Again, I told y'all Braun getting older. So that is the reason why I got Paolo Bancaro at number four. Paolo does still have some inconsistencies at times, okay? He does. I'll give you that. But right now, I think he has surpassed Braun as a player. I'm not talking about career. I'm not. I'm not talking about career. I'm talking about right now, as Powell forwards, I have Paolo Ben Caro rated higher than LeBron James. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Now he's missed some time with games, but keep in mind, the boy can get a bucket. He can rebound pretty well, and his playmaking is solid. And right now, his defense is a little bit better than Bronx. I just got to call Spade Spade. Like, respectfully, if we had Paolo Ben Caro, oh my God. Whew, he'd be kicking tail. I promise you. We would have easily beat the Suns. We would have beat the Magic. We would have beat the Celtics. Like, argue with your mama. We would have been him. Him would have been we. But Paolo got the athleticism as well, too. Again, Bronze there also. But Paolo got fresher legs. He's young. And he's hitting that, what, four? He's four years into the league. Dag, we four years into the league, Paolo. Because you know he comes from good stock. Y'all know he comes from good stock, ladies and gentlemen. But if you got a gripe with Paulo being at number four, I'd love to hear why. Because again, the man is actually pretty daggone good. Number former number one pick, same as Braun. You know what I'm saying? Let his team to the playoffs. So his Braun. I'm just saying. There's a reason why I put Paolo ahead of Braun. It ain't bias. Although he does come from good stock. It's not bias. I'm just saying. Now, number three, ladies and gentlemen, this one might cause a little controversy here. I gotta go respectfully, Anthony Davis. Now, you know, former Laker. He was part of that participation trophy year, right? I don't count it. I hear you if you got some gripes about Anthony Davis. I hear you on the missed games, but let's not let's not get it twisted, okay? AD can AD has 30 point per game potential. Alright, talent. Okay. He's still one of the best rebounders in the game, still best one of the best shot blockers in the game. Can almost guard one through five. And like he can at least be in front of a guard if need be. He can move them puppies. His only knock is that the man injured. Like he's injury prone. And we don't like the fact that he doesn't like the guard centers. That's about it. But like that, that's his main knock. If you remember the Pelicans AD, the man was a monster. The man was an animal. If I'm being honest with you, he should have won finals MVP and that participation trophy. Because he played, he was our most valuable player. And it showed the game that he he played okay, but he didn't dominate the way he normally did. And we lost. So when he dominates, we win and we won that series. Again, ladies and gentlemen, the finals MVP should have gone to Anthony Davis. Now, as a talent, I think he's better defensively than everybody that I just listed off. You can argue Bam. You can try to argue AG. I don't agree, but you can try to argue that. Cool. Rebounding wise, he's better than everyone. You can argue Sabonis. I okay, I hear you. Okay? I hear you. But it's a discussion. And then scoring wise, he can score with the best of them, especially the ones that I listed off. So for me, and this it'll probably slip too. Like he still might be able to stay up there one more season. Maybe two. We'll see how it goes. But right now, he still got enough legs to be warned to this third slot. Now, my number two. All-star, right? You know who he is. It's Kevin Durant. I hesitate to put him at number two because he does still give number one power four vibes. We're talking about skill, he's still one of them ones. He can give you good rebounding, give you good assists, gonna be a good playmaker, good defense. What he about 36? Like he's still efficient. Like we almost had the 50-40-90 club yet again. We might be no, I don't think we had there. I don't think we're there with the with the free throws. It's the free throws that's giving them a problem. Which is crazy when you think about it. But Kevin Durant. I hesitate to keep him at number two. I want to put him at number one. I do. I do. He's been playing some good basketball, ladies and gentlemen. Like to be clear, the Rockets look good. They look good. He's partly the reason for that. And I can't wait to see them in the playoffs. I think the playoffs are gonna prove why I think he is number two. Because he's gonna keep them in the series a couple times, especially when Fred Van Fleet is not there. Need to rally the boys real quick. KD can get you a nice little bucket. And I hate the fact that he might go up against my Lakers because, oh, that's about to be BTA work. Oh, there's about to be so many problems. Yeah, I'm not looking forward to that. But part of the reason why I have him at number two is because, well, you know, Giannis Ante DeCumbo. Now, Giannis was supposed to was supposed to play in the all-star game, obviously. Injuries derailed that. Here's the thing. If we're going skill-wise, I gotta lean KD. I think Giannis's age is helping him out because he's still a little spry. He got the strength, he still got the mobility. No, he does not have the same shot that KD has. But I do think KD's overall game has dipped just enough for me to say. And I say overall, he's still an efficient scorer. It's just something about it that is just a smidge different, ladies and gentlemen. And because, and KD's my favorite player in the NBA, keep in mind. So I'm not being biased, I'm being honest. So because of that, can he get back to first? Yes. Because again, I have a gripe with putting him at second. Because I genuinely do believe that he should be number one. But I also think that Giannis has proven it as well, too. And especially when he gets traded, or if the Bucs somehow get a star player that we just didn't know was gonna happen. I think Giannis is gonna prove why he's number one power forward. And he should rightfully have that spot. Now, if you have some gripes with the list, the overall list, ladies and gentlemen, I hear it. Because again, I have some solid honorable mentions. Like Julius Randle, Zion Williamson, Evan Mobley, Chet Holmgren, who was an all-star, Pascal Siakam, who was an all-star, Jaron Jackson Jr., Nasre, Jeremy Grant, PJ Washington Collins, John Collins. I have some honorable mentions. But still, I think that top 10 is solidified. But if you got some gripes, I want to hear it, ladies and gentlemen. So please, please, please, please, please, please. Make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Get a Bucket. I hope you are all having a good one. Take care.