National Basketball Association

NBA: Top 10 Centers In 2016-17

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:41 p.m. ET

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Heading into the 2016-17 NBA season, here’s a look at player rankings for the top 10 centers in the league.

Oct 18, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) and Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) watch the ball during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2016-17 NBA season less than a week away, all the summer talk about the draft, free agency, trades and preseason expectations are ready to go out the window. Once that ball tips off Tuesday evening, the players get to do all the talking.

With a few more days of speculation, however, there’s still plenty to evaluate after another summer full of player movement. From offseason grades to season previews, there’s been plenty to analyze, but what about some good old fashioned player rankings?

Player rankings are always objective, and that makes them subject to an awful lot of scrutiny, debate and differing opinions.

There are a ton of factors to take into account, including stats, advanced stats, individual skills, defense, team success, value to a team, upside, injury history, projections for the upcoming season, how they’ll fit in a new role or on a new team…the list goes on and on.

In an attempt to make sense of that myriad of judging standards, it’s time to take a look at the 10 best players in the NBA at each position. Today, we start with the 10 best centers in the league.

Honorable Mentions:  Pau Gasol, Andrew Bogut, Joakim Noah, Enes Kanter, Clint Capela, Joel Embiid, Myles Turner, Robin Lopez, Nikola Jokic, Zaza Pachulia

Sep 23, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) poses for portraits during Oklahoma City Thunder media day at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

10. Steven Adams

2015-16 Stats:  8.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.1 BPG, .613/—/.582 shooting, 15.5 PER

Steven Adams has the worst 2015-16 stat line of any center on this list, and I’ll admit it’s a bit ballsy to put him at No. 10 over our first honorable mention, Pau Gasol. But with the Spaniard hitting age 36 and joining a more balanced team like the Spurs, you can expect his 16.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.0 blocks per game from last season to decline.

At 23 years old, Adams is already a vastly superior defender than Gasol. He gets under opponents’ skin like no one else in this league, running into one of his screens is like driving into a brick wall at 60 miles per hour, and he’s quickly proving to be one of the NBA’s best passing bigs.

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Will he suddenly make the leap to a 17-11-4-2 stat line like the one Gasol put up last season? Probably not. But in last year’s playoffs, Adams was playing like a top-10 center, averaging 10.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game while serving as an enforcer in the paint and regular alley-oop threat on the other end.

With Kevin Durant gone, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to need Adams to take on a more prominent role, especially on offense. As Russell Westbrook‘s pick-and-roll partner, the young Kiwi could be in store for an eye-opening breakout season.

Oct 8, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) drives to the basket defended by New York Knicks center Marshall Plumlee (40) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

9. Brook Lopez

2015-16 Stats:  20.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.7 BPG, .511/.143/.787 shooting, 21.8 PER

Based on individual talent alone, Brook Lopez probably deserves to be higher on this list. He’s one of the best scoring bigs the league has to offer, he’s stayed relatively healthy over the last two seasons and if you were to put him on a contender, he’d get the first (healthy) chance of his career to show what he could really do.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen with the Brooklyn Nets this year. As much as Jeremy Lin being his second-best teammate will help him pad his numbers, it won’t do much for his standing in any top 10 positional rankings if (read: when) his team fails to reach 20 wins.

Lopez is a regular 20 points per game scorer when healthy, but he’s also a fairly underwhelming rebounder for a seven-footer. At age 28, he’s wasting away his prime on a rebuilding team and his extensive history of foot injuries is troubling..

Pick-and-rolls with Lin might be fun, but outside of that, all his individual skills only mean so much in the middle of such an unfortunate situation.

Oct 19, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) defends against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

8. Rudy Gobert

2015-16 Stats:  9.1 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.2 BPG, 1.5 APG, .559/—/.569 shooting, 17.5 PER

Rudy Gobert is nowhere near as polished offensively as Brook Lopez. His offense is basically restricted put-backs and alley-oops, he’s a poor free throw shooter and most of his skill set is rudimentary at this point. Individually, Lopez is the better player.

However, if you were forced to choose between having Gobert and Lopez, you’d probably choose the younger defensive stalwart over the guy who will be putting up empty numbers for a 15-win Nets team. Maybe it’s unfair to compare since the Utah Jazz will be in the running for a top-4 seed in the West, but Gobert’s importance to a potentially elite defense shouldn’t be overlooked.

Entering his age-24 season, this is the Stifle Tower’s most promising chance for a breakout season yet. He came close last year, averaging a near double-double to go with 2.2 blocks per game, but missing 21 games due to injury held him and the Jazz back.

If Utah can overcome that annoying injury bug, Gobert should anchor a top-five defense and put himself in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. If he can just elevate his game on the offensive end a little bit in 2016-17, his defensive impact will far outweigh the big numbers Lopez puts up in Brooklyn.

Oct 18, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) celebrates a play in the first quarter of their game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

7. Dwight Howard

2015-16 Stats:  13.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 1.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, .620/—/.489 shooting, 18.9 PER

Dwight Howard is such a polarizing figure that some people will think this is far too high, and others will think this is far too low. In his first season with his hometown Atlanta Hawks, however, there’s an undeniable opportunity to show the world that he’s not washed up just yet.

Though his game depends on waning athleticism, the 30-year-old center has looked spry so far in the preseason and is going to FEAST on rebounds for a Hawks team that ranked 24th in rebounds, 30th in offensive rebounds and 28th in total rebounding percentage last year.

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He’s not a versatile defender the way that Al Horford was, but he’s a far better rebounder, and his pick-and-roll chemistry with point guard Dennis Schroder is already looking promising. Playing alongside Paul Millsap in the frontcourt, the Hawks should still be a top-10 defense in 2016-17.

Howard’s inability to stay healthy over the last few seasons is alarming, as are recurring back problems for any 30-year-old seven-footer. However, now that he’s moved on to a more positive situation, perhaps we’ll see something of a revival from one of the game’s underrated big men.

Sep 26, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) rips caution tape during photo day at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

6. Hassan Whiteside

2015-16 Stats:  14.2 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 3.7 BPG, .606/—/.650 shooting, 25.6 PER

It seems unfair to put Brooklyn Lopez at No. 9 because of his unfortunate situation in Brooklyn when Hassan Whiteside sits comfortably here at No. 6. By all rights, the Miami Heat are due for significant regression in 2016-17.

However, Whiteside and Goran Dragic still have a puncher’s chance of making the playoffs; the Nets being terrible is a foregone conclusion. For now, Whiteside’s breakout season last year — not to mention the opportunity to put up monster numbers as Miami’s new franchise player — gives him the slightest edge over Lopez, a still developing Gobert and an aging Dwight Howard.

As the league’s reigning shot-blocker, there’s no question Whiteside can have an impact on the defensive end. His offensive repertoire needs some work, but that will come with more looks on that end thanks to the unexpected departures of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng.

With the ball back in Dragic’s hand this season, he and Whiteside should form a formidable pick-and-roll duo. Don’t be surprised to see Whiteside put up career numbers in 2016-17, even if they don’t come with the required number of wins to make the playoffs.

Oct 3, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) and guard Mike Conley (11) react against the Orlando Magic during the second half at FedExForum. Memphis beat Orlando 102-97. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

5. Marc Gasol

2015-16 Stats:  16.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.3 BPG, 1.0 SPG, .464/—/.829 shooting, 17.7 PER

Normally, Marc Gasol would be a safe bet to make the top three on a list like this. He’s one of the NBA’s most versatile bigs, the Memphis Grizzlies‘ offense runs through his operating from the high elbow, and his defense regularly has him in the Defensive Player of the Year discussion.

Unfortunately, we have to take some points off since the 31-year-old missed 30 games last season and is already dealing with nagging injury problems entering the season.

Gasol is not the greatest rebounder for his size, but if he and the rest of his teammates can stay healthy, Memphis has a great chance of extending the Grit-N-Grind era by another year and seriously challenging for a top-4 seed in the West.

That may be a tall task for guys like Gasol, Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons, but when healthy, there’s no question Big Spain is one of the NBA’s most fundamentally sound, versatile big men.

Oct 19, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) takes a free throw during the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Raptors won 103-92. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

4. Andre Drummond

2015-16 Stats:  16.2 PPG, 14.8 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.4 BPG, .512/—/.333 shooting, 21.3 PER

Say what you want about Andre Drummond‘s lack of polish on the offensive end, his poor free throw shooting, or the way his stats are slightly padded playing for a team that doesn’t really have another quality rebounder around him; the dude puts up NUMBERS.

Last season, he led the league in rebounding and was a nightly double-double. He was the youngest player since Moses Malone to average at least 14.5 rebounds per game, he led the league in double-doubles with 66, and at age 23, the amount of potential he still has is staggering.

At this rate, it won’t be long before Drummond cements his status as the greatest rebounder this league has seen since Dennis Rodman. Sure, the way he hunts down boards slightly pads his numbers, but the Detroit Pistons are a team on the rise and there’s no reason to expect this train to slow down anytime soon.

With an emerging post game and more shooters flanking him on the perimeter, Drummond is going to be empowered like never before. His pick-and-roll chemistry with Reggie Jackson was already promising enough, so if he can become more of a rim protector on the defensive end, the rest of the league could be in very big trouble.

Oct 6, 2016; Greensboro, NC, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) reacts to a foul in the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Greensboro Coliseum. The Celtics won 107-92. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

3. Al Horford

2015-16 Stats:  15.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.5 BPG, .505/.344/.798 shooting, 19.4 PER

Perhaps this is a bit high for such an underwhelming rebounder like Al Horford. In fact, if you were to look only at Al Horford’s stat line, you’d be wondering how he even cracked the top five, let alone made it all the way to No. 3.

However, as has been the case throughout his career in Atlanta, Horford’s impact extends far beyond his basic numbers. He’s a versatile, two-way big capable of trapping ball-handlers 30 feet from the hoop on one end and knocking down perimeter looks on the other.

In fact, Horford added a decent three-point stroke to his arsenal in his age-29 season, shooting 34.4 percent from long range on a career-high 3.1 attempts per game last year. He may not put up big numbers, but he really is the total package in what you want from a center.

That’s exactly what a team like the Boston Celtics needs. Their already elite defense is going to be smothering now that they’ve got a serviceable rim protector and superb positional defender at center. Boston may struggle on the boards now, but Horford’s two-way skill set really should unlock this young team’s potential on both ends of the floor. Him being the catalyst behind it all matters in rankings like these.

Oct 18, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) looks on during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. The Clippers won 92-89. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

2. DeAndre Jordan

2015-16 Stats:  12.7 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 2.3 BPG, 1.2 APG, .703/—/.430 shooting, 20.6 PER

Before anyone starts griping about his free throw shooting and limited offensive skill set, yes: DeAndre Jordan is such a horrendous foul shooter (42.1 percent for his career) that we have him and Dwight Howard to thank for the exponential increase in Hack-A-Shaq fouls. And yes, his offensive is limited to put-backs and alley-oops. But no, I don’t care.

At this point in time, Jordan fills his role perfectly on a Los Angeles Clippers team that should contend for a top-two or top-three seed in the West. With Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and so many other capable scorers around him, the Clippers don’t need Jordan to do anything more than what he already does on offense.

On the defensive end is where Jordan’s true value shines — though it’s worth mentioning his rim-runs and lob chemistry with Blake Griffin is what helps make the Clippers’ offense so dynamic. You’re either giving up a thunderous alley-oop or an open look from a perimeter shooter when that happens.

Jordan is one of the league’s best rebounders, a dynamic shot-blocker, and a vastly improved positional defender. He’s no Bill Russell, as Doc Rivers tried to make him out to be, but he’s a freak athlete who fills his role, throws down monster dunks that inspire fear in opponents’ hearts and holds down the lane on the defensive end. You can’t ask for much more than that from your center.

Mar 18, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) dribbles the ball up the court during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 115-108. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

1. DeMarcus Cousins

2015-16 Stats:  26.9 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.4 BPG, .451/.333/.718 shooting, 23.6 PER

Team success was a factor in these rankings, but DeMarcus Cousins is the rare breed of talent that supersedes that category. Is it his fault the Sacramento Kings are more dysfunctional than Donald Trump at a presidential debate?

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Never mind the questions about his temperament, his capacity for leadership or the fact that in his six seasons in the league, Boogie’s teams have only reached the 30-win threshold once. He’s never been to the playoffs, and that’s unlikely to change after the dumpster fire of an offseason Sacramento just had.

However, even with all of the negativity that comes with being the franchise star of the league laughingstock, Boogie is an undeniable talent. When he puts in the full effort on the defensive end, there’s no question he’s the NBA’s best center.

Cousins doesn’t always put in the requisite effort on that end, but can you blame him? Look at who the Kings continually surround him with! And yet somehow, the guy churns out career seasons like clockwork. His 27-12-3-2-1 stat line from last season was no exception.

After adding a rudimentary three-point shot to his arsenal last year, Boogie is as well-rounded as ever. It’s a pity to see him waste away his prime without any help, and perhaps that should’ve taken a toll on his ranking, but if we’re being 100 percent honest, there’s no question that DeMarcus Cousins is currently the best center in the NBA.

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