Where does Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin rank among power forwards?
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis
Essentially the 1A and 1B at the power forward position, both Antetokounmpo and Davis have and continually will be in MVP discussions for seasons to come.
Davis was making noise during the 2017-18 season as he was voted third in the MVP race. Antetokounmpo, as we all know, lit the league on fire last season with significant efficiency on both the offensive and defensive side of the court.
Davis set the league on fire for different reasons last season, as he forced his way out of New Orleans and landed a spot as the sidekick to LeBron for the Los Angeles Lakers. Still, the seven-year NBA veteran posted 25.9 points per game to go along with a career-high 12 rebounds per game in a career-low 56 games played. He also averaged his lowest minutes per game total since his rookie year.
Related Story. Blake Griffin highlights disparity in market-size attitudes. light
In the opposite conference, Antetokounmpo posted career bests in points per game, rebounds per game, and assists per game finishing his 72-game campaign with 27.7/12.5/5.9 while shooting 57 percent from the field. He toppled James Harden, who averaged 36 points per game, for the 2018-19 MVP. Anteteokounmpo also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, which significantly helped his MVP case.
When it’s all said and done, I might not foresee either of these two mammoths surpassing Tim Duncan as the best power forward ever, but they’re both supremely talented in their own right.
Looking to the future, Davis has an opportunity to take a Lakers team to the playoffs, a feat that hasn’t been done in the last seven seasons. His expedition to the Lakers will be for naught if he can’t bring home a couple of rings.
That’s where NBA fans might finally get some prime Davis vs. Antetokounmpo battles. Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks are coming off their best season since 1980-81 and that’s mostly thanks to the Greek Freak himself. Antetokounmpo and company will look to take the next step and head to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974.
Together these two will anchor the power forward position for years to come, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about the others.