Fadeaway World’s Ultimate 1-On-1 Power Forward Tournament

We are back again with another exciting rendition of our positional 1-on-1 tournaments. After declaring the best players at the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward positions, it is time to move into the frontcourt starting with the best players at the power forward spot. Using 16 of the best power forwards in today’s NBA, we have placed them into tiers based on their overall ranking and placed them into the bracket below:

The matchups are now set but before we begin, some rules need to be laid out so this tournament can run as smoothly as possible:

Rules:

– No Shot Clock

– Unlimited dribbles

– Winner retains possession (keeps possession after a made basket)

– Games are to be played to 21 and all players must win by at least two points

Now that the matchups have been laid out and the rules have been set, let’s get into Fadeaway World’s Ultimate 1-on-1 Power Forward Tournament.

Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Keegan Murray

Our first matchup features the No. 1 overall seed Giannis Antetokounmpo taking on 16-seeded Keegan Murray. As it currently stands, Giannis is the best power forward in the NBA and it isn’t particularly close, meaning the second-year Murray has his work cut out for him.

As always, Giannis is looking to use his superior strength and size to his advantage, building momentum from the perimeter and playing downhill. Murray is exceptional at spreading the floor, boasting a 39.9% three-point shot in his two seasons in the league thus far. Despite his offensive skills, Giannis is too much for Murray to handle on both sides of the floor, leading to an easy victory for Giannis in round one.

Result: Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Keegan Murray 21-14

Jaren Jackson Jr. vs. Pascal Siakam

In one of the most even matchups of the first round, we have the No. 8 and No. 9 seed meeting between Jaren Jackson Jr. and Pascal Siakam. Jackson, the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is going to have his hands full with the superior offensive skill set of Siakam much like Siakam will have a difficult time dealing with Jackson’s size and strength advantage.

Siakam starts the matchup on a bit of a run using his handles and shot creation to gain access to his most efficient spots on the court. After getting a stop, Jackson uses his size to score some easy buckets in the paint by simply backing down Siakam into the post. Possession quickly changes hands once again after an ill-advised three-point attempt.

From there, foul trouble and failure to stay with Siakam’s change of direction off the dribble lead to Jackson’s demise. In a slight upset, Siakam moves on to the next round with a close win.

Result: Jaren Jackson Jr. vs. Pascal Siaka 16-21

Anthony Davis vs. Evan Mobley

In our third first-round matchup, two of the best defensive power forwards in the NBA collide. Anthony Davis’ case to be the 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year is alive and well despite the Lakers’ struggles to play .500 basketball. Evan Mobley is nursing a knee injury right now but coming off a 2022-23 season in which he was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team for his efforts.

In any 1-on-1 situation, the edge always sits with the more polished offensive player which is going to be Davis in this instance by a resounding amount. Whether it is his shot from the perimeter, mid-range, or his variety of moves in the post, Davis can and will attack Mobley from all angles in isolation possessions.

Early on, the matchup is a defensive struggle for both players but eventually, Mobley’s lack of an offensive repertoire is his downfall. Davis cashes in on too many missed opportunities from Mobley and finds himself in the next round thanks to his efficient work from the mid-range and in.

Result: Anthony Davis vs. Evan Mobley 21-15

Julius Randle vs. Paolo Banchero

In a battle of brute strength versus finesse and skill, we have our fourth matchup of the first round between Julius Randle and Paolo Banchero. While both players have completely different approaches to their offensive game, they are equally effective when it comes to putting points on the board for their respective teams.

In a 1-on-1 matchup however, the advantage lies with Randle who is much more effective in the paint than Markkanen is at this point in their careers. Randle uses his shiftiness and strength to punish Markkanen in the post which Banchero responds to with perimeter shot creation and efficiency.

In the end, Randle’s touch around the rim and ability to establish his position in the paint is far too much for Banchero whose luck has run out from the perimeter. Randle moves on in a tight contest with Banchero for a second-round matchup with Anthony Davis.

Result: Julius Randle vs. Lauri Markkanen 21-18

Kevin Durant vs. Draymond Green

Our next first-round matchup is one fans will gather as far as the eye can see to tune in to. Former teammates turned foes Kevin Durant and Draymond Green settle their differences once and for all in this battle for 1-on-1 power forward supremacy.

Kevin Durant is one of the greatest offensive players to ever play the game of basketball while Green is celebrated for his playmaking and defensive ability. While Green’s traits lead to championships in a team environment, they do little to help his case in a tournament of this caliber. He does create a tough matchup for Durant but his lack of ability to shoot and create for himself offensively will be his demise.

Despite the tough matchup from Green, Durant can get to his spots from six-15 feet fairly easily, rising over Green to knock down his shots. While Green does cause some havoc defensively, Durant’s broader skill set helps him quickly dismiss Draymond and move on in the tournament as expected heading into this one.

Result: Kevin Durant vs. Draymond Green 21-13

Zion Williamson vs. Lauri Markkanen

Many of the first-round matchups in this 1-on-1 power forward tournament are a perfect example of the modern NBA in a nutshell as is this next one between Zion Williamson and Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen is more of the modern-day power forward who can spread the floor and relies on finesse to carry him through. Williamson is more of a throwback forward whose strength and finishing are his strengths in a situation like this.

In any case, it makes for a riveting matchup between the two as each player trades both immaculate conversions and ill-advised possessions leading to easy scores for their opponent. While Markkanen creates from the outside fairly easily, he is also being worn down from the interior onslaught put forth by Williamson.

After a grueling amount of time trying to fend off Zion’s interior attack, Markkanen is worn down by the force he uses to get to his spots in the post. An exhausted Markkaenen falls just short in the end as Williamson’s superior physical gifts carry him through to the next round.

Result: Zion Williamson vs. Lauri Markkanen 21-17

Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Aaron Gordon

Our second-to-last matchup of the first round features two power forwards who have become slightly underrated over the last two seasons. Karl-Anthony Towns is often labeled as “soft” or someone who doesn’t use their size to their advantage. Aaron Gordon is inappropriately labeled as a player who solely relies on their athleticism despite plenty of evidence that shows his complete game being a major advantage for the Denver Nuggets.

Towns and Gordon will trade buckets at a rapid pace with Towns taking advantage of his height and ability to shoot the ball from everywhere on the court. Meanwhile, Gordon’s lateral movement defensively and strong takes to the rim present a real issue for Towns on the defensive end as well.

A close contest pushes this one into overtime where Towns’ tough shot-making reigns supreme and helps move him along into the next round. Gordon puts up a hell of a fight defensively but falls just short of finishing Towns off for the win.

Result: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Aaron Gordon 22-20

Jayson Tatum vs. Kyle Kuzma

Our final matchup of the first round features one of the game’s brightest young stars taking on a former NBA champion looking to separate himself from the rest of the field at his position. Jayson Tatum has proven on numerous occasions that he is one of the toughest defensive assignments in the NBA while Kyle Kuzma has merely shown subtle flashes of the same caliber.

In this contest, there is nothing Kuzma can do to slow down the three-level attack coming his way from Tatum. Armed with great handles, a side-step three-point shot, and a vast offensive arsenal, Tatum runs away with this final first-round matchup despite Kuzma’s best attempts at making it as physical as possible to throw him off his game.

Result: Jayson Tatum vs. Kyle Kuzma 21-14

Quarterfinals

Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Pascal Siakam

The quarterfinals kick off with No. 1 overall seed Giannis Antetokounmpo taking the court once again against Pascal Siakam. Defeating Giannis in a tournament such as this one is a tall task for any opponent but for one who is giving up so much size as Siakam is, it becomes nearly impossible.

This rings especially true when the focus becomes Giannis’ interior attack, an area of the court that Siakam has had his fair share of trouble defending in his career. While Siakam finds some success in his offensive game plan of getting around Antetokounmpo’s perimeter defense, it doesn’t last long as Giannis eventually finds his groove on both sides of the floor. Despite a valiant and noteworthy effort from Siakam, Giannis eventually pulls away with his defensive acumen and powerful interior attack to reach the semifinals.

Result: Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Pascal Siakam 21-15

Anthony Davis vs. Julius Randle

As much of a one-sided affair as this next matchup seems to be, Anthony Davis and Julius Randle prepare for a dogfight in their quarterfinal matchup. Davis is the far superior two-way player as the most defensively sound power forward in the entire tournament opposed to Randle’s streaky play on both ends.

Davis starts the game by punishing Randle with a variety of post moves that range from stifling spins into powerful slams to fadeaway short jumpers that he knocks down with ease over Randle. Of course, Randle’s physicality counts for something and leads to more possessions in his favor.

Although Randle puts up a fight with Davis, the Lakers’ star runs away with the contest using his superior shot-altering defensive abilities and superior offensive game plan.

Result: Anthony Davis vs. Julius Randle 21-17

Kevin Durant vs. Zion Williamson

After a couple of relatively easy first-round matchups for each player in our next quarterfinal matchup, Kevin Durant and Zion Williamson are prepared for war. Durant brings his efficient and impossible-to-defend three-level scoring to the table against Williamson, looking to gain position and use his strength and size to will him to victory.

From the opening possession, it is clear that Durant is using his high IQ on the court as well, knowing that the longer he drags out each possession, the more likely Zion will wear down due to his flaws in conditioning. Once Zion loses his legs and wind, it is over for him as Durant takes full advantage without looking back.

Durant’s stop-and-pop mid-range game as well as his ability to transition smoothly back into attack mode on the rime prove to be way too much for Williamson to keep up with over the entirety of the match.

Result: Kevin Durant vs. Zion Williamson 21-18

Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Jayson Tatum

On any given night, Karl-Anthony Towns would love to be matched up with Jayson Tatum if the game only existed from 10 feet and in. That is where towns can fully punish Tatum and make him pay for being the much smaller opponent on the court. However, that is not the case in this 1-on-1 scenario where Tatum is a much tougher matchup for Towns.

While Towns can find his groove in shooting over Tatum, he also struggles to put the ball on the floor and get around his opponent once Tatum figures out that pressing up on Towns is going to lead to extra possessions in his favor.

Using this strategy, Towns’ game is completely thrown off and Tatum takes advantage with a much quicker burst and first step on offense with the ball in his hands. The game heads into overtime thanks to Towns’ outside shooting but even that is not enough to stop the inevitable as Tatum blows past Towns to end the matchup and cruise into the semifinals.

Result: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Jayson Tatum 22-24

Semifinals

Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Anthony Davis

The most exciting and riveting storyline of the semifinals undoubtedly comes from our first meeting between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis. For years, these two were compared to each other in terms of playstyle, impact, and overall success. Injuries to Davis over the last few seasons have shifted the conversation heavily in Giannis’ favor.

However, in 2023-24, the gap between these two has lessened with Davis putting forth one of the best 25-game stretches of his career thus far while Giannis has Milwaukee toward the top of the Eastern Conference standings once again. This matchup gets interesting with the more polished offensive game of Davis going up against Giannis’ MVP-caliber defense.

The same can be said about Davis’ defense which has nearly taken away everything Giannis can do on the interior. This causes Giannis to take a different approach and one that Davis has struggled with mightily in his career. Giannis takes every drive and every possession right at Davis; chest, making the game more physical than either player has seen so far in the tournament. This approach tips the scales in Antetokounmpo’s favor and earns him a spot in the Finals.

Result: Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Anthony Davis 21-19

Kevin Durant vs. Jayson Tatum

Our final semifinal matchup is no slouch either as veteran Kevin Durant is set to take on a very familiar foe in Jayson Tatum. These two hybrid forwards have extremely similar approaches to this matchup but also two extremely different skill sets that make it an intriguing game all the way around.

Tatum wants to attack as often as he can, conceding the fact that shooting over Durant will be difficult given the height advantage. Durant wants to find his spot and use the elevation on his shots to his advantage over Tatum as well. As great as Tatum is with the ball in his hands, his deficiencies in self-shot-creation come to light against the longer Durant.

Durant can pick apart Tatum’s defense by creating just enough space on his jumper to comfortably let them go at the rate he needs to succeed. Tatum fights hard with big defensive stops and tough, athletic finishes but in the end, the veteran Durant is too hard to slow down in a game to 21.

Result: Kevin Durant vs. Jayson Tatum 21-18

Finals

Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Kevin Durant

Somehow, we always knew that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant were destined from the beginning to be the final two power forwards standing in this ultimate 1-on-1 tournament. Fans could not be treated to a better final with two of the biggest names in the sport set to do battle to declare a winner.

Giannis defeated Keegan Murray, Pascal Siakam, and Anthony Davis with an overly physical and powerful attack on the rim that even the most elite defenders could not stop. Durant defeated Draymond Green, Zion Williamson, and Jayson Tatum to get here, using a three-level scoring attack driven by superior efficiency and creation.

Giannis’ game plan does not change against a smaller Durant who can do almost nothing to stop Giannis from getting what he wants close to the basket. Also, Giannis’ defensive play on Durant is better than anything he has seen in the tournament thus far with elite anticipation, close-out speed, and versatility on the perimeter as well as in the paint.

With this in mind, the two go back and forth for the majority of the contest until we reach an overtime period. Durant plays this one as intelligently as he possibly can, using his handles and shot creation to find two highly efficient mid-range jumpers to pull off the upset and take home the crown in this 1-on-1 power forward tournament. 

Result: Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Kevin Durant 21-23