The top small forwards in today's NBA have some of the biggest names in basketball. LeBron James and Kevin Durant highlight the cream of the crop, and only three to four others finish each year as All-Stars. There's not a ton of depth at the three, so there's a notable drop in production outside of the top five or six small forwards. That makes sorting out sleepers and breakout candidates important. The household have dominated the leaderboard in recent seasons.
I've factored in offseason roster movement to compile a list of a small forward sleeper, breakout candidate, and bust for fantasy managers to keep an eye on. Read below to get a feel for two targets you should consider going after and one you might want to avoid.
Sleeper
The reigning champions have lost a few role players in the frontcourt since last season, and that bodes well for Kuminga. The 19-year-old wing isn't set to move into the starting lineup but will be the Golden State Warriors' top backup option at small forward and power forward in his second NBA season. I expect Andrew Wiggins to carry a heavy workload, but Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green will surely need relief during the long regular season. Kuminga logged at least 20 minutes in 29 games last year. He averaged 15.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in those outings.
Breakout
Hunter has yet to crack the top 30 at his position and his injury history has a lot to do with that. He finished just outside the top 30 as a rookie, and some might not expect much with Dejounte Murray set to enter the fray for the Atlanta Hawks in 2022-23. Atlanta is reportedly working on a contract extension for the 3-and-D forward. He shot a career-high 37.4 percent from deep and averaged 21.2 points per game in his latest playoff run. I think a healthy season in a contract year is all Hunter needs to climb inside the top 20.
Bust
Okoro barely cracked the top 50 among small forwards last season and is sure to slide following the Cleveland Cavaliers' acquisition of Donovan Mitchell. The defensive wing is averaging 31 minutes per game through two NBA seasons but has become his team's seventh option on offense at best. Caris LeVert and Kevin Love will almost certainly play larger roles than Okoro, who's still trying to improve as a scorer. Fantasy managers should comfortably leave Okoro undrafted and pick him up should injuries or a trade put him in a more favorable situation.
