Top Five Centers in the NBA

Writer: Jared White

It could undoubtedly be argued that this is the best generation of point guards in NBA history. From Steph Curry, the greatest shooter the world has ever seen, to the triple-double machine Russell Westbrook, and even James Harden who last year played point guard and averaged a league high in APG and finished second in PPG! And the list of current great point guards goes on with names like John Wall, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard etc.

(DefPen.com)

Because the NBA has been so guard heavy over the last several seasons people started questioning if the center position was the weakest it’s ever been, or even a dying position. But several centers, mostly young, have stepped up this season and shown that their productivity and value isn’t dropping any time soon. These are the five best centers in the NBA today!

5. Nikola Jokic

Stats: 16.3 PPG 10.2 RPG 4.5 APG & 1.2 SPG

Team record: 19-17

Nikola Jokic, along with the Denver Nuggets, has not been talked about much this season. The Nuggets are currently the 6th seed in the western conference, despite Paul Millsap having missed 20 games, and have shown that with the help of Millsap they even have potential for a first round win. But when it comes to Jokic the team has a losing record without him, and at only 22 years old plays very similar to a young Pau Gasol, especially when it comes to their excellent passing.

4. Andre Drummond

Stats: 14.3 PPG 15.0 RPG 3.6 APG 1.4 SPG & 1.3 BPG

Team record: 20-15

The Detroit Pistons have been a pleasant surprise this season. They are currently the 4th seed in the eastern conference and Andre Drummond has put up great numbers across the board like always. But there is one aspect of Drummond’s game that he has really improved. Before this season his highest average APG for a season was 1.1, (last season) and although three and a half assists doesn’t sound like much it is a big improvement to his game and one of many reasons the Detroit Pistons have started the season as one of the top 10 teams in the league.

3. Karl Anthony-Towns

Stats: 20.4 PPG 11.5 RPG 2.1 APG & 1.5 BPG

Team record: 22-14

Karl Anthony-Towns has taken a step back from last season, mostly due to the addition of Jimmy Butler. But his statistics are still those of a top 5 NBA center and his team is the 4th seed in an extremely tough western conference. He will continue to be a fantastic building block for any NBA team and give them everything a coach could ask for.

2. Joel Embiid

Stats: 24.0 PPG 11.0 RPG 3.4 APG & 2.0 BPG

Team record: 16-19

Joel Embiid has been wildly impressive this season. He has continued to have great defense, shown he can get teammates good looks, and has also shown his Hakeem like post moves. Earlier in the season, on November 15th, against the Los Angeles Lakers, he had arguably the best performance by any player this season when he logged 46 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 7 blocks, a stat line that no player has ever recorded in NBA history! The only complaint most fans have about Joel this season is his absence in 9 of his teams games due to caution considering potential injuries. But those games show Joel’s importance to his team as they have gone 2-7 during his absence. Joel is undoubtedly a top 5 center in the NBA, and in my opinion, given injuries are no concern, is a better player to build around than Karl Anthony-Towns!

1. DeMarcus Cousins

Stats: 26.2 PPG 12.5 RPG 5.2 APG 1.5 SPG & 1.5 BPG

Team record: 18-18

DeMarcus Cousins has been absolutely amazing this season. In just his last 2 games he has combined for 61 points, 39 rebounds, and 12 assists, and this season he has averaged more PPG, RPG, APG, and SPG than his All-Star teammate Anthony Davis! The only chink in his armor is his team’s success. But they are still in the playoff picture (Currently 8th seed) and besides the previously mentioned Anthony Davis he has only a couple good players as teammates. But ultimately DeMarcus’ scoring ability, improved defense, and incredible passing ability for a center, make his easily the best center in the NBA.

The Process Isn’t Over…..Yet

Writer: Caleb Akpan

For years in Philadelphia, basketball fans were told to “trust the process”. Their team was awful and regularly accused of losing games on purpose. This deliberate tanking led to GM Sam Hinkie being fired and replaced near the end of last season, and with Philly still not improving. The team was consistently the worst in the league, reaching near all-time lows, and the draft picks they were getting due to their terrible records couldn’t stay healthy. One of these draft picks was Kansas product Joel Embiid. Drafted third in 2014, Embiid had received comparisons to legend Hakeem Olajuwon prior to the draft, but he failed to get on the court for even a second in his first two seasons to try and prove them.

Finally able to heal a foot injury after two years, Embiid played in the NBA for the first time in 2016-2017 and immediately started to live up to the hype. The seven-foot Cameroonian averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game in 31 appearances before his year was again cut short due to a left knee injury. Embiid was able to heal to start the 2017-2018 campaign healthy, and he seems to have had enough time to work on his game as well. Now known as The Process across the league, Embiid may already be nearing completion as he is dominating competition, and after having the best game of his career against the Lakers on Wednesday, there’s no telling where the ceiling is for him or Philadelphia’s future.

A monster line of 46 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks, and 7 assists summed up the night for Embiid in Hollywood, where he dominated and made a near quadruple-double look like nothing. The points and blocks were career highs and the statline as a whole had never been seen in NBA history (blocks became a recorded stat in ‘83-’84). All-time greats like Shaquille O’Neal and the previously mentioned Hakeem Olajuwon were never able to reach these numbers, so how do their career stats stack up to what Embiid is doing this year? Looking at per 36 minute numbers, Embiid’s career stats (28.7 PPG, 12 RPG, 3.1 BPG) top even the best years O’Neal or Olajuwon ever saw, and they were winning MVPs and championships at their peaks. Embiid’s potential along with Ben Simmons could see the same kinds of things coming Philly’s way, but it’s probably best that people don’t get too excited for the 76ers just yet.

For one, Embiid’s production has been limited to say the least. From one point of view, it’s great that Embiid has been able to dominate the game in restricted minutes; just now topping 30 minutes in a game for the first time in his career, but it’s also possible he won’t be able to be as consistent when his workload increases. There’s also no guarantee he stays healthy, really it seems correct to assume Embiid will miss time at some point with his injury history. Any time he’s off the floor, Philadelphia’s production drops and they won’t be able to compete for a playoff spot if he’s gone most of the time, even with rookie Ben Simmons taking the league by storm. Philly needs both of them and more before they can truly compete.

Then there’s the fact that his competition includes LeBron James and the Warriors as a whole, among others. The Sixers are clearly talented, but their roster has a ton to learn as the fifth youngest in the league. They’ll probably need a couple of years of playoff experience before they can really start taking care of their opponents when it matters most. The good news is they seem on track to finally break their playoff drought this season and get their feet wet, hopefully speeding up the time it takes to truly contend for a championship.

It’s a bit easier for fans to trust the process now that signs of progress are showing, but it’s not over just yet. They’ve found their franchise centerpiece in Joel Embiid and the perfect player to match him up with in Ben Simmons. J.J. Redick and Robert Covington providing shooting and defense, and there’s still time for them to figure out their point guard situation, hopefully with Markelle Fultz getting healthy. If all things continue to go well, Philly will be back as a top NBA franchise sooner than later, especially if Joel Embiid continues to dominate. If he keeps up these performances and continues to grow with the Sixer’ young core, The Process will soon be over.