2010 NBA Power Forwards: Just as we have previously discussed in past months with regard to the point guard, shooting guard, and small power forward positions, the NBA in 2010 was brimming with exceptional talent at every position. The power forwards who dominated the decade are next, having left their mark on the league as multiple NBA champions, MVPs of the Finals, and MVPs. These 10 power NBA power forwards of 2010 emerged as the ones who would eternally characterise the era as the position started to develop and improve.
The 2010 NBA Power Forwards That Are The Greatest
Check out the 2010 NBA power forwards given below:
1. Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis ranks first for his individual output and two-way ability over the decade, despite his conspicuous lack of postseason success during the 2010s. In the 2012 NBA Draft, Davis was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans as the first overall pick. He debuted in the 2012–13 campaign. He would go on to record 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game, good for second place in the Rookie of the Year vote.
Davis would emerge as one of the league’s top defensive players the very next season. After averaging 20.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and a league-high 2.8 blocks per game, he was selected for his first All-Star team.
Davis would be selected for five more All-Star teams in the next five seasons, averaging 51.7 percent shooting, 26.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game.
The Pelicans saw two postseason visits as a direct result of Davis’ early influence, including a second-round trip in 2018. Davis became one of the franchise’s all-time greats and the finest NBA power forward of the 2010s during his tenure in New Orleans, even if he has since moved on and won an NBA championship.
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2. Dirk Nowitzki
Two distinct periods in Dirk Nowitzki’s career come to mind when we consider the best versions of him during his NBA career. His incredible run to the 2011 NBA title was the second, but his MVP days in the late 2000s were the first. The 2010s saw Nowitzki begin in the same manner as the majority of his career up to that time. Although he was a top-10 pick for MVP in 2010, the Dallas Mavericks were eliminated by the Spurs in the opening round of the playoffs.
In 2011, with yet another postseason exit on his career record, Nowitzki made a fierce comeback. Averaging 23.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game on 51/39/89 shooting splits, he led Dallas to a 57-25 record. He entered legendary mode throughout the playoffs, taking down the Thunder, the Lakers, the two-time defending champions, and the Trail Blazers on his way to the NBA Finals for the first time. In one of the greatest postseason surprises ever, Nowitzki led the Mavericks to their first NBA title against the Miami Heat and their fabled Big 3. He also won Finals MVP.
After winning the NBA title in 2011, Nowitzki’s career gradually declined until 2019, when he was wearing the Mavericks outfit for the 21st time. From 2012 to 2019, he averaged 16.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, yet he never made it back to the NBA Finals.
3. Tim Duncan
Another renowned power forward, Tim Duncan, reached his peak in the 2000s but still managed to rank in the top three in the 2010s. As the decade got underway, Duncan had already won four NBA titles, three MVP awards from the Finals, and two MVP honours. Even though he garnered the majority of his awards in the 2010s, his influence on team victory was far from over.
Duncan was the league’s best two-way player in the early half of the decade, averaging 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game between 2010 and 2013.
In 2014, he won his fifth NBA championship after leading the Spurs to consecutive Finals trips in 2013 and 2014. The Spurs crushed the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals.
After playing through the 2016 season, Duncan was named to the All-Star team four times, the All-NBA Team three times, and the All-Defensive team three times throughout the decade. As the best power forward in NBA history and the third-greatest of the 2010s, Duncan retired in 2016.
4. Blake Griffin
The Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons’ Blake Gryphon, a power forward, was one of the decade’s most thrilling and dynamic players. Gryphon, who the Clippers selected first overall in the 2009 draft, suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the 2010 NBA season. The wait was certainly worth it when he eventually took the court in 2010–2011.
Gryphon scored 22.5 points and pulled down 12.1 rebounds per game on 50.6% shooting in 2011 to easily earn Rookie of the Year. The Clippers, known as “Lob City,” entered their most prosperous period as a team to that date when they selected DeAndre Jordan in the first round and added Chris Paul.
Sadly, MVP-caliber play from Paul and Griffin’s outstanding performance of 21.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game were unable to win the Clippers the NBA.
After a dismal stint in Los Angeles, Gryphon was moved to the Detroit Pistons in 2017–18. During his first full season with the Pistons in 2019, Gryphon averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on 46.2% shooting from the field, earning him selections as an All-Star and All-NBA Team.
5. Kevin Love
Love raised his game in 2011 after having a strong second season in 2010 and winning Most Improved Player with 20.2 points and a league-high 15.2 rebounds per game. It was his first time being selected as an All-Star. Love would average 25.1 points and 13.0 rebounds per game while playing with the Timberwolves for the following three seasons. He would also be selected for two All-Star teams and two All-NBA Teams.
Love was moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 so that he could play with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. The Cavaliers went on to win four straight NBA Finals after pulling off one of the biggest surprises in postseason history in 2016 by defeating the Golden State Warriors 73-9 after trailing 3-1. Love’s NBA title was his first and only. Averaging 17.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, Love earned two more All-Star berths with the Cavaliers before the decade came to an end.
6. Draymond Green
Power forward Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors is no stranger to controversy on the court, having been involved in both violent altercations and foolish technical fouls. He has undoubtedly had a significant influence on the club throughout the years and is a major factor in the dynasty they have established since the early 2010s.
As a leader on the court, Draymond Green gives up numbers to have an immediate positive influence on the game and help the team win NBA titles. The Warriors advanced to five NBA Finals and won three NBA titles from 2015 to 2019 because of Green’s defensive instincts and his ability to impart that information to his teammates during the 2010s.
In the 2010s, Green was selected five times for the All-Defensive Team and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017. In addition to his defence, his skill as a facilitator and his patience were crucial to their team’s success.
7. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, NBA champion, Finals MVP, and one of the league’s most dominant all-around players in 2023–24, is without a doubt the best power forward in the NBA right now. When the Milwaukee Bucks selected Giannis with the 15th overall pick in 2013, the world saw his ascent to the top.
Giannis put in endless hours honing his craft in front of us, creating an insanely athletic frame and style of play. By 2017, with averages of 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game, Giannis had become the NBA’s Most Improved Player and was an All-Star for the first time.
Giannis would be the greatest player in the world by 2019, averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game while also earning MVP for the first time.
Even if he was still a few seasons away from postseason glory, Antetokounmpo accomplished enough to be ranked among the best 10 power forwards of the last ten years.
8. Chris Bosh
Upon entering the 2010s, Chris Bosh solidified his position as a top power forward during his eighth season with the Toronto Raptors. Bosh would play his final season in Toronto in 2010 before entering free agency for the first time. Following seven seasons spent playing in Canada, Bosh made the decision to move to Miami to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, creating the formidable Big 3.
Bosh made the adjustment from being the Heat’s top option to a third option on the court from 2011 to 2014, helping the team make it to four consecutive NBA Finals. 17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks were his averages per game.
In 2012 and 2013, he helped Miami win back-to-back NBA titles with his skills and development as a stretch forward.
Bosh would play two more All-Star seasons in Miami after James left after the 2014 season before bad luck struck. After receiving a blood clot problem diagnosis in 2016, Bosh’s NBA career was basically cut short.
9. Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol was the world’s greatest player at the beginning of the 2010s, winning an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. With an average of 18.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game during the regular season and 19.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game during the playoffs, Gasol was a major contributor to the team’s back-to-back championship run in 2009–2010. Gasol earned another selection to the All-Star team in 2011 and would play for the Lakers until the 2014 season.
Gasol played for the Bulls and Spurs for the following four seasons, averaging 14.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks a contest. Gasol was chosen for two additional All-Star teams in the 2010s, for a total of four selections. After the 2018 season with the Spurs and Bucks, Gasol announced his retirement.
10. LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldridge, who played for the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs, rounds out our list of the best 10 power forwards of the 2010s. Aldridge was in his fourth season with Portland at the start of the 2010s, averaging 17.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Aldridge would not be selected as an All-Star until 2012, and he would continue to do so for the following seven seasons.
Aldridge had four postseason appearances with Portland in the 2010s, averaging 21.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game on 48.4% shooting. Aldridge signed a free agent contract in 2015 and moved to the San Antonio Spurs, where he averaged 20.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 1,2 blocks a game on 50.6% shooting. He would end the decade with three more All-Star berths with the Spurs.
These are the 2010 NBA power forwards that are the greatest. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
