2027 Top 10s Part 4 - PF

2027 Top 10s Part 3 - SFs - Go Vote!!
2027 Top 10s Part 2 - SGs - Go Vote!!
2027 Top 10s Part 1 - PGs

Glossary:
fbb_oRtg - a player's points produced per 100 possessions used, taking into account shooting efficiency, turnover rate, and offensive rebounding. League average is 111.8.
Poss% - The percentage of a team's possessions that a player used, primarily by taking a shot, getting to the free throw line, or turning the ball over.
TS% - A true measure of shooting efficiency, similar to eFG% except it also factors in free throws. League average is 53.5%.
TO/poss - The percentage of possessions a player turned the ball over. Again, assists are not factored into possessions. League average is 11.6%.
REB% - The percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while on the court. League average is 10%.
BLK% - Percentage of the opponents shots a player blocks. League average is .33%.
STL% - Percentage of opponents possessions that a player ends with a steal. League average is .33%.


PF Top 10 Rankings
These rankings do not take contract or age into account, only who the best players in the league are right now, at this very moment. To decide that, I've used stats primarily from this season combined with ratings and a given player's statistical history.


1.Dolph Schayes PF 6'8'' 200 30 A- C C+ B+ A C
-Traded to the Pacers mid season in a controversial deal, Dolph Schayes had himself one hell of a year. It was going to be tough to supplant Flint as the best PF in the game, but Schayes performance offensively demolished Flint's, and his impact on the Pacers was clear when they were able to take down Broph's Bucks in the first round. Schayes scores the ball tremendously efficiently for a big man, in large part due to his microscopic turnover rate and his ability to get to the free throw line. His rebounding is elite, and defensively he'll even block a few shots. I'm sure there are people who prefer Flint's defensive impact to Schayes superior offensive impact, but big men who are this efficient on offense are just so rare that there was no way I couldn't rank Schayes #1.

2.Stephen Flint PF 6'11'' 235 32 A- D+ D- A A- C
-Last year's top PF is still the same defensive and rebounding beast he's always been. At 3.5 bpg and a solid 15.1% REB%, Flint can single handedly transform a defense from mediocre to great. Offensively he's a bit rough around the edges though. The 48% shooting looks good on the surface, but because he doesn't convert his free throws at a high rate, his TS% is a well below average 51.6%. He makes up for it partially with his turnover rate, which is a ridiculous 5.5%, but on the whole he isn't quite as efficient offensively as some of the better PFs out there. Still, his overall impact on the game is massive, and there's no denying he's one of the best bigs in the game.

3.Antonio Ramsey PF 31 6'9'' 266 A- B+ C B- B C
-Antonio Ramsey's conversion to PF this year proved to work out much better than I would have anticipated. Despite Ramsey's weak defense at PF, the Knicks still managed to be one of the better defensive teams in the league. Offensively, Ramsey is a beast among PFs (whereas he'd be much lower on this list as a SF), putting up huge volume and doing so on solid shooting percentages and without turning the ball over too often. His rebounding is solid, though not great for a PF, but to be blunt, that's not what Ramsey is here for. He's probably the best scoring PF in the league, and that's a big plus to have on your roster.

4.Red Kerr PF 26 6'9'' 236 A- C C- B+ A- C
-Kerr missed a good chunk of time this season, but had he continued at this statistical pace for a full 82 games, he'd probably of been 3rd on this list. His oRtg is the highest for a PF in the league, his efficiency is absolutely elite. His rebounding is almost certainly on the border of A, as 16.1% is on the same tier as Petit, Foust, and Bruton. To top it off, he can block a few shots and rarely turns the ball over. He really is a complete PF, albeit not especially flashy.

5.Tom Heinsohn PF 24 6'8'' 228 A- C C A A- B
-It was tough to rank Heinsohn since he saw a lot of time at SF and thus has a deflated rebound rate, but there's no doubt that he's a high quality player. Like a number of other PFs on this list, the thing that makes Heinsohn efficient is his ability to limit turnovers and ability to convert at the free throw line. It would be nice to see him block a few more shots, and in that regard he's not without a hole in his game, but his man to man defense must be elite to be such a mediocre shot blocker and still have that A rating. Greg has talked about sticking with Heinsohn at SF, but I'd really hate to see him wasted there. As a SF Heinsohn is pretty run of the mill, as a PF he's one of the better players at his position.

6.Bob Petit PF 26 6'9'' 214 A- C- C- A A B
-Petit had a pretty disappointing year shooting the ball, sporting a 52% TS% and seeing his FG% dip 15 points. Still, his ability to get to the line, limit turnovers, and rebound helped push his oRtg to a point where he's still a valuable asset on the offensive end. On the defensive end he showed some mild improvement blocking shots and continues to clean the glass night in and night out. The Magic will need a bounce back year from Petit if they want to contend, but at the very least the addition of Maurice Stokes should help mask Petit's mediocre shot blocking.

7.Larry Foust C 6'9'' 226 30 B C D B+ B+ C
-My initial rankings had Foust higher, he's one of the few guys who blocks shots, rebounds, and isn't a total liability on offense. The reason I kept him this low however is the Hornets defense on the whole wasn't very good this season. It was alright, above average even, but with Foust and Raskal up front, you would expect them to be dominant. I suspect that Foust's post defense is mediocre at best, and in that regard his defensive stats might be a little hollow. The same could probably be said about Bruton, but the Hawks and Bulls defenses were both great with him, so I'm not entirely sure if it's a Foust thing, or something to do with Hollis/Knight/Francis. Still, Foust's numbers are fantastic all around (outside of his mildly high turnover rate).

8.Jayson O'Keane PF 28 6'8'' 251 A B- D C B+ C
-One of the best scoring bigs in the league, O'Keane helped lead the Rockets inside offense this season. His volume is the highest on this list, and his shooting percentages are fantastic. He's essentially a less efficient Ramsey, except he's a better shot blocker and a worse overall defensive player. You could certainly make a case that for your team, you'd prefer O'Keane to any number of the guys above him, as it's damn hard to find big men who score with this much volume with relative efficiency. The turnovers are a problem, but the percentages more than make up for it.

9.Koni Bruton PF 29 6'9'' 237 B C C B A C
-We're at the point where there aren't going to be any do it all bigs left. Bruton does two things exceptionally well, and that's block shots and rebound. Offensively he's a pretty big disaster, his 49.7% TS% would make Antoine Walker blush, he turns the ball over, and he shoots more than he should. Still, his impact on the defensive end is far too great to ignore and leave him off this list. I'm sure the Bulls were thrilled to see the new contract he re-signed for, as it's one hell of a bargain. Bruton and Dickerson should continue to anchor one of the league's best defenses going forward.

10.Jason Robinson PF 27 6'8'' 241 A C D B- B B
-I'll always have a bit of a soft spot for the big man I drafted #1 overall five seasons ago. He had a rough year last season, but bounced back in a big way this year, putting up 18 and 9 on over 50% shooting to go with 1.5 blocks a game. He's not a great shot blocker, and his rebounding is pretty mediocre, but there aren't a lot of PFs that score the ball more efficiently than Robinson. Scoring may be his only strength, but he isn't a liability in any area, and should be a more than capable starting power forward on a contender in the right situation.



Honorable Mention:
Juno Tremont - Tough call between him and Robinson. Tremont's efficiency offensively is pretty mediocre and simply doesn't stack up to Robinson, and the advantage on the defensive end wasn't enough to make up for it.
Bailey Howell - An absolute stud on offense, but he's so, so bad on defense that I just couldn't bring myself to put him on this list, yet.
Randy Sinclair - He's awesome defensively and on the glass, but he's so, so bad on offense and takes way too many shots.
Ray Felix - Performed better than Juno offensively, but not much of a shot blocker or rebounder.
Ed Macauley - Solid, just really solid.
Derrick Favors - Still a solid all around big man.
Kenny Sears - Nice young player, not sure he'll ever crack this list, but he's not that far off.

Dishonorable Mention:
Lamont McGee - He still sucks. Not exactly shocking.
Stromile Storm - Nightmare on offense.