The 10 Greatest NBA Power Forwards Of The 2010s

2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 6x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection, 3x All-Defensive Team Selection

2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 23.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 2.4 BPG

Although his lack of playoff success was glaring during the 2010s, Anthony Davis takes the No. 1 spot for his individual production and two-way prowess during the decade. Davis was drafted first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2012 NBA Draft, making his debut in the 2012-13 season. He would go on to finish second in Rookie of the Year voting with 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game.

The very next year, Davis would break out as one of the best defensive players in the entire league. He earned his first All-Star appearance with 20.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.8 blocks per game. The next five seasons would bring five more All-Star selections with Davis producing 26.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game on 51.7% shooting.

Davis’ immediate impact on the Pelicans resulted in two trips to the playoffs including a second-round trip in 2018. While Davis has since moved on and won an NBA title, his time in New Orleans made him one of the franchise GOATs and the best NBA power forward of the 2010s.

2. Dirk Nowitzki

2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 1x NBA Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 6x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection

2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 18.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG

When we think of the greatest versions of Dirk Nowitzki during his NBA career, we think of two separate times in his career. The first were his MVP days in the late 2000s but the other is his magical run to the 2011 NBA championship. Nowitzki’s 2010s decade started how most of his career had gone to that point. In 2010, he finished as a top 10 MVP candidate but the Dallas Mavericks would fizzle out in the first round of the playoffs against the Spurs.

After yet another playoff elimination on his career resume, Nowitzki returned in 2011 with a vengeance. He led Dallas to a 57-25 record averaging 23.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game on 51/39/89 shooting splits. In the playoffs, he went into legend mode, eliminating the Thunder, two-time defending champion Lakers, and the Trail Blazers en route to their first NBA Finals appearance. Against the Miami Heat and their legendary Big 3, Nowitzki would lead the Mavericks to their first NBA title, claiming Finals MVP honors in one of the biggest playoff upsets ever.

The high of the NBA championship in 2011 was met with a subtle yet steady decline for Nowitzki through 2019, his 21st year in a Mavericks uniform. He averaged 16.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game from 2012 through 2019, never to return to the NBA Finals.

3. Tim Duncan

2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 1x NBA Champion, 4x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection, 3x All-Defensive Team Selection

2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 14.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.8 BPG

Tim Duncan is another legendary power forward who peaked during the 2000s but did more than enough to be considered top three during the 2010s. By the time the decade started, Duncan was already a four-time NBA champion, three-time Finals MVP, and two-time MVP. While most of his accolades were won during the 2010s, his impact on winning at a team level was far from finished.

In the early parts of the decade, Duncan remained a top two-way player in the league, averaging 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game from 2010 through 2013. He led the Spurs to back-to-back Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014 with his fifth NBA title coming in 2014 in a rout of the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

Duncan would play through the 2016 season, finishing with four All-Star selections, three All-NBA Team selections, and three All-Defensive Team selections in the decade. Duncan retired in 2016 as the greatest power forward in NBA history and the third-greatest of the 2010s.

4. Blake Griffin

2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 1x Rookie Of The Year, 6x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team Selection

2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 21.9 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG

One of the most exciting and electric players of the 2010s decade was power forward Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons. Drafted first overall by the Clippers in 2009, Griffin would miss the entire 2010 season with a knee injury. When he finally hit the court in 2010-11, the anticipation was well worth the wait.

Griffin cruised to a Rookie of the Year win in 2011 with 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game on 50.6% shooting. The Clippers brought in Chris Paul and drafted DeAndre Jordan, ushering in their most successful era as a franchise up to that point dubbed “Lob City”. Unfortunately, even Griffin's elite play of 21.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game alongside MVP-caliber play from Paul was not enough to turn the Clippers into NBA champions.

In 2017-18, Griffin would be traded to the Detroit Pistons, bringing his time in Los Angeles to a disappointing end. In his first full season with the Pistons in 2019, Griffin would earn an All-Star and All-NBA Team selection with 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on 46.2% shooting from the floor.

5. Kevin Love

2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 1x NBA Champion, 1x Most Improved Player, 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection

2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 19.3 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Rounding out the top-five power forwards during the 2010s is the double-double machine, Kevin Love. Already a second-year power forward with the Minnesota Timberwolves by the time 2009-10 started, Love really came into his own as one of the premier power forwards in the game at the turn of the decade.

After a solid second season in 2010, Love turned things up a notch in 2011 with his first All-Star selection and Most Improved Player honors with 20.2 points and a league-leading 15.2 rebounds per game. Over the next three seasons with the Timberwolves, Love would average 25.1 points and 13.0 rebounds per game with two more All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections as well.

In 2014, Love was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers to join forces with Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. The Cavaliers would proceed to advance to the next four NBA Finals in a row, completing one of the greatest playoff upsets ever in 2016 when they came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. It was Love’s first and only NBA title. Love finished out the decade with the Cavaliers with two more All-Star selections, averaging 17.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

6. Draymond Green

2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 3x NBA Champion, 1x Defensive Player Of The Year, 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection

2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 9.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.1 BPG

Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green is no stranger to controversy on the court with ill-advised technical fouls and physical altercations. However, there is no denying the impact he has had over the years on the team as one of the key components of the dynasty they have built since the early 2010s.

Draymond Green is a leader on the court, sacrificing his stats to impact the game in ways that lead directly to NBA championships During the 2010s, Green’s defensive instincts and ability to instill that knowledge in his teammates helped the Warriors reach five different NBA Finals and take home three NBA titles from 2015 through 2019.

Green was a Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and a five-time All-Defensive Team selection during the 2010s. Aside from his defense, his patience and precision as a playmaker were also instrumental in their success at the team level.

7. Giannis Antetokounmpo

2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 1x MVP, 1x Most Improved Player, 3x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection, 2x All-Defensive Team Selection

2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 18.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.3 BPG

Giannis Antetokounmpo is unquestionably the best power forward in the NBA today as a two-time MVP, NBA champion, Finals MVP, and one of the most dominant all-around players in 2023-24. Giannis’ rise to the top of the world began as the 15th overall pick to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013.

Before our eyes, Giannis worked and worked on his game, developing a freakishly athletic build and game on the court. By 2017, Giannis was an All-Star for the first time and the NBA’s Most Improved Player averaging 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game. By 2019, Giannis would be the best player in the world, winning MVP for the first time and averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game.

While his postseason success was still a couple of seasons away, Antetokounmpo did plenty to be considered a top-10 power forward of the decade.

8. Chris Bosh

2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 2x NBA Champion, 7x All-Star

2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 18.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG

By the time the 2010s rolled around, Chris Bosh was already firmly established as a premier power forward with the Toronto Raptors in his seventh season of service. The 2010 season would be Bosh’s last in Toronto as he headed into free agency for the very first time. After seven seasons North of the Border, Bosh elected to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami, forming an unstoppable Big 3.

From 2011 through 2014, Bosh helped the Heat reach four straight NBA finals while adjusting to going from a number-one option to a third option on the court. He averaged 17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. His play and evolution as a stretch forward helped Miami capture back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013.

After James left following the 2014 season, Bosh would have two more All-Star seasons in Miami before misfortune struck. In 2016, Bosh was diagnosed with a blood clot disorder that would effectively end his NBA career abruptly.

9. Pau Gasol

2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 1x NBA Champion, 4x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection

2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 15.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.5 BPG

At the start of the 2010s, Pau Gasol was on top of the world as an NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers. During the 2009-10 season, Gasol played a large role in helping the team go back-to-back as champions, averaging 18.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in the regular season and 19.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in the playoffs. Gasol would remain with the Lakers through the 2014 season, earning one more All-Star selection in 2011.

The next four seasons of his career would be spent with the Bulls and Spurs with Gasol averaging 14.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Gasol earned two more All-Star selections to give him a total of four for the 2010s. Gasol would retire following the 2018 season with the Spurs and Bucks.

10. LaMarcus Aldridge

2009-10 to 2018-19 Accolades: 7x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team Selection

2009-10 to 2018-19 Stats: 20.8 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.1 BPG

LaMarcus Aldridge completes our top 10 of power forwards during the 2010s decade for his play with both the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs. When the 2010s began, Aldridge was in his fourth year with Portland, averaging 17.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. It wouldn’t be until 2012 that Aldridge would earn his first All-Star selection, something he would do for the next seven seasons in a row.

With Portland during the 2010s, Aldridge averaged 21.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game on 48.4% shooting with four appearances in the playoffs for Portland. In 2015, Aldridge would leave Portland in free agency for the San Antonio Spurs where he would finish out the decade with three more All-Star selections, averaging 20.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1,2 blocks per game on 50.6% shooting.