Ranking NBA starting power forwards — 18. P.J. Tucker, Heat
P.J. Tucker is 36 years old and still really freakin’ good. Milwaukee’s decision to let him walk for tax reasons after winning a championship remains mystifying, bordering on unacceptable. Now, he’s the starting four for a team that could challenge the Bucks in the playoffs. Tucker doesn’t have quite the same pep in his step from his prime years in Houston, but you’d struggle to find a more impactful defender when the lights shine brightest. Just ask Kevin Durant.
This season has been a very typical Tucker season. He’s a key part of Miami’s elite defense, and on offense, he’s hitting a bunch of spot-up 3s and an extremely efficient rate (45.4 percent). He’s averaging 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Ranking NBA starting power forwards — 17. Kyle Kuzma, Wizards
Kyle Kuzma has really come into his own with Washington, emerging as not only a starting caliber forward, but a fringe Most Improved Player candidate. Any questions about his future in Lakerland have been strongly answered in D.C. — he’s averaging 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds on .454/.323/.690 splits. He’s a nightly double-double threat and one of Washington’s core offensive weapons.
While others around him have struggled, Kuzma has been a persistent bright spot for a Wizards team desperately yearning for more bright spots. Kuzma can defend multiple positions, he crashes the glass exceptionally well, and he can do a lot of interesting things offensively — scoring off the dribble, spotting up for 3s, cutting off ball.
Ranking NBA starting power forwards — 16. Scottie Barnes, Raptors
I was skeptical of Scottie Barnes as the No. 4 pick, and that skepticism has looked pretty silly so far. He’s an important part of Toronto’s starting five already, and the Raptors are on track to make the playoffs. Barnes is not only the versatile defender and advanced passer he was billed as out of college either. He’s a genuinely dynamic scorer, with the strength to bully smaller wings in the paint and the shooting touch, ball-handling combination to scorch slow-footed bigs on the perimeter.
Barnes is averaging 14.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.0 steal on .477/.310/.720 splits, which is pretty absurd for a 6-foot-9, 227-pound 20-year-old who played point guard at Florida State and who wasn’t much of a halfcourt scorer in college. He has already improved drastically and will only get better moving forward.