All of a sudden, there's so many great centers in the league... Embiid, Gobert, Jokic, Towns etc. If you had to rank your top10, what would it be? My Top10: 1. Embiid (best all around center) 2. Jokic (best offensive center and it's not close) 3. Cousins 4. Gobert (best defensive center) 5. M Gasol 6. Towns 7. Adams 8. Jordan 9. Whiteside 10. Howard Honorable mentions: Capela, Turner, Drummond, Valanciunas, R Lopez, Vucevic
Nephew, as much as we want to talk about this. Could we maybe try in the off-season? Playoffs is about to start, we would know a better idea when the whole season finishes to evaluate a player as whole more deeply. If you do wish to see a list, I have a top 5 for you. 1. Towns - Young polished centre with range and can do really well, waiting for him to mature more as a leader when Thibbs steps down 2. Jokic - International centres are hard to find, he is there at the very top if he can keep up his passing vision and ability. Nuggets really find a gold mine with this player. He got good players, how good will Nuggets be with Michael Porter or Miles Bridges. Need a SF to continue to strive and grow under Wilson Chandler guidance. 3. Capela - Bias here bc Rockets. Nuff Said. He will do well, waiting to hear and retain him as a Rocket going forward. He deserves to learn under the wings of John Lucas III as well CP3&Harden relationship strengths. Need to get his blocks higher, but he is still learning, incredible foodwork when asked to play Post-ups. Dr34m must be mentoring his conditioning in the off-season if we want to see more flashy moves from Capela like out of nowhere. Euro-step 4. Embiid - Very raw centre, still learning to keep his mouth to himself. Self-entertainer, love his enthusiasm, need to stay healthy to become a more polished centre as he ages in the league. 5. Cousins - Can do really well if he can fight through getting Tech fouls and he is very human, generous and nurturing person, well-done Cousins. You have come so far since your early years, I believe he also put on a lot of muscle. Very strong centre when healthy and focused. My honourable mentions (in no specific order): Miles Turner, Whiteside, Drummond, Adams, Edit: Is Porzingis a forward or centre?
I think Porzingis is a forward. Otherwise I would have included him in my top10, and would have placed him above Towns. Towns is a better offensive player, Porzingis is a way better defensive player.
1. Embiid - really should be a generational big. Very good defense and presence along with a very good offense. Probably the only center in the league I believe could be your #1 guy and have a shot at a chip. 2. Gobert - truly an elite elite defensive player and I value defense at the 5 more than anything and his metrics are off the chart. He effects the game defensively the way elite offensive players like harden and curry do. 3. Towns - I really don’t like how he isn’t a good defensive player because he has the tools needed but he just doesn’t defend well. But he has shown promise and flashes defensively and has a great modern day offense. His ability to play both inside and outside is remarkable. Has a case for best offensive center. 4. Adams - the guy is a great defender. Strong as an ox. I have no way of proving it but he could be the best rebounder in the game. He gives Russ about 4-5 rbds a game. Amazing at boxing out and just a phenomenal offensive rebounder. Offense is good and he doesn’t try to do too much. Dirty work grinder. 5. Cousins - could be as high as #2 but his attitude is always a concern and this recent injury is quite concerning. The Achilles injury could be the end of his dominance. Was feeling like he was starting to grow and mature in NOP and it sucks to realize he may be done but for now I still believe he’s a top 5 guy. I 6. Jokic - I like jokic, a lot. He’s really fun to watch and provides such a unique style. His offense from the 5 is great probably the best but it’s not devastating if that makes sense. He can burn you, and will, but he shouldn’t be the focal point imo. And his defense and lack of athleticism is an issue, which credit due, he succeeds greatly without. I’d love seeing him as the #2 guy with an inside out game. 7. Drummond - I been hard on the guy in the past but he is the best rebounder in the game and he made a huge leap this year which I don’t think anyone expected. He’s became a good passer and he upped his ft% significantly. His defense is much better also. Interesting tho because next to griffin he hasn’t looked as good nor has the team. Most likeliest player to fall out of consideration going forward. 8. Capela - above average defense and above average offense. He benefits from a system perfect for his strengths. But his lob ability is vital to the leagues best offense so he deserves credit, it’s a skill and he is probably the best at it. His defense has vastly improved especially his perimeter switch ability. Ft% is improving but still desire for more improvement. 9. Jordan - older version of capela. Great rebounder, one of the best in the league. He seemingly has started his downward slope. Looks half a step slower and just wasn’t nearly the defensive player as he has been known for. Improved his ft% which is his greatest weakness. Doesn’t get the support capela does but I understand the capela vs dj thing so imo 8 and 9 are interchangeable and even. I prefer youth and upside 10. Gasol - maybe it’s being on a horrible team but he really hasn’t been that good this year. The offensive game and capability is still there but the defense is gone. He’s all reputation now. He’s old and it could be his declining athleticism or it could be his lack of desire on a tanking team. Likely it’s both and I only have him here because his strong all around capabilities and respect for his iq that will keep him effective going forward if he’s motivated. Others worthy of mention in no particular order: Whiteside - no thanks. Knucklehead still and being benched at end of games. More stats than substance. He’s gone this offseason imo. (Would love him in milwaukee) Dwight - just refuses to adapt to modern basketball. So much potential greatness lost in a bad mind. Sad really. Myles - really good young and upcoming. Fits the modern scheme and solid potential. He could really break it next year after a solid offseason with oladipo and another year of growth. Guys who make top 10 if considered centers: Davis Porzingis Horford Draymond
op says there's so many great ones when even the list only shows a few that are actually good. center position is still bad
Wow, nice post! Really enjoyed reading it. I might not fully agree with some of the placements, but the arguments are solid for sure.
You're right. Not a single great one on that list. Not a single one of those players even finished top 10 MVP Voting, EVER! Hakeem finished #12 in MVP voting his rookie year and #4 in MVP voting his second year. David Robinson finished top 5 in MVP voting his rookie year. The Centers today just don't make much of an impact to their team's winning % other than Rudy and Embidd. KATS and COUSINS despite putting up Hakeem and David Robinson like #'s, do not help their team wins. Cousins for 7 plus year in SacTown lead his team to lottery year, same thing with KAT. As soon as Jimmy gets hurt, TWOLVES = lottery team even with Teague, Wiggins, Gibson, etc. Those dude just don't impact the game defensively at all despite all those Block shots and steals Unless you want to count Dwight and Gasol(on worse team in the NBA and shooting 41% FG for A Center) as a top 10 center in 2018
I like your list as it obviously counts players that actually help their team wins, not just put up great status but put your team in the lottery. Embid and Rudy are two guys that actually impact winning.
As today my top 10 would be this i think: Embiid Cousins Towns Gobert Jokic Gasol Horford (let me list him as center) Adams Nurkic Valanciunas I'd take Nurkic before guys like Dwight, Whiteside and Drummond cause he's actually a big body who can play basketball at 360° and uses his brain (most of times lol). And to think Denver traded him with a mid 1st rounder for Plumlee...
Denver definitely got screwed a little bit in that trade. But there were rumors about Nurkic pouting and ruining the team chemistry in Denver, so ultimately I think they made a reasonable decision trading him away. And by the way, I'm not saying that he's bad or anything, it's just that putting him as the #2 best center in the league is beyond ludicrous. I think he's somewhere in the 10-20 range.
Yeah, he probably would. But there's no denying that the center position is very stacked right now compared to what it was 5-10 years ago.
1. Karl Anthony Towns: We've heard it all: "He sucks on defense!", "He can't win games!", amongst other hot takes. What CAN be said about Towns outweighs his flaws to such an extent that he's #1 on this list. Towns is the most offensively gifted big man to enter the league in the last decade and a half and its not even close. Elite 3 point shooter, elite mid-range shooter, elite post up player, elite rebounder on both ends. His talents are being WASTED under thibs, he takes the third most shots on the team per game, yet his PPP on offense is second in the NBA, ahead of Curry, Durant, LeBron, CP, and only behind Harden. Of all the other Cs in the NBA, he is likely the only one you can win a championship with as your primary offensive player. He is also 3rd in WS this season, behind only LeBron and Harden. 2. Anthony Davis: Seeing how throughout his entire career, he has played around 50% of his minutes at C, I think he qualifies for this list. What more can be said about him? Constantly improving, defensive juggernaught, emerging 3 pointer, the man is simply a legend before your very eyes. The only thing holding him back from being a consistent top 5 player in the NBA is health. 3. Nikola Jokic: This man is simply a point guard in a Center's body. His defense is around Towns-level bad, and his offense, despite the passing, simply isn't as profound as Towns'. His playmaking from the post has allowed Denver to maintain an elite offense for the past few years, and his improvements as a shooter allow the Nuggets to be one of the few teams that can trot out a functional 5-out lineup. His post play once was the best in the NBA, but it has taken a step back. Still, the offensive versatility and strong rebounding instincts have him at 6th in BPM, behind CP3, and a WS/48 above .200, the sign of a true star player. 4. Steven Adams: Two words: Offensive Rebounding. A huge part in why the Thunder beat the warriors twice this season, and took them to 7 a few years back. His league-leading FIVE offensive rebounds he provides on a game-to-game basis are the only reason why the Thunder haven't buried themselves under their own bricks, and are instead competing for home court in the first round. He would lead the league in rebounding if he didn't give 5-6 boards to Westbrook every game. 5. Rudy Gobert: The man robbed of DPOY last year is back at it again, scaring anyone whom dare drive to his rim. The French Rejection would easily be top 3 on this list had he played more games, as the Jazz go from 14th pick to 4th seed by his presence alone. 6. Clint Capela: The best P&R roll man in the entire game, we see him play every night so I shouldn't have to explain much, top 5 in WS/48, #1 in 2PFG%, #1 in EFG%. The only reason I have Adams above him is because James Harden might be the best P&R Ball handler ever, and CP3 isn't that far behind. 7. DeMarcus Cousins: Free from the confines of the Sacramento Kings, Boogie and Davis were cursing their way to the 4 seed before his unfortunate injury. Cousins' offensive game has expanded to new heights, and he finally has settled down in a far more competent work environment. He would have been higher on the list, but that Achillies injury has claimed many a career. 8. Andre Drummond: Like Adams, he can control a game through his rebounding alone. One of the best defensive players in the league solely due to his ridiculous defensive rebounding, limiting easy scores like putbacks and kickouts off of offensive rebounds. Would be higher on this list if he was a better roll man to the rim and could hit free throws at a decent rate. 9. Joel Embiid: Here comes the big controversial ranking that is sure to piss everyone off. Embiid is amazing on defense, but far too many people simply gloss over his offensive deficiencies. Embiid is a below-average 3 point shooter, a mediocre free throw shooter, and an inefficient post up player compared to all the other high-volume post up bigs. His 5 fouls and 5 turnovers per 36 can both make him a liability when help defense is thrown at him, and can limit his playing time in late game situations. He can still improve at everything, but his game doesn't match his top-tier personality. 10. Jonas Valanchunas: He and Derozan have finally found out the secrets of shooting 3s, and that has allowed the Raptors to run 5 out lineups with regularity. That, combined with his existing efficient post game and elite rebounding, has allowed him to unleash his full potential and has kept him in late game situations. Honorable Mentions: DeAndre Jordan, Myles Turner, and Jusuf Nurkic.
I think people are underrated Drummond. One of the best defensive bigs, easily the best rebounding big, and would be a better offensive player on a better team. He is a good passer/improved free throw shooter, and could excel in a rim-running role like Capela He's might not be tops now, but I can see his rankings soar if he ever finds the right situation
Good points, and yeah, 2nd in the league is definitely too much, the 10-20 range is absolutely fair imo.
