No other position in the NBA has evolved as much as the Center position. We saw the 6 feet 5 inches PJ Tucker play the ‘big man’ role last season. Centers have gone from only rebounding, to now, rebounding, scoring, dribbling, elite passing and playmaking.
Here’s our ranking of the top centres from this NBA season, from 5-1.
5. Bam Adebayo – Miami Heat
2019-2020 Statistics: 15.9 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 5.1 APG
The 6 feet 9 inches, 23-year old center out of Kentucky proved his worth to the Miami Heat organisation by being an integral reason why the Heat went to the NBA Finals last year. He is coming off the best season of his career, getting selected to his first All-Star, being an All-Defensive team member and being the NBA runner up. This offseason, the Heat organisation showed their faith in him by signing him for a five-year, $163 million contract. He along with Jimmy Butler are said to be the leaders for this title-contending underdog Heat team.
4. Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves
2019-2020 Statistics: 26.5 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 4.4 APG
No one can deny Towns’ offensive abilities. He is a big man who can do it all- shoot, pass, dribble, rebound, block. In just his 5th year in the league, he has a very impressive resume. He is an All-NBA player, 2-time All-Star and a former All-Rookie. He is paired with D’Angelo Russell as his point guard, which is quite a good pairing considering their on and off the court chemistry. Even though the Timberwolves are not title-contenders, there is no denying that Towns will have a great season and have a major impact on not only the Timberwolves but also the whole league.
3. Rudy Gobert – Utah Jazz
2019-2020 Statistics: 15.1 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 1.5 APG
Rudy Gobert is arguably the best defensive center in the whole league. He was selected to his first All-Star this past season. He is a Block Champion, 3-time All-NBA, 4-time All-NBA, 2-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. This offseason, the Jazz organisation were convinced by his performance and signed him to a five-year, $205 million contract. They even signed a max contract extension with his teammate, Donovan Mitchell. The duo is a lethal pair on the court, and have high expectations to perform for the team in the coming seasons.
2. Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers
2019-2020 Statistics: 23 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 3 APG
Since the past few years, Joel Embiid has proven to be amongst the best players in the league, let alone among the best centers. The 76ers did have a 4-0 exit in the first round of the playoffs, but it is unfair to blame him for the loss. In 4 years in the league, Embiid has a lot of impressive accolades to his name – 3-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA, 2-time All-Defensive.
Apart from his tremendous offensive arsenal, he is a great defender too, who can block shots and create extra possessions for the team by picking up the offensive rebounds. The 76ers could be a title-contending team if injuries don’t budge the team.
1. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
2019-2020 Statistics: 19.9 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 7 APG
Jokic is arguably the best center in the league at the moment. His unorthodox style of playing the center role has proving to be working in many instances. He is a center who can play all the positions. He can shoot and even rebound the ball, but he is best known for his passing abilities and finding open teammates. Jokic is a MVP candidate level of player for the past 2 seasons now. He played better in the playoffs last year, upsetting the title-contenders Los Angeles Clippers. He along with Jamal Murray are expected to have a great season like last year.
Other than these big men, players like Kristaps Porzingis, Steven Adams, DeAndre Ayton and Nikola Vuceivc do deserve a mention on this list.
