Ranking the NBA's Top 22 centers for the 2021-22 season: MVP Nikola Jokic leads the way
The center position in the NBA is one that has seen a major resurgence in recent years, culminating in 2020-21 with a 5-man being honored with the annual league MVP trophy.
HoopsHype writers and editors ranked the Top 22 centers in the NBA entering the 2021-22 season, with MVP winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets coming in at No. 1.
Read more analysis on each center at HoopsHype.com
1. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
2020-21 stats: 26.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 8.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 56.6 FG%
The greatest playmaker at center the NBA has ever seen, Jokic reached a level last season that even his most ardent supporters probably doubted he could hit, taking home league MVP honors for his contributions, a beyond deserved recognition for the insane campaign the Serbian big man had.
2. Joel Embiid, 76ers
2020-21 stats: 28.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.4 bpg, 51.3 FG%
Were it not for a knee injury suffered at a pivotal point in the season forcing him to miss weeks of action, there’s a chance Embiid could have made the race for 2020-21 MVP a tighter one than it ended up being.
3. Rudy Gobert, Jazz
2020-21 stats: 14.3 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 2.7 bpg, 67.5 FG%
The league-leader in field-goal percentage in 2020-21, Gobert continued to prove last season to be one of the best centers in basketball.
4. Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves
2020-21 stats: 24.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.1 bpg, 38.7 3PT%
Towns would have ranked in the Top 3 of this exercise had we done it last year, if not higher, as there was a time where the former Kentucky standout made a strong case to be considered the league’s top big man.
5. Bam Adebayo, Heat
2020-21 stats: 18.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 57.0 FG%
It’s a testament to both Adebayo and the Miami Heat franchise how far the All-Star has come since being drafted as a bit of a project out of Kentucky in 2017.
6. Deandre Ayton, Suns
2020-21 stats: 14.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 bpg, 62.6 FG%
Although his raw statistics went down in 2020-21, his third-year campaign, the advanced metrics paint a different story, one that tells us it was actually the most impactful season of Deandre Ayton’s young career.
7. Nikola Vucevic, Bulls
2020-21 stats: 23.4 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.5 3PTM, 40.0 3PT%
If one were to build the prototypical modern center, one fit for the state of the current offensive game, the end product would look a lot like Vucevic, who has developed into a dominant offensive force over the past three seasons.
8. Clint Capela, Hawks
2020-21 stats: 15.2 ppg, 14.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 2.0 bpg, 59.4 FG%
The Association’s leading rebounder in 2020-21, as well as the league leader in rebound (26.1 percent), offensive rebound (17.5 percent) and defensive rebound (34.3 percent) percentage, Capela is coming off a terrific campaign.
9. Christian Wood, Rockets
2020-21 stats: 21.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.2 bpg, 51.4 FG%
Although his campaign was cut short due to injury, Wood had an exquisitely successful first campaign with the Rockets, putting up impressive numbers as a scorer and rebounder while aptly protecting the paint and spacing the floor from beyond the arc.
10. Jonas Valanciunas, Pelicans
2020-21 stats: 17.1 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.9 bpg, 59.2 FG%
A bruising big man with sharp elbows and shoulders that he uses particularly well in the paint, Valanciunas has developed into of the NBA’s best centers over recent years.
11. Myles Turner, Pacers
2020-21 stats: 12.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 3.4 bpg, 47.7 FG%
The NBA’s premier shot-blocker in 2020-21, Turner was absolutely monstrous when defending the paint last season, leading the league in blocks per contest (3.4) as well as in block rate (8.8 percent), which is the second time he’s had a campaign in which he led the league in both stats in the last three years.
12. Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers
2020-21 stats: 12.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.4 bpg, 61.8 FG%
The fourth-year big man may not have a super diverse offensive game, not yet, at least, but he more than makes up for it by being so effective in his role, rendering that point moot.
13. Josef Nurkic, Blazers
2020-21 stats: 11.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 bpg, 51.4 FG%
Were it not for the devastating leg injury he suffered early in 2019, there’s a good chance Nurkic would rank higher in this list than he does at the moment, at No. 13.
14. Brook Lopez, Bucks
2020-21 stats: 12.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.4 3PTM, 1.5 bpg, 50.3 FG%
The only player in the NBA last season with at least 100 blocks and 95 successful three-point attempts, Lopez remains one of the league’s biggest unicorns, with the size and length to defend the paint at a high level and with the three-point touch to be a legitimate threat from beyond the arc.
15. Richaun Holmes, Kings
2020-21 stats: 14.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.6 bpg, 63.7 FG%
He may not be the perfect fit in the modern game due to his lack of shooting, but the Sacramento center is so explosive out of the pick-and-roll and around the basket that it really doesn’t matter.
16. Al Horford, Celtics
2020-21 stats: 14.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.4 apg, 0.9 bpg, 36.8 3PT%
Although he’s undoubtedly slowed down some in recent years, which explains why he’s a center now and no longer a power forward, Horford remains an effective playmaker, scorer and defender.
17. Montrezl Harrell, Wizards
2020-21 stats: 13.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.7 bpg, 62.2 FG%
Harrell followed up an awesome 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year campaign with a disappointing 2020-21 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, with his numbers dropping all across the board.
18. Thomas Bryant, Wizards
2020-21 stats (10 games): 14.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.8 bpg, 64.8 FG%
The long and athletic Bryant had his season cut to just 10 games in 2020-21 due to a knee injury, but from what we saw out of him, Bryant continued to look like what we already knew he was: a very solid center.
19. Wendell Carter, Magic
2020-21 stats: 11.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.8 bpg, 50.3 FG%
Although he hasn’t broken out and lived up to pre-draft hype once possessed quite yet, Carter still holds a lot of promise based on his three years of service so far and the fact he remains just 22 years old.
20. Steven Adams, Grizzlies
2020-21 stats: 7.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 spg, 61.4 FG%
A steadying, bruising presence in the paint, Steven Adams has blossomed into a savvy veteran now that he’s in his late-20s, one who won’t post huge numbers but who can be relied upon to play his role at a respectable level.
21. Mitchell Robinson, Knicks
2020-21 stats: 8.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.1 spg, 1.5 bpg, 65.3 FG%
Robinson is coming off an injury-riddled 2020-21 campaign but still posted solid numbers, including a block-and-a-half per night.
22. Nerlens Noel, Knicks
2020-21 stats: 5.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.1 spg, 2.2 bpg, 61.4 FG%
Despite little offensive game to speak of outside of the occasional pick-and-roll finish, Noel just cracked the Top 22 thanks to the unreal defensive impact he makes on a nightly basis.
Just missed the cut: Ivica Zubac, James Wiseman, Daniel Gafford, Serge Ibaka, Jakob Poeltl, Robert Williams
