By Continuing my whole tier/pyramid thing today with Centers. Now here are the tiers from top to bottom(Best in the league, Stars, Good starters, Above average starters, Average starters and Below average starters) This pyramid was a little bit simpler to break up, so we begin with the best center in the league Nikola Jokic.
Nikola Jokic: Now some basketball fans this tier isn’t a one person tier or if it is Nikola Jokic isn’t the center but for me the Joker at the moment and going into the next season is the best center in NBA pretty convincingly. Besides being one of the best playmaking big men in basketball today and history, Jokic’s unquestioned leadership and play has led to the Denver Nuggets rise in the western conference.
Tier 2 Stars
Joel Embiid: Joel Embiid should in the first tier for many fans and on his talent alone, Embiid’s habit to talk came back to bite in the butt these past couple of runs in the playoffs especially this year in the bubble being a complete non-factor and ran out in the first round in quick fashion rising the following questions about Embiid, Is it time to move on from him? And is he truly one of the best centers in basketball? Those questions remained unanswered but need to be answered next season especially with new coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers making this a make or break year for Embiid in 2020-21.
Nikola Vuecvic
Bam Adebayo: This maybe jumping gun early, but I am willing to that risk with putting Bam Adebayo in this tier after this season’s performance. Now yes there are a couple of names that can or should be in this tier ahead of Adebayo but it was his ability and impact on this Heat team that not only contributed to Miami’s surprising run to the finals but also his jump into this spot in the tier and if this season is a sign of things to come, then Adebayo may one day be the best in the league.
Tier 3 Good Starters
Karl-Anthony Towns: This tier is full of polarizing players in “controversial” spots and if there was a poster boy for that statement it would be Minnesota Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns has always been elite in the talent but questionable in other areas which puts him in the third tier but could easily be higher.
Andre Drummond
Rudy Gobert: Rudy Gobert is either properly ranked, too low or too high for this experiment. Gobert is the best rim protector in basketball but is not the best center. That differentiation is why Gobert will always be complexed in these discussions.
Brook Lopez
Marc Gasol
Montrez Harrell: The sixth man of the year is the best center on his team hence why Harrell is on the list over Clippers listed starting center Ivica Zubac. Harrell is undersized but is a relentless rebounder and presence on a clippers team where their identity is blue collar which defines Harrell and his journey to this point in his career.
PJ Tucker: Another blue collar and undersized forward playing out of position but fit his teams’ scheme, PJ Tucker is the only good quality big man on the Houston Rockets. Measured at 6’6 Tucker isn’t the normal height of a center but plays well above his height and well respected throughout the league for his efforts.
Tier 4 Above Average Starter
Steven Adams: He often gets compared to Aquaman’s Jason Mamoa, Steven Adams fits the bill physically and his play show its as well. During what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Thunder turned out to be a competitive season where Adams continued evolving into a respectable big man.
Clint Capela
Mitchell Robinson: The New York Knicks did not have a lot of bright spots this season or decade for that matter but one of the very few bright promising spots the Knicks do you is their big man Mitchell Robinson. Robinson is probably the ideal rim running big many teams want and his potential looks endless if he stays on the right track in New York.
DeAndre Ayton
Jonas Valanciunas
Marvin Bagley III: The dreaded Duke curse seems to have hit other blue devil big man; Marvin Bagley III should be one of the top ascending young stars in the NBA but simply just cannot stay on the floor. Playing for the unstable Sacramento Kings doesn’t make things easier but Bagley when healthy has shown glimpses of excellence as stretch four or five who should be in the second or third tier but is here in the fourth tier but hopefully next season can get back in the right direction.
Tier 5 Average Starters
The fifth tier is the safe tier, where they may not be star quality but are liabilities. Average starters can be the best thing for your team, so we will with a young talent that could be ideal for his team but awaits his turn on the bench.
Jarrett Allen: The Nets have so much promise and expectations to leave up to next season with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant returning with new head coach Steve Nash but once again the best center on this team does not start. There was a time where DeAndre Jordan would be in this tier, but young center Jarrett Allen is on this list because in his opportunities has had totally delivered as the defensive presence that hopefully plays more next season.
Derrick Favors
Wendall Carter Jr: Another team with not many bright spots this season was the Chicago Bulls, despite another disappointing season in the windy city one of the hopeful spots was big man Wendall Carter Jr. Carter Jr and his blue collar approach is probably why he goes under the radar with many basketball fans but hopefully that changes next season when his play elevate the Bulls back into fold in the eastern conference.
Dwight Powell
Kevon Looney
Daniel Theis: The undersized big man has become a trend in the NBA and Daniel Theis was the enforcer for the Boston Celtics. Theis who was a marginal role player simply evolved and step up into a bigger role as the starting center completing that exceptionally talented Celtics small ball starting lineup. Next season should be another step forward for Theis regardless if he is starting or not.
Last but least I guess is tier 6 the below average starters, basically the guys who are either, former big names, raw talents, or underachievers to this point in their careers. So here is the list of those big men who unfortunately are in this position.
Tier 6 Below Average Starters
Thomas Bryant
JaVale McGee/ Dwight Howard
Jakob Poetel
Cody Zeller
Hassan Whiteside