Ranking the Top 10 Power Forwards In the NBA
By Connor Cook
Number 7: David West, Indiana Pacers
2012-13 Numbers: 17.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 20.4 PER
As a Xavier student, I have to give dap to former Musketeer David West, who is consistently one of the most underrated players in the league. At age 32, West is arguably having the best season of his career for the Pacers. With Danny Granger missing the entire first half of the season, West has led the Pacers to second place in the East. On offense, he’s not quite as efficient as the last two guys, but he still scores efficiently enough, posting a 54% true shooting percentage. He particularly gets it done on post-ups, where he gets 0.95 points per possession, which is top 25 in the league.
Whereas Paul Millsap and Kenneth Faried both have issues on defense, West is an excellent defender to go along with his decent offense. Overall, he allows only 0.74 points per possession, which is top 20 in the league, and his defensive rating is top 10 in the NBA. He, with Roy Hibbert, make for an imposing front line that is tough to score against.