Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference small forward rankings
Saddiq Bey will be the opening night starting small forward for the Detroit Pistons, and they are hoping he finds a new level in his third season.
Bey has been a solid all-around player for Detroit who has flashed glimpses of star power, like when he dropped 51 on the Magic last season.
The small forward or wing position is arguably the most important in the NBA, and the Eastern Conference has some great ones.
But who is the best? When looking at the rankings for the small forward position in the East, they can be broken into three tiers. The lower tier (which is actually quite small), the big middle ground and then the top-tier guys who are all either All-Stars or even MVP candidates.
Related Story. NBA misses chance to showcase young teams. light
But where does Saddiq Bey of the Detroit Pistons rank?
Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference small forward rankings
The Lower Tier
There are some really good small forwards in the East, so the lower tier guys are still good, but are either on their way out, have unclear injury status, or haven’t yet shown their full potential in the NBA. Here are the three guys I would put in this tier, in order from best to worst.
- PJ Tucker-76ers
- Joe Harris-Nets
- Oshae Brissett-Pacers
It’s actually arguable whether any of these guys are truly small forwards, but they have or will play the wing position for their respective teams next season. Tucker is still a productive player at age 37, a guy who can guard three positions and knock down 3-point shots, but he only averaged 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds last season, though his contributions often don’t show up in the scorecard.
Joe Harris is one-dimensional sharpshooter who only played 14 games last season and has never averaged 15 points per game in a season.
Oshae Brissett is a good young role player (who is also more of a combo forward for Indiana), but failed to average double digits last season, which puts him in the lower tier for small forwards in the East.