Washington Wizards: Ranking The Top 5 Small Forwards In Recent Franchise History
By Ben Mehic
5) Juwan Howard
Juwan Howard? This is not a typo.
Howard comes in at number five on the list of best small forwards in Washington Wizards/Bullets recent history.
But he’s a power forward!
If that is your reaction, we know you either weren’t paying attention or weren’t old enough to know that while Howard was on the Washington Wizards/Bullets with Chris Webber, he was primarily a small forward.
So two power forwards and a 7-foot-6 center who can barely move was the frontcourt?
You have that right.
This is a far cry from the current state of the NBA where just one traditional big man seems to be treated as a nuisance and hindrance towards an open style of play and space for the guards to operate.
In the four seasons Howard played alongside Webber in Washington’s frontcourt, he averaged 19.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
*To note, perhaps his best statistical season did come in 1995-96 when Webber missed significant time with a shoulder injury, however Rasheed Wallace starting 51 games for Washington that season – Yes, that same Rasheed Wallace
Advanced metrics don’t paint as good of a picture as Howard had a PER of 15.9 and a TS% of .525 over that same four season period with an ORtg of 104 and a DRtg of 108.
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That doesn’t do justice for Howard, though.
While I think most would agree that Howard failed to live up to expectations after signing his $100 million contract, his initial arrival in Washington was met with great joy.
Coming off a high profiled college career as a significant part of the Fab Five, fans who attended the team’s draft party at the Capitol Center (myself included) loudly cheered when John Nash told the crowd that Juwan Howard be the selection with the 5th overall pick, barring a trade.
After a holdout that extended into his rookie season, Howard quickly signed with Washington coinciding with the arrival of his ex-college teammate Webber.
From there, Howard quickly became a fan favorite with his performance, leadership and tenacity he would approach the game with.
It was a breath of fresh air and a new excitement for a franchise that was stuck in mediocrity for some period of time, missing out on lottery luck that landed them the 6th pick (Tom Gugliotta) in the 1992 draft that had Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning selected as the top two, and the 6th pick again (Calbert Cheaney) in the 1993 draft in a draft that saw Webber, Anfernee Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn all selected in the top four.
Washington had to have felt snake bitten, considering in each of those drafts they fell from their original position entering the draft.
The fortune of having the high profiled duo in Howard and Webber come to Washington D.C. together was a huge moment for the organization – one which had many expecting the Bullets to jump to contender status.
As Richard Justice with the Washington Post noted on the day both Howard came to terms and Webber was acquired:
"“It was a pair of stunning moves for a franchise that, after suffering through seven consecutive losing seasons, seems finally on the verge of being a serious contender after adding a pair of former University of Michigan teammates who should be the cornerstone of the team’s front court."
Although things did not work out as we all hoped, Howard’s arrival to D.C. was a significant moment in the franchise’s recent history, and his play and relevance of those games was deserving of his inclusion on this list.
Next: 4) Ariza