Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference small forward rankings

Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference small forward rankings

The upper tier

This tier features four guys who have all made All-Star teams recently and includes three guys who were fringe MVP candidates last season. Obviously, if you count Kevin Durant as a small forward, he is in this tier as well, but I think of him more as a four at this stage in his career.

Here’s the top tier, starting with the best small forward in the East.

• Jayson Tatum-Celtics
• Jimmy Butler-Heat
• DeMar DeRozan-Bulls
• Khris Middleton-Bucks

If any of the players in the middle tier want to make the leap, they will have to knock off the guys at the top, which include some of the best players in the NBA.

Jayson Tatum is going to be a perennial MVP candidate and has already led his team on deep playoff runs including a trip to the NBA Finals last season after making first-team All NBA.

Butler is the heart and soul of a Heat team that contends every season and will again next year, one of the best two-way players in the NBA.

DeMar DeRozan is polarizing because of he has the audacity not to shoot many 3-point shots, but you can’t argue with the results, as he averaged just under 28 points per game last season and made second-team All NBA.

Middleton, one of the biggest mistakes the Detroit Pistons have made, was once again an All-Star last season who averaged over 20 per game.

Saddiq Bey has some work to do to get into this tier for the Detroit Pistons, but it’s possible that he will notch a few All-Star appearances before his career is over.