However, that has not been the case in recent years, as talent in the position has stalled a bit. Currently, centers are making a comeback to the league’s elite club, even though their styles are very different from most of the old-school NBA centers.
Some centers can pass the ball with tremendous efficiency, while others can shoot from outside with confidence and accuracy. Some traditional centers still take advantage of their physical presence to score inside and defend at an elite level.
NBA Power Rankings: Top 5 centers in the league right now
Perimeter play dominates the NBA today, but big men will always be useful for a team.
There are several stars at the position in the current NBA picture. In this edition of the NBA Power Rankings, we will take a look at the top 5 centers in the league right now.
Without further ado, let us start with this list.
#5 Nikola Vucevic
Nikola Vucevic recorded 41 double-doubles in 62 starts for the Orlando Magic in the 2019-20, and it was good enough for him to appear in this ranking.
Vucevic was solid all year, averaging 20 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal per game during the regular season. The Magic, led by Vucevic’s team-high 21.9 Player Efficiency Rating, grabbed the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Among centers, he ranked ninth in PER. But still, his 4.2 Box Plus/Minus was Top 5 and his 3.1 Value over Replacement was Top 3.
Vucevic was the Magic’s best player in their first-round series against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Though the Magic lost in five games, Vucevic averaged 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists with 50/40/90 shooting splits.
#4 Rudy Gobert
Before finishing third in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award voting last year, Rudy Gobert had won it the previous two years. The Frenchman remains a solid center in the NBA.
Gobert had his best rebounding season last year and was also the most efficient in terms of shooting from the field (mostly high-percentage finishes around the rim).
On advanced stats among NBA centers, Gobert ranked 10th in PER (21.7), but his Defensive Box Plus/Minus (1.9) was second, pushing his Box Plus/Minus (3.6) to fifth. On Value over Replacement, the Frenchman was second (3.3), only behind Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
#3 Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns had a case for the top spot on this list, but he just did not play (or win) enough in the 2019-20 NBA season.
Towns played 35 games in the season for the Minnesota Timberwolves after suffering a left wrist injury. Still, KAT had 24 double-doubles in the year and averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. He shot 50% from the field and a staggering 41% from the three-point line (first among centers) in 277 attempts.
KAT led centers in PER, with 26.5 (seventh in the entire NBA). Also, he ranked first in Offensive Box Plus/Minus (7.0) and Box Plus/Minus (7.8) among centers.
#2 Joel Embiid
Though he has the potential to be the best center in the NBA and even the best player in the league, Joel Embiid ranks second on our list.
The Cameroonian remains a tremendous and exciting player to watch, but he did not have his best season. He averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds per game, which does not look great when you compare the numbers with his 2018-19 season (28 points and 14 rebounds per game).
Still, Embiid can continue his progression in the league and find the right approach for every game of the year, as he is an unbelievably talented 26-year-old.
Even though his season was not his best, Embiid still ranked second in PER among centers, and third in Box Plus/Minus.
In the NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers were hindered by injuries and the Boston Celtics swept them in the first round. However, Embiid had a strong series, averaging 30 points and 12 rebounds per game on 46% shooting from the field.
#1 Nikola Jokic
He is not the most physically gifted center in the current NBA, but Nikola Jokic is the most skilled player at his position.
Certainly the best passer among big men, Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals (yes, Jamal Murray was essential too) with a solid NBA Playoffs run.
Jokic is not as dominant in terms of scoring as Embiid or Towns, but he is a better all-around player. The Serbian averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists per game in the shortened NBA regular season.
He led the Nuggets in the regular season in points, rebounds, and assists. Among the players of his position, Jokic was fourth in PER (24.9), second in Win Shares (9.8), first in Offensive Win Shares (6.7), third in Defensive Win Shares (3.1), and second in Box Plus/Minus (7.4)
Jokic also led all centers in Value over Replacement (5.5) with a big difference over second player (Gobert - 3.3). He was the only center ranked in the top 10 in the entire NBA in both Box Plus/Minus and Value over Replacement.
In the NBA Playoffs, his numbers went up to 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. This was even after facing three fantastic defenders, especially against the Utah Jazz (Rudy Gobert) and eventual NBA champions LA Lakers (Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis).
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