The Small Forward Play

"Rudy Gay Kings" by Mike - Flickr: (2013-12-21) Kings at Magic 21. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rudy_Gay_Kings.jpg#/media/File:Rudy_Gay_Kings.jpg

Besides LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, who are the best Small Forwards. The Three I'm about to show you are my favorite small forwards. They do so much and they are some of the best players out there.

3. Nicolas Batum: This guy is a great player. His lenght is amazing and it allows him to grab rebounds and get off a good shot. He averages only 9.7 PPG but gets 5.8 Rebounds per game and 4.8 Assist per game. With that being said, he averages about 1.9 turnovers per game. His ability to make cuts always makes him a dangerous threat. This is a deadly role player for Portland, and you have to know where he is all the time.

2. Chandler Parsons: He is a great scorer and can put the ball on the deck. He is playing with a deteriorating Nowitzki and Monta Ellis. He has to step up if this team is going to be upsetting some teams in the playoffs. Chandler Parsons should never be underestimated. He averages about 15.7 points per game and shoots about 38% from 3 point range. His field goal percentage is at about 46%. He is a great shooter, and his height allows him to shoot above everyone. Chandler Parsons is one of the most underrated small forwards in the NBA.

1. Rudy Gay: This is the most underrated player in the NBA. I don't care if you say Monta Ellis or Mike Conley is, because they are not. The fact is, we talk about who the most underrated players are, and draw them attention by doing so. No one ever says Rudy Gay is the most underrated player. Look at this guy. He averages 20.9 PPG, about 6 RPG, 45.5% from the field, and 35.5% from 3 point range. I honestly think, besides LeBron and Carmelo, this guy is the best small forward in the NBA. He doesn't get credit for it though. None of these three guys do.

Portland's Playoff Hopes

Wesley Matthews went down. Not long before that Arron Afflalo was involved in a trade that sent him to Portland. Okay, we have Afflalo to start. The only thing is, what will they do in the Playoffs. Arron Afflalo is no Wesley Matthews. He is simply not as great as Wesley Matthews. Lets take a look at what Matthews brought to this Portland team.

Wesley Matthews

• 15.9 PPG
• 44.8% FG
• 38.8% 3 point range
• 2.9 3 point makes per game
• 1.3 Steals per game
• 1.4 Turnovers Per Game
• 2.3 ASP
• 3.7 RPG
• Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) 99.4
• +4.6 on the court

Arron Afflalo

• 13.6 PPG
• 42.6% FG
• 35.0% 3 Point Range
• 1.5 3 point makes per game
• 0.5 Steals per game
• 1.6 Turnovers Per game
• 1.7 APG
• 3.2 RPG
• Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) 105.7
• +2.3 on the court

Wesley Matthews leads in all of those categorizes. Look at the +/- advantage. Matthews has double than Afflalo does with the Trailblazers. The teams defense is better with Matthews and they give up more points with Afflalo. I'm not saying Afflalo is a bad player. I love Afflalo, but he is just not as good of a player as Wesley Matthews. I think that Portland's playoff hopes have really been lost since Matthews went down. Afflalo is a great player, and Portland has Damian Lillard and LeMarcus Aldridge, but Wesley Matthews is the player that made this team so great. Now he's not here. How will they win in the playoffs without him? 

Is Wiggins Rookie Of The Year?

Everybody has been telling me, Wiggins is ROY. I honestly have to agree. Others have said Mirotic is ROY. Nobody has really told me that Noel is ROY. Coach Nick has told me that Payton is ROY. I honestly think it's a little lopsided though and it's leaning toward Wiggins.

Here is what Coach Nick had to say. I don't agree with him but I thought it was a great point. I don't think Payton should just be ROY just because he broke a record though. He just hasn't been the better player in the obvious stats I will show you.


Let's take a look at some stats (credit NBA.com)

If we take a look at Noel, His offense is okay, but when have you seen a rookie of the year only average 10 PPG. His defense somewhat makes up for it though.

• 10 PPG
• 46.4% FG
• 0% 3pt
• 61.2% FT
• 1.9 Free Throws Made Per Game
• 8.2 RPG
• 1.7 APG
• 2 Turnovers per game
• 1.8 Steals Per Game
• 1.9 Blocks Per Game
• 100 Defensive rating (the lower the better)
• 91.3 Offensive Rating (the higher the better) 

Let's take a Look at Wiggins now. His offense is great, and he shoots quite a bit of FTs. His defense is okay as he is averaging over 1 steal. It's not as good as Noel's though.

• 16.3 PPG
• 43.6% FG
• 32.2% 3pt
• 75.3% FT
• 3.9 Free Throws Made Per Game
• 4.4 RPG
• 1.9 APG
• 2.1 Turnovers Per Game
• 1.1 Steals Per Game
• 0.6 Blocks Per Game
• 109.9 Defensive Rating
• 100.1 Offensive Rating

 Now it's time for Nikola Mirotic. He has the best defensive and offensive ratings, but remember, those ratings factor in the players you play with, so it doesn't help Mirotic's case. He averages less than 10 PPG. Many people say he should be rookie of the year because if he started, he would be better than Wiggins. The fact is, he doesn't.

• 9.9 PPG
• 41.1% FG
• 30.6% 3pt
• 80.3% FT
• 2.7 Free Throw Makes Per Game
• 5 RPG
• 1.2 APG
• 1.1 Turnovers Per Game
• 0.6 Steals Per Game
• 0.7 Blocks Per Game
• 99.4 Defensive Rating
• 105.3 Offensive Rating

 Lets look at Elfrid Payton. He averages barley any points. He can't shoot the three. His Free Throw is worse than Noel. However, He averages 6.3 APG.

• 8.9 PPG
• 42.9% FG
• 22.9% 3pt
• 54.3% FT
• 1.4 Free Throw Makes Per Game
• 4.3 RPG
• 6.3 APG
• 2.5 Turnovers Per game
• 1.6 Steals Per Game
• 0.2 Blocks Per Game
• 105.5 Defensive Rating
• 101.3 Offensive Rating

You will see that I made the best guys at the category green and the worst red. I did however factor in their positions they play (example: Noel isn't red in the 3pt%) Now to my point. I have never seen a rookie of the year average under 10 points. I am going to take Payton and Mirotic off right away for that. I think it comes down to Noel and Wiggins. The fact is though, Wiggins can score anyway; Post up, Spot up, Three Pointers, Free Throws, Dunks and layups. Noel can score inside, that's about it. Does his Defense make up for it? A little. I don't think he has been a better player than Wiggins though. Wiggins is the Dominant Rookie.