Before getting into my list, a few notes.

• I put them in tiers rather than ordering them individually, as I can see an argument for anyone in the same tier being slightly better or worse than another player in the tier, but not better than players in higher tiers, or worse than players in lower tiers.
• I’m ranking these centers if an 82 game season + playoffs started today.
• Not counting injuries, but still counting injury history if there’s a significant chance it could impact a players ability to play an 82 game season + playoffs.
• Progression/Regression will be taken into account going only by a single season + playoff impact. For example, I rank rookies based on where they are now and where I think they can grow in the length of a single season, not where I think they will be 4-5 years from now.
• This is the first part, the second will be uploaded soon!

Tier 1 – Best player on a championship team

The caliber of player I can see being the #1 player on a championship team, given a random and average team around them.

1. Jokic – Not only the best offensive center in the league, but the best offensive player in the league once again. His elite playmaking skills allow the Nuggets to play more limited offensive players like Aaron Gordon and KCP to bolster their defense, while not taking the offensive hit most other teams would. While not a positive defensive player he certainly isn’t a negative, allowing him to play significant minutes at center and avoid the Karl-Anthony Towns problem with bad defensive centers. Also, a surprising iron man given his unathletic looking physique, you can count on him to play at least 70 games per season. My only worry about his game is if a team can drag him out on the floor on defense with high PnR or handoff actions, getting him tired and potentially in foul trouble, potentially mitigating his incredible offensive impact.

2. Embiid – A physical force around the rim on offense and defense, with a jump shot to keep the offense honest beyond the ark. In his first year playing for Nick Nurse, the creativity of Nurse’s offensive schemes allowed for him to play an almost Jokic like role for the 76ers. However, the constant boogieman of his career, injuries once again put an end to an incredible early season run. At this point we have to bake in the fact that he is going to miss significant amounts of time in the regular season and potentially the playoffs. That forced me to move him down to number 2, despite me having his early season performance above that of Jokic. The only on court worry I have for his game is how he can get taken advantage of on the perimeter, but as long as the 76ers execute their defensive schemes I believe in Nurse’s ability to keep him near the rim on defense where he’s most effective.

Tier 2 – All NBA Players

Potential #2 players on championship teams, players I can see an argument for being on an all nba team.

3. Adebayo – Easily the best center defending on the perimeter and one of the better perimeter defenders in the league, any team would be comfortable having him step out on the perimeter on a switch or a hard hedge on a screen. Also, a great rebounder on both ends forcing teams to account for him on the boards. On offense he can hit mid-range jumpers at a decent rate and has the ability to punish smaller players in the post, however his jump shot doesn’t extend beyond 18 feet from the basket. While an elite perimeter defender he’s only adequate protecting the rim and can get taken advantage of by larger and more physical players, which can lead to problems for the Heat going against some of the other elite big men in the league.

4. Davis – In my opinion the second-best rim protector in the league this season, that alone warrants a high ranking due to the importance of rim protection for the position, but he adds much more as a perimeter defender and a rebounder rounding out his game as one of the best defenders in the league. Still a great finisher around the rim and an alley oop threat on the roll he can still impose his will on smaller and less physical teams, however since his jump shot seemingly abandoned him after the championship in 2020 his impact as an offensive difference maker is limited, relying on others the generate opportunities for him. While there is a concern over his injury history, a relatively healthy season has bolstered my confidence in his ability to stay on the floor, leading me to not take off too much for the injuries of the past.

5. Porzingis – Unique from the other players in this tier, he makes his biggest impact by far on the offensive end. Since leaving the Mavs in the 2021 – 22 season he’s expanded his offensive role significantly. Instead of just standing in the corner waiting for a pass he took much more of an on ball and self-created offensive role, attacking from the post and using his shooting as a complementary piece to his game. Even on a Celtics team loaded with offensive talent he is still able to be an impact player in the post against other big men and attacking switches or mismatches. Not a slouch on defense either, a good rim protector who can use his length to go straight up and give a good contest. Boston likes to use off ball switching to keep him on the back line out of the main action to provide rim protection. A perfect fit on the Celtics, who have great personnel to cover for some of his weaknesses defending in space, letting him hang out around the rim where his size can be most impactful. We’ll see if any playoff team can challenge him the way teams have done in the past when he’s had lesser supporting talent around him.

Tier 3 – All Star Players

Players I would argue are playing at an all star level of quality.

6. Gobert – The first large deviation in my ranking from others I have seen, but to quickly summarize my reasoning before going into detail, I value rim protection very highly for centers. It’s a necessity for teams who have aspirations of making a deep playoff run to have at least an adequate, if not good rim protector. The best position to get it from is center as the physical requirement for good rim protection often align with those of rebounding. Also, it’s easier to play someone who’s lacking on offense at center than any other position, making it easier to play more defensive focused players at the position. That’s where he falls, the best defender in the league, a great rebounder, but a lacking offensive player. However, with defense being so important to the position it’s hard to not put the best defender by a good margin as high up as I did, despite his offensive woes.

7. Sengun – The only bright spot on last seasons Rockets team, he has continued his great all-around offensive play this season. A great post scorer who adds another dimension to an offense with his ability to create and play make out of the high post. He’s also sneakily athletic, surprising defenders on dunks and alley oops, and using his body and athleticism to great effect on the boards. However, his defense has varied from adequate to below average on occasion the past few seasons. With this season being his best showing on that end, getting to play with much better personnel then previous seasons, I choose to believe that this season is more reflective of who he’ll be as a defender on a real team, pushing him up significantly more than in these ranking than he would have been if his defense was worse.

Tier 4 – Quality Starter

Players that teams would be happy to have, not actively looking to upgrade at the position, but would listen on trades for players above them on this list.

8. Wembanyama – Now that he has played almost a full season after getting drafted #1, I think it’s safe to say that he has proven beyond a doubt he is at least a starter level player on most teams as a rookie. My expectations coming into this season revolved a lot around his physical attributes and his play has mostly been in line with those expectations. On offense, he was miscast at the beginning of the season as an on-ball creator playing power forward in the Sochan at point guard line ups. Once they started playing Jones at point guard more that gave him the opportunity to be a center and a play finisher instead, significantly increasing his efficiency from awful at the beginning of the season to decent to above average. Similarly on defense, playing him at power forward neutered the greatest advantages of his physical gifts, mainly his quickness and long wingspan as a help defender, instead of being stuck on the perimeter often guarding a shooter he is now free to make early rotations and get in better help positions on more drives. His shooting is still not at the point where I would consider him a legit three-point shooter yet and his on-ball skills still aren’t at the level where he’s able to really punish mismatches on the perimeter or in the post. On the defensive end he still has issues getting pushed underneath the basket against physical big men and when rebounding, as well as making typical rookie mental mistakes like ball watching, helping without helping, and letting guys get to their spots. The best thing about Wembanyama is that he still has many years to improve, and I’m excited to see how the skill portion of his game grows to compliment his great physical attributes.

9. Holmgen – After missing his full ‘official’ rookie season with a Lisfranc fracture in his foot my hopes for this season were more about availability rather than performance. However, he’s dispelled my concerns about any lingering injuries this season playing every game so far this season and not showing any effects on the injured foot. Looking back at the 2022 draft the expectations coming in for Chet revolved around his shooting and shot blocking, and for the most part those skills have translated very well into the NBA. Shooting 5.1 3s per 36 minutes on 37.3% he is averaging well above the average attempts and percentage for centers over 1000 minutes this season. But his largest sole impact in my opinion is on the defensive end, while he has been a good shot blocker, it’s his contest % and allowed fg% on contests that really pushes him into the tier of elite defensive big men in the league. Similarly to Wembanyama, he has issues holding his ground against more physical big men and hasn’t made an impact with the ball in his hands on offense. But he still has plenty of time to improve and grow his game. His impact on the Tunder has been a big reason for their success, I went into more detail about this in another article: https://shootforitorg.wordpress.com/2024/03/20/keys-to-success-okc-thunder-chet-holmgren/

11. Lopez – Surprisingly, even at 36 he doesn’t seem to be dropping off at all, continuing to play at a high level in Milwaukee. Reinventing himself from a offensive focused post scorer to a defensive anchor and good enough shooter to keep teams honest, he has been able to survive the transition in the NBA landscape that pushed out so many other past big men with similar skill sets to his former self. Despite some issues early in the season when Griffin tried playing the blitzing PnR defense that often left Lopez out on the floor guarding on the perimeter, once they changed back to a traditional drop coverage, he established that no matter his age he’s still a great rim protector and rebounder. While occasionally we’ll see him work in the post against mismatches, his offensive game has mostly moved beyond the three-point line, spacing the floor for Antetokounmpo to drive. I still worry when he’s going to hit the wall age wise, this being his age 36 season, I could see it happening very soon. And with the center position requiring more and more athleticism in today’s NBA the fall could be very noticeable. Still, as long as he keeps up his great rim protection and good shooting, any team would be happy to have him.

12. Jackson Jr. – The reigning defensive player of the year, it’s hard to judge whether last season was real or just a fluke, due to how much of a disaster the Grizzlies season has been. In his DPOY season he was only playing about 28 minutes per game, a concerningly low number for someone who has the impact he does on both ends. Luckily this season he’s ramped up the minutes to only slightly below average for the level of player he’s supposed to be for this team, but his defense has taken a big step back this season, making me wonder if the low minutes totals inflated his defensive impact or if it’s the external factors limiting the Grizzlies this season. On offense, while he’s never reached the heights of his first 2 seasons shooting wise, he’s still good for the position, which is not only good for him as a center but to allow him to play the 4, where his rebounding issues are less negatively impactful. Hopefully next season the Grizzlies will be back on track and we can get a proper read of his abilities, to see if last season was a fluke or if he’s really a DPOY level of defender.

13. Allen – What made me put him up in this tier rather than the one below was his performance early in the season when Garland and Mobley were out. He took a massive step up, especially on the offensive end, being the second in the two-man actions with Mitchell, showing a skill with the ball in his hands and playmaking I didn’t expect. Not only showing those flashes on offense but doing so while continuing to be a great defender and rebounder. While he doesn’t have a jump shot outside of 18 feet, him showing me that he can be a fundamental part of a great offense with the ball in his hands forced me to put him above the other ‘good on defense but bad on offense’ centers I have in the tier below. I wonder what his game would be like if he was on a team that didn’t have Mobley playing next to him and the two guards with the ball in their hands, if he could be a larger part of a team’s offense. But for now, he’s still a great defender and rebounder even without the ball on offense, a valuable skill for any big man.

This list is continued in part 2: