Former NBA guard Patrick Beverley recently shared his picks for the top five small forwards in the league.
Beverley, who is now playing for Hapoel Tel Aviv, offered his thoughts on an episode of The Pat Bev Pod.
He made it clear that he doesn’t consider players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, or Giannis Antetokounmpo as traditional small forwards.
“They’re positionless,” Beverley said, explaining why he didn’t include them in his list.
He also questioned whether certain players, such as DeMar DeRozan and Paul George, should be classified as small forwards or shooting guards.
After a brief debate, Beverley settled on his top five. “Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi [Leonard], Scottie Barnes,” Beverley initially named.
However, he quickly reconsidered his decision to include Barnes, suggesting he should be replaced.
Beverley pointed to Pascal Siakam’s playoff performance as a reason for adding him to the list.
“Pascal Siakam! He just gave us 30 [points] motherf*cking game in playoffs. He just gave us 30, I can’t leave him out there,” he said.
After removing Barnes, Beverley made another adjustment to his top five. “I’m going Khris Middleton,” Beverley declared.
He explained his reasoning by recalling Middleton’s strong play despite dealing with injuries.
“I seen him do some sh*t in the playoff hurt. This man was hurt,” Beverley said.
Beverley’s updated list includes Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, and Khris Middleton.
Though he left out some of the NBA’s biggest stars, Beverley’s choices reflect his emphasis on versatility and playoff performance.
