Highlights Power forwards shifted towards being stretch bigs in the 2010s for spacing.
The era saw a diverse range of playing styles, from inside scorers to sharpshooters.
Players like Gasol, Bosh, Duncan, Aldridge, Nowitzki, Green, Antetokounmpo, Love, Griffin, and Davis excelled in the 2010s.
NBA power forwards were once revered as strictly hard-hitting, inside-dominant players who solely contributed in and around the restricted area. However, as the league progressed toward the 2010s, more power forwards were extending their shooting range – and creating spacing for their teammates as a result.
Once teams realized the importance of having spacing around the court for athletic guards to drive, the NBA began to shift to a stretch big renaissance. More and more franchises began to operate with one athletic rim-protector and one floor spacer down low as the 2010s progressed. With teams taking notice of a league dominated by elite shooting in the Golden State Warriors , the NBA somewhat turned into a copycat league.
Plenty of power forwards from this era still saved their skills for inside the arc, especially older veterans who were drafted for their low-post skillsets. As a result, the 2010s may feature the widest diversity of playing styles among fours the league has ever seen.
10 Pau Gasol
A proven veteran still capable of All-Star production
Pau Gasol was coming off back-to-back championships with the L.A. Lakers . The skilled big man wouldn’t reach the NBA’s pinnacle again, but that didn’t mean he would fizzle out slowly as an individual talent. Gasol notched one more All-Star appearance with the Lakers before the team fell off the rails.
With injuries ravaging the roster and age taking over, Los Angeles shipped Gasol to the Chicago Bulls , where he was able to revitalize himself as an All-NBA big man with a playoff team. Gasol added two more All-Star nods in his age-34 and 35 seasons, bringing an offensive presence to a defensively-minded Chicago squad.
Pau Gasol – 2010s Statistics PPG 15.1 RPG 9.5 APG 3.2 SPG 0.4 BPG 1.4
Gasol bounced around a bit, contributing in a bench role for a couple of seasons before age eventually forced him into retirement.
9 Chris Bosh
Key third fiddle on back-to-back title teams
Chris Bosh decided to leave his role as the face of the Toronto Raptors for a chance to compete for a championship with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James on the Miami Heat . While never an MVP candidate again, Bosh proved to be the perfect third option on a Heat team that walked away with two titles and four-straight finals bids.
Bosh was an All-Star every year with Miami, also notably being one of the first big men to become a solid three-point shooter after previously only working inside. Bosh came up with a number of massive plays throughout Miami’s championship runs, including a key offensive rebound and kick out to Ray Allen in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals.
Chris Bosh – 2010s Statistics PPG 18.0 RPG 7.3 APG 1.8 SPG 0.9 BPG 0.9
After six All-Star seasons with the Heat, Bosh was forced into an unfortunate retirement after being diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs. He retired at just 32 years old in 2017, but showed enough to cement himself as one of the decade’s premier power forwards.
8 Tim Duncan
An aging legend and defensive backbone of one last championship run
After spending the previous decade as the winningest big man in the league, Tim Duncan was safely in the declining phase of his career by the 2010s. But a declining version of a Hall-of-Famer is still capable of All-Star seasons and game-changing defensive impact.
Tim Duncan – 2010s Statistics PPG 14.1 RPG 9.1 APG 2.7 SPG 0.7 BPG 1.9
Duncan was still one of the best bigs in the league in his mid-30s, and the San Antonio Spurs ‘ continued success reflects that. He added two more All-Star appearances in three years to begin the 2010s before adding a fifth ring to his esteemed career in 2014. An All-Star again in 2015, Duncan remained a top player until the tail end of his career.
7 LaMarcus Aldridge
A consistent and crafty low-post scorer who led multiple playoff runs
Credit: © Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
LaMarcus Aldridge was entering his prime with the Portland Trail Blazers when the 2010s started after progressing in each of his first four seasons. By 2011-12, Aldridge had established himself as a perennial All-Star thanks to his incredibly consistent offensive repertoire that included a heavy dose of mid-range and turnaround jumpers.
Aldridge would go on to make seven All-Star appearances in eight seasons between 2011-12 and 2019-20, featuring as the top option in Portland until Damian Lillard began to take over. Not wanting to take a backseat on offense, Aldridge was moved to the Spurs, where he played alongside Duncan in his last year in the league.
LaMarcus Aldridge – 2010s Statistics PPG 21.0 RPG 8.8 APG 2.2 SPG 0.7 BPG 1.2
Aldridge was still one of the best power forwards in the NBA even after the Spurs’ dynasty finally came to an end. Two of his All-Star appearances were with the Spurs, and he embraced a role change as he aged. A health scare forced Aldridge into an early retirement, but he displayed plenty throughout this decade.
6 Dirk Nowitzki
The hall-of-fame marksman started the decade out on top
Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks began the 2010s with what was viewed as a massive upset over the star-studded Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. A veteran-laden squad without a true second star, Nowitzki overcame his previous playoff disappointments and put together a superstar series en route to the franchise’s first title.
Nowitzki was also on his way down after dominating the 2000s, but his unguardable jump shot stayed with him even as his athleticism declined. Dirk stacked another four All-Star appearances between 2011-12 and 2015-16 as the Mavs’ top option before beginning to show his age as the decade progressed.
Dirk Nowitzki – 2010s Statistics PPG 17.4 RPG 6.1 APG 2.0 SPG 0.6 BPG 0.6
In his later years, Nowitzki played a lesser role on the court in Dallas, put provided vital leadership for incoming talent, including the team’s next star, Luka Dončić .
5 Draymond Green
A versatile defender and an essential piece of a dynasty
Draymond Green , drafted in the second round in 2012, had a lot to prove with the Golden State Warriors as an undersized and offensive-challenged forward. However, once he was given the chance, Green quickly showcased his elite defensive intangibles and surprising playmaking prowess.
Green played a massive role in Golden State’s championship in 2015 and continued to orchestrate on both sides of the ball throughout the franchise’s dynasty. He was able to lock down a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017 and has been one of the decade’s most consistent and valuable defenders.
Draymond Green – 2010s Statistics PPG 9.0 RPG 6.9 APG 5.0 SPG 1.4 BPG 1.1
Green’s offensive contributions have been inconsistent, especially over the past few seasons, but it’s been evident how perfectly his playstyle fits next to a pair of sharpshooters. Green was again a key facet in the Warriors’ 2022 title as the team returned to its original core with tweaks to complement them.
4 Giannis Antetokounmpo
One of NBA history’s most dominant paint presences
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the most dominant and arguably the most talented power forward on this list, but his development was slow and steady. An unheralded draft pick in 2013, Antetokounmpo wasn’t expected to become a fraction of the world-renowned superstar he has transformed into – and it started in the 2010s.
Antetokounmpo has been one of the league’s most durable talents since entering the league, and has steadily improved each year from his rookie season, when he was simply an intriguing bench player. His biggest production jump came between his third and fourth seasons, as he won Most Improved Player and established himself as a star in 2016-17.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – 2010s Statistics PPG 20.1 RPG 8.9 APG 4.3 SPG 1.2 BPG 1.3
Antetokounmpo only further continued to dominate as the decade progressed, throwing his name in the ring as the NBA’s best player and capturing back-to-back MVPs in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Had his career started earlier, Antetokounmpo would undoubtedly be at the top of this list, but many of his best years were yet to come in the next decade.
3 Kevin Love
From hard-hitting rebounder to champion stretch big
Kevin Love may have seen his role change more than any other power forward over the course of the 2010s. He began the decade as a bruising, rebound-hogging big man with the Minnesota Timberwolves , leading the NBA with 15.2 boards per game and winning Most Improved Player in 2010-11. After this season, he progressively started adding more three-pointers to his shot diet and spent more time outside the paint.
Following years of stuffing the stat sheet for one of the league’s worst teams, a disgruntled Love was shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was forced to immediately adjust to being a third option after being the face of the Timberwolves. It took a couple of seasons to acclimate, but Love would go on to settle into a Bosh-like role alongside Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, helping the Cavs claim a championship in 2016.
Kevin Love – 2010s Statistics PPG 19.7 RPG 11.5 APG 2.5 SPG 0.7 BPG 0.4
Love was recognized as one of the league’s best stretch bigs while in Cleveland, and still put up numbers even after James left town. He closed the decade as a valued veteran on a new-look Cavs team.
2 Blake Griffin
High-flyer turned all-around forward with a lengthy injury history
After missing his first season due to injury, Blake Griffin burst on to the scene with the Los Angeles Clippers , winning Rookie of the Year as an uber-explosive athlete from the four position. Griffin continued to stack All-Star appearances and settled in as an MVP candidate as Chris Paul’s most fearsome lob threat.
Griffin struggled mightily with an array of injuries during the second half of his stint in L.A. The