Top 10 Centers in the NBA

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

The final list... There were a lot of guys who didn't make it because of injuries.

 

As always, criticisms, and your own lists are welcomed.

 

12. Nikola Pekovic

17.5 PPG/ 8.7 RPG/ .4 BPG

20.7 PER/ 58% TS/ 15.3 REBR/ 13.1 ORR/ 17.6 DRR

 

Why he isn’t in the top 10:

Pekovic is very strong, and knows how to use it for his advantage down low. He’s great at playing bully ball, and allows him to put up 17 PPG on great efficiency. He creates his own offense. Which is a plus in today’s NBA with the amount of players incapable of doing so at the center position. He’s also a very gritty rebounder and pick and roll man. He’s a terrible passer though, and his defense is very lacking. He shies away from guys on defense, and doesn't give you anything in terms of rim protection.

 

11. Andrew Bogut

10.0 PPG/ 13.7 RPG/ 1.7 AST/ 1.8 BPG

17.0 PER/ 61% TS/ 20.7 REBR/ 11.4 ORR/ 29.7 DRR

 

Why he’s not in the top 10:

Bogut does a ton of good work on defense. One of the most underrated players in the NBA in that area. He is probably the biggest reason why GSW had one of the better defenses in the NBA. He’s a defensive specialist, and a great rim protector. Without him in the game you could see a real difference in the team, and how they operated. He is also a hell of a rebounder from the center position. The reason he doesn't make it any higher is the same reason a lot of guys didn't make it. He’s very one dimensional. Doesn't give you much on offense. He’s efficient, but that’s about it. He can’t pass well out of the post, or out of double teams. He also struggles to stay healthy. And while that's not really his fault, it is holding him back.

10. Andre Drummond

13.5 PPG/ 13.2 RPG/ .4 AST/ 1.2 STLs/ 1.6 BPG

22.6 PER/ 60% TS/ 22.3 REBR/ 17.5 ORR/ 27.7 DRR

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

Drummond was probably the best rebounder in the NBA last year, and as it stands now has an argument for being the best overall and best offensive rebounder (highest rate in the league by 3 points) in the NBA, period. He grabs offensive boards at a ridiculous rate, and there are games where he seems to be competing against himself for boards. From the outside looking in, it may seem like all of his points are garbage points, but you’d be wrong. He’s a great pick and roll finisher, and has developed great touch around the rim and he is developing a pretty decent post game. He upped his attempts per game, and per minutes, while still managing to increase his percentages finishing at a great rate around the rim. As his role on offense increases, he’ll just keep rising along with it. He’s also probably the best athlete at center in the NBA, and can move around like a guard which helps him play well in iso and on ball situations.

 

Why he isn’t higher:

Defensively, Drummond is like any other young talented big man, in that while he has shown flashes of dominance on that side of the ball, he’s still learning the ins and outs. His anticipation can be lacking at times, doesn’t have a strong understanding of working the pick and roll, and his rotations aren’t the best. He plays very undisciplined on defense, often causing goaltending, and not being in position for guys cutting into the lane. Offensively Drummond is still learning the game as well. He has improved at creating his own shot, but that’s still a work in progress. He also struggles massively as a passer. Finally, his free throw percentage, and ability from the line are just… Brutal.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

9. DeAndre Jordan

10.4 PPG/ 13.6 RPG/ .9 AST/ 2.5 BPG

18.2 PER/ 63% TS/ 21.6 REBR/ 13.3 ORR/ 29.3

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

This spot was almost given to Drummond, then almost given to Hibbert, but I decided to give it to Jordan. Unlike Hibbert who scores almost the same amount of points, and gives you almost the same in terms of points, Jordan is way more efficient with his points. Neither one of them are capable of creating their own offenses, but I’ll take Jordan getting his off of assists and in transition over Hibbert struggling to score 10 points on a decent amount of attempts. Jordan is also a far better rebounder, mostly due to being a lot more athletic and more explosive in the lower body. He was the league leader in rebounds last year, and even while competing with Blake for the board managed to grab a high amount of rebounds. Defensively, under the tutelage of Doc Rivers and the on field coaching of CP# a lot of the things Jordan struggled with in the past, he no longer struggles with today. He’s become a lot better at handling rotations, he’s no longer late to them and he’s become adapt at handling on ball situations.

 

Why he isn’t higher:

Extremely limited offense, to the point where the only way he’s impacting that side of the ball are his efficient 10 points a game. He can’t pass to save his life, nor does he have a great understanding of the passing game. He also still kinda struggles with versatile centers who are active, and can move around, which really shouldn’t be the case with his explosiveness.

 

8. Pau Gasol

17.4 PPG/ 9.7 RPG/ 3.4 AST/ 1.5 BPG

19.3 PER/ 52% TS/ 16.4 REBR/ 25.9 DRR/ 7.0 ORR

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

Gasol has a great fundamental game that he can always fall back on when he struggles, like he did to start off the season. He can score from all over inside the paint, with one of the best mid-range jumpers for a big man and great moves with his back to the basket. He is capable of creating his offense, and unlike a lot of big men, he is a great passer, and very savvy, capable of passing the ball out of double teams and the post. He is a great defensive rebounder, and has shown a lot of ability on that side of the ball on the boards.

 

Why he isn’t higher:

Gasol can be pretty weak on defense. Outside of being able to handle the basic assignments, he has shown the tendency to struggle when asked to do too much, and has been abused by some of the quicker big men. He also doesn’t give you much on the offensive glass. Gasol probably won’t get any better at this point in his career, but even at this point, he is better than a lot of the big men in the league.

 

7. Chris Bosh

16.2 PPG/ 6.6 RPG/ 1.1 AST/ 1.0 BPG

19.0 PER/ 60% TS/ 13 REBR/ 5.1 ORR/ 20.3 DRR

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

Bosh is a PF at heart, but at this point, it’s pretty obvious that he is a center now in the NBA by default of the roster he plays in, and the type of offense it is. Bosh has shown the ability last season to be a third or a second fiddle to whoever the #1 or the #1 and 2 are in Miami’s offense. He’s developed a pretty good outside jumper that now extends to the three point line. In fact, last year Bosh was an elite shooter from the midrange area, and from the left corner of the 3 point line and center. The shooting game he’s developed has really allowed for the Heat’s offense to explode, and gives him another dimension for opposing defensive players to worry about when playing against him. Bosh is also extremely smart and savvy on the defensive side of the ball, which helps him be great against pick and roll situations. His mobility and athleticism also allows him to play up on ball pretty well.

 

Why he isn’t higher:

Bosh doesn’t give you much as a rim protector, which is a must for the position he plays. He also isn’t a great rebounder, which is pretty amazing considering his size, and explosiveness. Bosh has really been forced into the role of a garbage man when LBJ was still in Miami because of the amount of usage that he and Wade required. Should be interesting to see what he does now that he’s back to being a centerpiece on that team.

 

[BJORN 679]

Hopefully Bosh goes back to the PF position in the new look Miami team.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Yea, should be interesting to see how much center he plays this upcoming season. I'll probably finish this today. Last three later tonight.

 

 

6. Tim Duncan

15.1 PPG/ 9.7 RPG/ 3.0 AST/ 1.9 BPG

21.3 PER/ 54% TS/ 18.8 REBR/ 8.6 ORR/ 28.3 DRR

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

Duncan is probably the most complete player on this list. His usage and minutes have gone down, but he is still a valuable part of the Spurs team and he continues to show it. We all know about his deadly mid range game, and his ability to score from anywhere within the 3 point line. He’s also gives you the total package outside of scoring on offense. Sets picks well, grabs a lot of offensive boards, and is a great/savvy passer from the paint and out of double teams. He is also a great defensive player, even at his age. He isn’t as quick laterally as he was before which somewhat limits his role on defense, bt we see him shutting down guys all the time. It’s pretty incredible to think that despite his age, and time, Duncan continues to play at an elite level.

 

Why he’s not higher:

There really aren’t many aspects of Duncan’s game to be critical of. He doesn’t play as much anymore, so unlike the others on this list, he gets a lot of rest. But overall, there aren’t any issues with his game. Why he’s one of the greatest to ever do it.

 

5. Al Jefferson

21.8 PPG/ 10.8 RPG/ 2.1 AST/ 1.1 BPG

22.7 PER/ 53% TS/ 17.5 REBR/ 6.9 ORR/ 28.3 DRR

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

Jefferson can be unstoppable from the left block. He is one of those old school guys who are capable of backing up any guy regardless of size or athletic ability. With his back to the basket, he’s got multiple ways to beat guys either with taking it up to the basket, finishing around it, or passing. He is good enough down there that teams have to respect him, drawing a lot of attention and giving space for others to get into the lane. He also has a pretty decent jumper from the midrange area on the corner right and left side. He’s also always been a pretty good rebounder, but last season he took up to another level. There were many times where he was carrying Charlotte.

 

Why he’s not higher:

Jefferson’s offense, while important, tends to be a bit inefficient at times, because he tends to be a black hole when his offense isn’t working. Taking excessive shots instead of deflecting to someone else. The other area where he’s never been any good, but in the past he was a liability. He has managed to improve on his defense, but it’s still far from any good. He gives you nothing in rim protection, and he gives you even less in rotations and overall off ball defense.

 

4. Joakim Noah

12.6 PPG/ 11.3 RPG/ 5.4 AST/ 1.5 BPG

20.0 PER/ 53% TS/ 18.2 REBR/ 11.6 ORR/ 24.5 DRR

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

In many ways, last year was a breakout year for Noah. With the amount of losses (depth wise) the Bulls endured throughout the season, he was looked upon to take a lot of responsibilities on both sides of the ball. He averaged almost 7 assists per game when Deng left, and before that he was averaging over 5 assists a game. His assist rate last year sits at 27%, the closest starting center to him is Marc Gasol, who happens to be almost 10 points worse. He is also one of the better rebounding big men in the league. Where Noah makes his money however is on the defensive side of the game, where he is exactly the kind of player Tom Thibodeau needs. Giving you great on ball, off ball defense and very good rim protection. If advanced stats are your thing, he led the league in both defensive rating, and defensive win shares. Which speaks volumes of the many ways he works on defense. You won’t find a player with more heart, hustle, and determination to win then Noah. In a league where the superstars tend to be divas, Noah is very different. Willing to do the dirty work, and excels at it.

 

Why he isn’t higher:

ATL is going to hate me for this, but Noah has many shortcomings that prevents me from putting him any higher. For starters, on offense he is extremely limited because he doesn’t give you much else outside of his passing due to terrible shot. Even his passing numbers, while impressive were inflated and aren’t indicative of his abilities as a shot creator, but more of a stagnant offense that relied on him camping on the high post and waiting for someone to get open, and feeding him the ball. His rim protection, while pretty good, is not elite. In fact, watching him play, he does a lot of things well, but I don’t really think any part of his game is elite. Even on defense, perhaps it’s because he exerts so much energy on that side, but there are occasions where he will be late on rotations, and occasionally giving up open jumpers. His defensive RPM is also very unimpressive for someone who is supposed to have a defensive player of the year type of impact. None of this is really all that big of a deal, but the guys who make up the top 3 are in their own tier.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Marc and Dwight are obvious, but unless I'm just tired and can't think of who the third guy is, I think it's up in the air for 3 or 4 dudes.

[housemd 338]

Hibbert is the third guy,I guess.

 

Where would you put Horford and Gortat?

[BwareDWare94 723]

I honestly don't think it's Hibbert. I'm actually wondering if it's Horford, DMC, or Brook.

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

My guess is Brook Lopez is out due to recent injury.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Hibbert is the third guy,I guess.

Where would you put Horford and Gortat?

Horford and Lopez weren't healthy enough to make the list.

 

With Gortat, I messed up. I probably would of put him ahead of Drummond now that I think about it. I've never been the biggest fan of his defense, but he certainly gives you more then Drummond right now.

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

Love me some Marc Gasol

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

3. Marc Gasol

14.6 PPG/ 7.2 RPG/ 3.6 AST/ 1.3 BPG

18.2 PER/ 53% TS/ 12.7 REBR/ 20.5 DRR/ 5.0 ORR

 

Why he’s in the top 3:

In Marc Gasol you have arguably the best playmaking big man in the league. He makes some of the best passes you will see a big man make, and they are always entertaining. The Grizzlies were averaging almost 4% better from the paint with Gasol in the game, which speaks volumes to how well he is at finding guys. At 7.9 assist opportunities per games (passes that would have been an assist if the shooter made the shot) puts him in his own lane as a passer. He isn’t a great scorer by any means, but he is very versatile, capable of scoring from everywhere inside the 3 point line, and has a pretty decent jumper. On the defensive end, Gasol’s impact can’t be stated enough. He had the third highest defensive RPM among centers (5.23), and the Grizzlies were completely different defensively with Gasol in the game. Without Gasol, the Grizz had a defensive rating of 106.4 and opposing teams shot almost 47% from the field which puts them in the bottom of the league. With Gasol, the Grizz improved to shooting below 44% from the court, below 100 defensive rating, and looked like a top 10 defensive team. Considering the way the Grizz looked with Gasol in the game, they probably would have been a top 3 to 5 seed in the western conference.

 

Why he isn’t higher:

Offensively, Gasol isn’t a great scorer, nor is his scoring impact big enough to excuse putting him above #1 or #2. He isn’t elite at any scoring aspect of the game. He’s also not a great rebounder. Which is very surprising because of his overall size, but understandable because Gasol isn’t the most athletic guy around. There are times however where he almost seems to not care for grabbing the rebound. Some of that may be due to playing with a guy like ZBo who’s a great rebounder, but he could stand to do more there. Had Gasol been healthy a full year there’s a chance he probably would have been at least one place higher, but I am comfortable putting him at #3.

 

2. Demarcus Cousins

22.7 PPG/ 13.0 RPG/ 3.2 AST/ 1.4 BPG

26.1 PER/ 56% TS/ 20.4 REBR/ 30.5 DRR/ 10.6 ORR

 

Why he’s in the top 3:

The numbers Cousins put up this past season are pretty ridiculous, and it’s a shame more people haven’t taken notice. The list of guys who have put up those kinda numbers (PER of 26, 23/13/3) at such a young age is very small, and elite. I’d be willing to go as far as to say that Cousins looks like he has the making of a hall of famer. Offensively there really isn’t much he doesn’t give you outside of a three point shot. He can score from up close, from the midrange area, and is even starting to develop a three pointer. The most impressive part of his offense is the fact that he was asked to do more this past season, and somehow managed to put up his most efficient season. Nearly half of his possessions on offense where he looked to score ended up with him at the free throw line. He is also developing as a passer, now to the point where it has to be a respected part of his game. He does fall into the tendency to try too hard to press for space to score where there’s nothing, and should he cut that down he’ll only improve. One of the better rebounders in the league, and his defense keeps getting better. He has developed into a great on ball defender, and while his off ball work is coming along, the same can be said about almost all young big men in the league.

 

Where he can improve:

His mid range jumper is still a work in progress. He’s gotten better every year, but if he wants to keep being more dangerous, and having more of an impact, he has to be able to score better from that range. As mentioned in the first part of this, he also has to become smarter when it comes to passes. He often tries to gamble, which makes him prone to turnovers. Defensively, he needs to continue to grow as an off ball defender, and being a better rim protector. Those two things are preventing him from becoming a complete player on that side of the ball. Finally, we all know about the headcase that Cousins can be at times. He has the tendency to lose his cool, and often ends up hurting his team by being dumb.

 

1. Dwight Howard

18.3 PPG/ 12.2 RPG/ 1.8 AST/ 1.8 BPG

21.3 PER/ 60% TS/ 20.1 REBR/ 27.9 DRR/ 11.4 ORR

 

Why he’s the best:

Say what you will about Howard, and his offensive post game, but at the end of the day one has to face the fact that it is effective. He’s able to get his with extremely high efficiency, and any time you can get 18 points from the paint with high efficiency, it’s a big positive. Defenses have to account for Howard, and he eats up a ton of attention that opens up the door for Harden and even Lin to take it inside and finish around the rim. Nothing is more valuable offensively then to get points off a big man, in the league without having to rely on being force fed the ball. I don’t really have to say much about his rebounding, we all know how great he is at it. Where he has continued to shine, but nobody realizes is his defense. He does it all, from elite rim protection, to elite defense against the pick and roll, to elite on ball defense. What made last season all the more interesting was the fact that the Rockets played at one of the fastest paces in the league. Rocket players had to run- a lot. And Howard was no exception. He still managed to make a huge impact on the defensive side.

 

Where he flops:

Howard still can’t hit his free throws. Which makes him bait for defensive strategies where they could him on purpose. He also doesn’t give you anything as a passer, which is unfortunate because Howard demands a ton of double teams. If he was any good at passing the pumpkin, he’d be that much more deadly. Howard has been around for so long, and he has been involved in so much drama that people tend to forget that he carried the Magic to a finals appearance. Should be interesting to see how he looks this year without Asik often times playing alongside him.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I knew it wasn't Hibbert. Glad to see somebody acknowledge DMC. That, and it really isn't close between Dwight and the rest, right now. Nobody dominates both sides of the floor like that at the center position. All this talk about Joakim Noah being a better player was downright hilarious. Thank you, DMac, for being a true basketball mind. I'd love to post my own lists, but you do it so damn well, what's the point?

[seanbrock 1,684]

I got laughed at when I said Cousins will be the best Center in the league this year. I think he will keep getting better.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I got laughed at when I said Cousins will be the best Center in the league this year. I think he will keep getting better.

 

Well, it's going to be funny until he dominates the defensive side, too. He could be the best, pretty soon, but I really doubt it. Dwight is a generational talent.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Yea I'd have to say right now, its pretty much Howard in a tier, then the two guys in a tier below him. But Boogie is great defense away from surpassing him.