NBA power forward tier list: Where is Raptors star Scottie Barnes?
By Mike Luciano
Tier 5: Solid players, not needle movers
19. Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets
18. Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
17. John Collins, Atlanta Hawks
16. Christian Wood, Dallas Mavericks
15. Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers
Gordon has seen his stats take a dive since joining Denver thanks to a lack of volume, but there’s a reason the Nuggets have kept bringing him back. The Spurs don’t have a ton going for them right now, but Johnson remains a tremendous long-term piece San Antonio can build around.
Barnes has already passed names like Wood and Collins, as his numbers within the context of winning games might outshine Collins’ interior scoring and Wood’s double-double prowess. Both of these players are still quality starting players, though 2022-23 could be a make-or-break season for both.
Toronto Raptors: Scottie Barnes is slightly above Evan Mobley.
Tier 4: Higher-end Starters on playoff teams
14. Al Horford, Boston Celtics
13. Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers
12. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
11. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
10. Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
9. Julius Randle, New York Knicks
Horford and Green might not have the best box-score numbers, but watching even one minute of the playoffs shows that their defensive skills and leadership are integral to their respective franchises. Grant is the opposite, in many regards. His teams rarely win, but he has shown to be a quality scorer from all three levels.
Mobley and Barnes are about as evenly matched as star rookies can get. Both of them were dominant on winning teams. Scottie gets a slight edge, which mirrors how Rookie of the Year voting went. Randle had a down year last year, but he’s still a box score monster who should get back on the right track this season.
Tier 3: Fringe All-Stars
8. Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis Grizzlies
7. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
While Memphis has been the Ja Morant show over the last few years, it’s important to note that Jackson is one of the most important players that the Grizzlies have on their roster. Jackson remains one of the best defensive forwards we have in the game today.
It might seem a bit unreasonable to rank Williamson this high after he missed all of last season, but it’s easy to forget that he was an All-Star who was scoring with record efficiency the last time we saw him. The Pelicans should be able to make noise in the playoffs.