Cavs: Ranking starters at every position in Central Division
Cavs: Ranking starters at every position in Central Division – Power Forwards
5. Patrick Williams
The Chicago Bulls are planning to start DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic in the same frontcourt, which means Patrick Williams will be called upon in just his second season to help solve a lot of defensive problems. He played very well in Summer League and deserves more minutes next year, but he is not yet at the level (few are) to make up for two devastatingly bad defenders.
4. Evan Mobley
It’s always hard to predict how well rookies will play out of the gate, which makes it nigh impossible to properly rank them against their peers. Evan Mobley could step in and be an immediate defensive impact player. If he plays with confidence and precision on offense he will be well worth this spot and perhaps more. He could also be slow in adjusting to the league, get knocked around and clearly be worse to start than Williams is now. Long-term his outlook is very bright, but the immediate is more of an unknown.
3. Jerami Grant
It appeared that the Detroit Pistons overpaid to sign Jerami Grant in the 2020 offseason, but instead he showed shot creation chops that were previously unknown. He’s miscast as the primary option on a contending team, but he can certainly be the secondary one and play excellent defense. The Pistons are starting four rookies and sophomores other than Grant, handing him a mentorship role whether he likes it or not.
2. Domantas Sabonis
No father-son combo likely has more pure physical strength than Arvydas and Domantas Sabonis, with the younger son a two-time All-Star with the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers love to run their offense through him at the elbow, where he can leverage his passing chops or bowl through defenders to score inside. He’s not the best defender, but not the worst, and he and Myles Turner have found a way to work together.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Two-time MVP. Reigning champion and Finals MVP. The boy who once sold knick-knacks on the street to help his family pay rent is now on top of the NBA world. The way he elevated his game and played through his weaknesses during this postseason run is both remarkable, and a serious slap-in-the-face to those who doubted him. He still has his warts, but his prodigious strengths and proven leadership ability greatly outweigh them.