Which small forwards had the best 2017?

In the modern NBA, one of the most difficult positions to classify is the small forward. It's also arguably the most demanding of roles, but here's a look at five stars of the game who have dominated the league - and, in some cases, Twitter - as a three this year.

1. LeBron James - Cleveland Cavaliers

No surprise here. Surely the best basketball player on the planet, LeBron never ceases to amaze us. What he provides on court is magical, what he says off court is valuable. It's been a decade of destruction for James, with no end in sight.

For an unprecedented seventh straight year, James made the NBA Finals. He lost in five to what may be the best roster in history, but he averaged a triple-double across the series and fought until the unfortunate end.

His play speaks for itself, as he's always finding ways to noticeably improve. For instance, this season he's become a consistent 3-point shooter, while having a career year from the free-throw line, despite one of the big criticisms of his game being his inability to score from the charity stripe.

And of course, even though Stephen Curry and James are rivals on the court, LeBron still went out of his way to let President Trump know he has Steph's back with one of the most retweeted tweets of 2017:

2. Kevin Durant - Golden State Warriors

He finally did it: Kevin Durant finally won an NBA Championship. Through all the criticism and insults, the generally thin-skinned Durant had the last laugh. He now has the chance to be part of something special - the first true dynasty in almost two decades.

The Warriors star was named GQ's 2017 Champion of the Year. After what he's endured through his career, nobody should try to dispute it. He snatched the finals MVP after averaging 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.

If this is strictly an assessment of on-court success, Durant's three over the outstretched James in Game 3 of the finals might be enough to clinch the top spot on this list. Where he went wrong was his awkward offseason, when he was caught bickering with fans on Twitter with fake accounts.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks

With the way he's been playing, it might be time to learn how to spell Giannis Antetokounmpo. Amazingly, 14 players in a comically terrible NBA draft were selected ahead of the Greek Freak in 2013, and every team that passed up the opportunity to select him will have to live with that regret.

There will be a year when Antetokounmpo will end up first on a list like this. He was awfully close, if it weren't for arguably the best two basketball players in the world ahead of him. As a 22-year-old, he averaged a solid 22.9 points per game. That's skyrocketed to 29.6 points through the first 29 games of this season.

Antetokounmpo didn't just have a tremendous year on the court. His life off the court was pretty spectacular as well, including an endorsement battle that saw him sign a long-term deal with Nike despite receiving a truckload of Adidas goods.

But the most special moment might be his twitter interaction with Kobe Bryant, where the Black Mamba challenged him to be MVP. Well, don't worry Kobe. He's getting there.

4. Paul George - Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are off to a rough start this season, and George's numbers have taken a noticeable hit. To make up for it, he has become an early defensive play of the year candidate, leading the league with 2.5 steals per game and standing out as one of the few positives for a wildly inconsistent team.

George had a career year last season, and his best production came late last season as a member of the Pacers as he willed the team to the playoffs with a weak supporting cast. Yes, they were swept in the first round against the Cavs, but George was a superstar in those four games.

His name has been heavily linked to the Los Angeles Lakers all year, just like he's dreamed; however, the trade to the Thunder gives him some kind of shot at an NBA Championship right now. George's year has disappointed some, including a lot of Indiana. However, that doesn't take away the fact he's had an awesome year.

5. Kawhi Leonard - San Antonio Spurs

Injury or no injury, Leonard is tough to keep off this list. He hasn't played much since infamously being injured by Zaza Pachulia in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Before the injury, Leonard was one of the scariest guys in the league to go up against.

Leonard finished in the top three in both MVP voting and Defensive Player of the Year voting. When healthy, he's easily a top-five player in the NBA and arguably the best two-way player in the world. He put that on full display by almost taking down the Warriors.

His averages skyrocketed in the playoffs. He had 26 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes in that first game against Golden State, and his value was put on notice after the Spurs managed to blow a 23-point lead without him.

(Photo Courtesy: Getty)