The Top 10 Small Forwards in the NBA

1. Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)

Age: 32

2015-16 Per Game Averages: 21.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.9 steals

Career Per Game Averages: 24.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals

And we’re into the big five. But who will it be? Paul George? Carmelo Anthony? Kawhi Leonard? Steve Novak?

Well obviously, as the headline and picture probably hinted at, it’s Carmelo Anthony; the definition of prolific. Off the back of his third Olympic gold medal, Melo is now looking forward to a season playing alongside Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. One thing that will hang over him, though, is the sentiment that Anthony plays better for the national team. A lack of NBA success has already stained his stellar career. Now even people you expect to back him, are almost throwing shade in his direction.

"“He’s unlikely to win an NBA title,” Jim Boeheim, Melo’s college coach, said, via ESPN and the Syracuse Post-Standard. “He’s never been on a team that even had a remote chance of winning an NBA title. As a player, all you can do is try to make your team better, and every team he’s been on he’s made them a lot better.”"

Boeheim is definitely right about one thing: Carmelo Anthony certainly makes his teams better. Anthony’s 21.8 points per game in the 2015-16 season continued a career-long record of never averaging less than 20. He also contributes on the boards, especially now he has started playing the small-ball four, and he has put up 7.2 rebounds per game since joining the Knickerbockers.

And with age comes wisdom and a scoring-centric player like Anthony is not immune from that. Last year’s 4.2 assists per game was a career-high as he began to create more for team-mates.

There isn’t much more to be said about future Hall-of-Famer Carmelo Anthony other than that even now, at 32 years old, he is definitely a top-five small forward and one of the brightest stars in the NBA.

Next: No. 4