Ranking The Best NBA Small Forwards By Tiers For The 2022-23 Season

Historically speaking, the small forward position is one of the deepest positions in NBA history. With names such as LeBron James, Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Scottie Pippen, Elgin Baylor, and so many more primarily playing small forward, it can be argued that it is the best position in terms of talent across the board. The small forward position has been incredibly deep, even more so over the last decade, and in 2022-23, the small forwards are still showing out as they have done for the last 76 years. 

Just as we did for shooting guards recently, we will be ranking these small forwards by tiers for the 2022-23 season. We will rank each small forward based on many different criteria. Production, stats, impact, and team success will all play a part in where each small forward falls on this tier list. Of course, there are some exceptions for those who have suffered injuries and missed significant amounts of time because we know how much they mean to their respective teams when healthy.

Without any further explanation, here are the best small forwards ranked by tiers for the 2022-23 season.

Tier 5

Kelly Oubre Jr., De’Andre Hunter, Gordon Hayward, Lonnie Walker IV, Reggie Bullock, Royce O’Neale, Isaac Okoro, Jaden McDaniels, Max Strus

We get things started on Tier Five with a fan-favorite in Kelly Oubre Jr. Oubre is averaging over 20.0 PPG, but it has had little to no impact on the struggling Charlotte Hornets. He has also struggled with injury this season, missing 16 games so far in 2022-23. As much as NBA fans fawn over Oubre Jr, and as he can light up the scoreboard, he is shooting just 42.1% from the field overall and 30.8% from three on 7.4 attempts per game.

I would just like to say that I absolutely hate putting De’Andre Hunter on Tier Five, but it had to be done. It seems as if we have been waiting for Hunter to take his game to the next level for the last three seasons, but injuries and development have put those expectations to a halt. He is enjoying his best season yet as the Hawks’ new starter at small forward but still hasn’t done enough to reach the level of the players we have at Tier four. Hunter is averaging 15.6 PPG on 45.2% shooting from the field in 2022-23 and has stayed relatively healthy compared to previous seasons.

The next small forward on our list has been a disappointment over his last three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. With an inability to stay on the court with a big contract to his name Gordon Hayward’s place in Tier Five is more than warranted. Hayward has played less than 50 games with Charlotte in each of his last two seasons with the team and has played just 25 games so far in 2022-23. He is having his worst statistical season in Charlotte to date, with just 13.8 PPG on 44.8% shooting.

Lonnie Walker was thought to be one of the most underrated offseason signings this past summer when he agreed to a deal to join the Los Angeles Lakers. So far in 2022-23, Walker has been solid, but the move hasn’t nearly lived up to the hype it received when it happened. Walker is averaging a career-high 14.6 PPG alongside LeBron James this season, but the Lakers have once again struggled to reach the .500 mark sitting at 23-28 through 51 games this season.

Last season, Reggie Bullock was one of the unsung heroes for the Dallas Mavericks on their march to the Western Conference Finals. In 2022-23, Bullock has been one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA, averaging his lowest PPG since 2017 with 6.5 PPG and shooting just 36.4% from three and an abysmal 39.0% overall. If the Mavericks have any hope of actually contending for a title, Bullock either needs to step it up or get shipped out.

Another underrated trade that occurred quite early in the NBA offseason this past summer was Royce O’Neale to the Brooklyn Nets. Early on, O’Neale was playing superbly in his role with Brooklyn as they made their move up the standings in the Eastern Conference. As a starter for 47 games this season with the Nets, O’Neale is averaging 9.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 4.0 APG, making an impact on both sides of the ball. As well as he has played, O’Neale still has to do more to reach the next level and Tier Four of our list.

Isaac Okoro was supposed to be the x-factor for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022-23 and has yet again failed to make the jump the team hoped he would. After earning the starting job heading into the year, Okoro has once again been relegated to the bench, where he is playing just over 20.0 minutes per game and averaging just 5.9 PPG and 2.6 RPG through 52 appearances. Okoro could be seen as a trade deadline casualty for someone the Cavaliers decide to outright release after the season is over.

Jaden McDaniels is probably the most likely member of Tier Five to make a jump up this list sooner rather than later. At just 22 years old, McDaniels has the highest ceiling of anyone in Tier Five, as 2022-23 was the year he earned a starting job with the Minnesota Timberwolves. McDaniels is currently having his best season yet with 11.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.0 BPG. His defensive impact has been a huge boost to a Timberwolves team that struggled in the early going of 2022-23, and he will be higher on this list in the future.

The final member of Tier Five is Max Strus of the Miami Heat. After a solid campaign in 2021-22, Strus has followed it up with an even better start to 2022-23. He is averaging a career-high 12.7 PPG but is shooting horrendously from the field at 40.0% overall and 33.9% from three. Strus has been a solid backup for Miami and is easily one of their more impactful bench players. If he can be more efficient and keep his production at this level, Miami will be a contender come playoff time.

Tier 4

Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Keldon Johnson, Dillon Brooks, Ben Simmons, Harrison Barnes

Tier Four is when we begin to ascend to the next level of small forwards currently in the NBA. Kicking things off is second-year small forward Herb Jones, who broke out as a rookie for his outstanding defensive efforts. Those efforts have carried over to the 2022-23 season, as he has made 35 starts for New Orleans, who were near the top of the Western Conference standings before the injury bug hit them hard. Jones looks to be one of the Pelicans’ young budding stars to build around and could help make them a serious contender in 2022-23 and beyond. 

Third-year standout Saddiq Bey has been under a ton of scrutiny since the offseason when Pistons management told him to focus on things other than basketball during the offseason. Bey has responded somewhat in 2022-23, splitting time between the starting lineup and bench for a Pistons team that looks to have already surrendered the 2022-23 season. Bey is averaging 14.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.0 SPG in 48 appearances for Detroit this season.

Keldon Johnson can easily make his way to Tier Three by the end of this season as the San Antonio Spurs No. 1 option and franchise start at this moment in time. As he has added the high-end scoring ability to his game this season, Johnson is ready to make that star leap beyond 2022-23 as he is averaging 21.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 2.6 APG through 45 games this season. It helps that he is an asset on defense and as a perimeter scorer as well.

The things that Dillon Brooks does on a basketball court aren’t exactly the things that will shine through on the stat sheet. He is a defensive pest for one of the best teams in the West this season with the Memphis Grizzlies, but his shot selection at times has been poor and misguided. Brooks is one of those guys that when he is a member of your team, you absolutely love him but despise him as an opponent.

I never thought we would see the day that Ben Simmons is classified as a small forward, but here we are. Simmons is as hated as anyone in the NBA at this current point in time but is impacting the game in so many different ways that it is hard to ignore. At this point in time, Simmons is averaging 7.4 PPG, his lowest PPG ever but has also added 6.5 RPG, 6.4 APG, and 1.4 SPG to a Nets team that is competing at an extremely high level.

The final member of Tier Four is Harrison Barnes, who, at the beginning of the season, looked as if he was primed to lose his starting job to rookie Keegan Murray. However, with the move to Murray at power forward, Barnes and the Kings have propelled themselves to the best position they have been in since the early 2000s. Barnes is still playing at a starter level for Sacramento and is rightfully on the cusp of getting back to Tier Three.

Tier 3

Michael Porter Jr., Franz Wagner, OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram, Khris Middleton, Tobias Harris, RJ Barrett, Andrew Wiggins

Tier Three is when we finally get to the upper echelon of small forwards in the NBA today. Starting things off, we have the starting small forward for the best team in the Western Conference, Michael Porter Jr. After missing almost the entire 2021-22 season with back issues, Porter Jr. has returned with a vengeance and has helped make the Nugget serious title contenders this season.

Franz Wagner is one of the NBA’s brightest young stars today. The Orlando Magic are currently in the midst of a youth movement rebuild that is setting them up for an exciting future. At the center of it is Wagner, who, through 50 games this season, is averaging 19.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.5 APG. Most notably, it is his quickness and movement for his size that has caught everyone’s eyes, including mine.

At the center of massive trade talks over the last few weeks is OG Anunoby. Not only is Anunoby enjoying a sensational offensive season, but his defense has now entered into elite standing. OG is currently leading the NBA in steals with 2.1 SPG and is anchoring an otherwise depleted Toronto defense. Who knows where he will end up for the remainder of 2022-23, but wherever he goes is getting a budding star in this league.

Coming into 2022-23, everyone knew the talent that Bojan Bogdanovic possessed. He was a great complimentary star in Utah, and headed into 2022-23, he was expected to be the same with Detroit. With the injury to star Cade Cunningham, Bogdanovic has taken over as the go-to guy with the Pistons. Bogdanovic is averaging 21.4 PPG, a career-high for him in a season, and the Pistons have let it be known that he is in their plans for the foreseeable future.

For the past few seasons, Mikal Bridges has been basketball’s iron man while playing some of the best perimeter defense that the NBA has to offer. The fifth-year small forward is having a career year on the offensive side of the ball, trying to keep the Suns afloat as they have dealt with major injuries to their stars. Bridges has kept them in the hunt for the playoffs at 27-25 on the year. If the Suns get Devin Booker back and Bridges keeps up this production on both sides of the ball, look for Phoenix to be a threat to any opponent they face in the playoffs.

Brandon Ingram has had a rough go of things to this point in the 2022-23 season. Ingram has played in just 17 games due to injury, but it has been clear how important he is to their success in his absence. As a shot-creator and threat in transition, Ingram’s value is tremendous to what the Pelicans have been trying to do in contending for a run at the NBA Finals. When New Orleans gets him back, they will be a scary matchup for any of the other 29 teams in the league moving forward.

Another star who has missed far too much time in 2022-23 is Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks. There have been more than a handful of times over the past three seasons that Middleton has been the guy at end of games for Milwaukee. In 2022-23, everyone knows where the ball is going in big situations, and that is his teammate, Giannis. With Middleton on the court, the Bucks have more than one guy who can take over a game at any given moment, speaking volumes about how important he has been to the Bucks’ success.

This season, Tobias Harris made the switch from power forward to small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers with the arrival of P.J. Tucker. While he hasn’t been the same offensive threat he was for the past three or four seasons, Harris has brought tremendous value to a team in the Sixers who hope to contend for an NBA title. His size has been an issue for wings on the defensive end, and he is averaging 1.0 SPG. When you add in the spacing he provides and the work he does on the glass, Harris is having his best season of the last five he has played.

RJ Barrett got off to a disappointing start in 2022-23 as he was supposed to be the guy moving forward for the Knicks as they rebuild their franchise. Barrett has picked things up as of late and has gotten his production up to 20.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 2.8 APG. With his outstanding athleticism and high basketball IQ, Barrett has become an asset once again alongside Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle in New York.

The final member of Tier Three for our 2022-23 NBA small forwards is Andrew Wiggins. Struggling with injury for a good chunk of the year so far, Wiggins has struggled to get back to being the player that played a massive role in an NBA title last season. Despite his offensive struggles, Wiggins’ defense has been on par with what he provided to the championship one year ago. If his health can get back to peak shape and he returns to the Wiggins of one season ago, the Golden State Warriors are not far off from another title run.

Tier 2

Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan

We have now entered the elite levels of our small forwards’ tier list for the 2022-23 season. After missing the entirety of the 2021-22 season, it looked like 2022-23 would be another season filled with load management for Kawhi Leonard. While Leonard has played only 27 games this season, he has looked like his old self when he has made it to the court. He is currently averaging 21.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.2 SPG. More importantly, his athleticism seems to be back, which could prove to be huge for the Clippers as the remainder of 2022-23 unfolds.

Jaylen Brown is one-half of the best duo in the NBA with Jayson Tatum. Brown has played at an All-Star level for Boston once again in 2022-23, and I would be shocked if he isn’t named a reserve later this week. Brown has helped the Celtics accumulate the best record in basketball so far this season, averaging 27.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.1 SPG. If Brown and Tatum continue on this path, I see no reason that the Celtics cannot end up back in the NBA Finals.

Heading into 2022-23, every fan and analyst had the Miami Heat suffering a significant dropoff from their season last year. At 28-23, the Heat sit at the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference, so while they were right, it is at no fault of Top 10 MVP candidate Jimmy Butler. After struggling with injury for most of the early parts of the season, Butler has helped the Heat find their rhythm once again with 21.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 4.9 APG, and 2.1 SPG. As long as Butler is healthy and on the court, the Heat have a chance to make a run, so don’t count them out just yet.

The final member of Tier Two for our 2022-23 small forwards is DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls. While the team is on the verge of completely unraveling, DeRozan has remained one of their few bright spots so far this season. He is currently averaging 26.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 5.0 APG. The only issue now is that with the Bulls at 23-26, who is the casualty at the trade deadline, DeRozan or LaVine? 

Tier 1

LeBron James

At 38 years old, it is almost inconceivable that LeBron James remains the best small forward in basketball, but here we are. James and the Lakers are quite obviously finding it difficult to be competitive in a loaded Western Conference, but it is not on James’ shoulders. As he gets ready to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James has been on a tear averaging 30.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 7.1 APG for the Lakers in 40 games played. If LeBron has anything to say about it, the Lakers could be on their way back to the playoffs this season, but that is a long way away from becoming a reality. Regardless, it cannot be disputed that LeBron remains the best small forward in basketball in 2022-23. 

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