Of the guards, Jordan, Drexler, and Robertson are most commonly viewed as the leaders of their teams. All three centers seem to be viewed as leaders of their teams. This doesn't appear to mean anything because leadership seems intrinsically part of winning and may not 'exist' with any player on a losing team. In Atlanta, where Dominique Wilkins controls the ball so much, he draws so much attention from the defense that his teammates are easily freed for good shots. But, there must be some general reason for this, relating to the place on the court that a forward normally occupies.
Forwards normally play on either side of the court and fairly close to the baseline.
On defense, it is often taught to keep players off the baseline and directed toward the center of the defense, so there may be something to this theory. Guards and centers generally position themselves offensively close to the middle of the court and the defense may have an easier time adjusting to this. Theoretically, if the defense is playing tighter on forwards who are playing out near the sides of the court, that opens up the middle of the court. Offensively, guards and centers would then have less to deal with in the middle of the court. When broadcasters talk about spreading out the defense, that is what this would be.