In the NBA, the power forward is a dying breed. The league is moving more toward a positionless style of play and is increasingly weeding out the traditional power forward. “Small ball” is bigger now that it has ever been. The majority of coaches prefer a player that can stretch the floor more than a player that can bang in the post. Even with the power forward being phased out, these guys continue to thrive.

5. Paul Millsap

Paul Millsap has always been one of the most underrated players in the NBA. He is a complete player that flies under the radar every year. He averaged 17 points per game to go along with nine rebounds last season for the fourth seeded Atlanta Hawks. They met the Celtics in the first round of the east playoffs and won the series four games to two. Led by Millsap and Al Horford, they were then swept in the second round by the Cavaliers. Millsap is a three time all-star and was named to the all-defensive second team last season. Millsap does not shoot the three well, but is a 50% career shooter from the field. Millsap and the Hawks made major changes this offseason. They lost Al Horford, traded Jeff Teague, and signed high maintenance big man Dwight Howard. Millsap will once again have a very good year and fly under the casual fan’s radar all season. If Dwight can channel even a little bit of the first team all-NBA center and defensive player of the year that we all once knew, Millsap will have a good running mate to try and make a playoff push.

4. Lamarcus Aldridge

L.A. is 6’11 and can score with the best in the league. He has had four seasons in the top ten in points per game, has been all-NBA four times, and an all-star five times. He is a 19 point per game scorer over his career. Last season was the first time in the last six years he did not average over 20 ppg. He is now in his second season with the Spurs, where he plays second fiddle to Kawhi Leonard. This is also the first time in 19 seasons that the Spurs have not had Tim Duncan, and they look to have not missed a beat. They have come out in dominating fashion, with L.A. scoring at least 19 or more in three of the five games he has played. Aldridge is one of the last few players in this analytics driven NBA that takes the mid-range jumper as much as he does. There are only a few players that are truly elite from the mid-range and he is one of them. One knock on Aldridge is that he doesn't make, or even take, threes. Last season he did not make a three-point field goal all year, and only attempted 16. He has only had one year of his career where he has made over eight shots from beyond the arc. However, this season he has already made two out of the five he has attempted, showing that he may try to gradually add it to his game. Kawhi and L.A. look to try and challenge the Warriors at the top of the Western Conference, where the Spurs currently reside in first.

3. Blake Griffin

Blake battled injury for the majority of last season and is poised for a bounce back. Over the past few seasons, Blake has shown that he is more than just a high flier. He averages 21.4 ppg for his career, and has only averaged under 20 in a season once. He is an animal on the boards, averaging 9.6 rebounds per game for his career. He is a five-time all-star and a four-time all-NBA player. He continues to take the mid-range jumper, where he looks to improve his efficiency. He and Chris Paul make up for one of the most feared pick and roll combinations in the league. Being 6’10 and weighing 251 pounds, he'll wear you out on the block. He has shown he is one of the best passers in the league at his position, hovering around five assists per game the last two seasons. He was able to make it back in time for the playoffs last season, where he was knocked out because of injury yet again, only two games into their first round series. This season Blake is thrown right back into the thick of things and will once again be a major part of the Clipper’s high powered offense. Expect Blake and the Clippers to be in the top half of the Western Conference standings, where they will look to punch their competition in the face.

2. Draymond Green

Draymond Green is the heart and soul of the Warriors. He is their emotional leader on and off the court. He has the ability to fill up the stat sheet any given night, averaging 14 points, 6.7 assists, and 10.5 rebounds per game last season. He has the ability to handle the ball and start the offense for the Warriors, which makes them even more deadly than they already are. Draymond excels at grabbing the rebound and immediately starting the break, which can be one of the toughest things to guard in the NBA. This allows the shooters to find their spots while the defense scrambles to catch up. He was named to the all-NBA second team last season, and has been runner up defensive player of the year and all-defensive first team the past two seasons. He is the lone player on this list that has a ring. Draymond also has the ability to play center which allows the Warriors to go to their deadly small ball lineup. He stretches the floor well, shooting 39% from three last season. This Swiss army knife of an NBA player is one of the deadliest tools in the NBA. Draymond’s numbers will however go down because of the addition of Kevin Durant. With the Warriors struggling to find their rhythm early, they will need Draymond to kick them into gear and get them on track. Draymond Green comes in at number two.

1. Anthony Davis

Plain and simple, “The Brow” is an animal. Coming into his fifth season in the NBA, he is only 23 years old. He is a three-time all-star and was named to the all-defensive team and all-NBA team in 2014-15. He averages 21 ppg on his career to go along with 9.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He has been top five in blocks per game four seasons, leading the league in three of them. He has had four seasons in the top ten in rebounding and has been top ten in ppg twice. He also has an improving jumper, taking and making more threes a game. Once he becomes more efficient from the outside, he will be one of the most dangerous offensive threats the league has ever seen.

This season he has come out on fire, averaging 30 points, 3.2 blocks, and 11.8 rebounds, adding a 50-point game into the mix as well. Unfortunately, Davis has no help. The Pelicans have started the season 0-6, which was the story of last season as well. Ever since they were swept out of the playoffs in the first round by the Warriors, they have not been able to get back to that level of play. Davis himself is always dealing with some sort of injury, while his teammates Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday have dealt with injury issues as well. Davis has yet to play a full season in the league and is having trouble making the leap to playoff contender. In the preseason NBA general manager survey, Anthony Davis was included in the “Also receiving votes" category, for the question “If you were starting a franchise today and could sign any player in the NBA, who would it be?” Whereas last season, he was the leader, receiving 86.2% of the votes. Even the NBA general managers have jumped off of the Anthony Davis bandwagon. Once Davis finds a way to stay healthy and is surrounded by a contributing supporting cast, the Pelicans will be dangerous. Anthony Davis is the best power forward in the NBA today

Even with the position dying before our eyes, there is plenty of power forward talent left. It is a position that is evolving with the times, changing to fit the analytics driven league that we all love. We will always remember you power forward.

Honorable Mentions: Derrick Favors, Kevin Love, Kristaps Porzingis.