From one of the weakest positions in the NBA when the three-pointer era started to have some of the best young players in the league with a lot of potential for years and years to come.
Today, I will rank my top 10 players at the position, with a few honourable mentions thrown in there. It wasn’t an easy list to create, and there are certainly still a few things about the rankings that I’m not 100% sure about, but this is the list.
#10: Jonas Valanciunas
2021–2022 Season Stats: 17.8 PPG 11.4 RPG 2.6 APG 0.8 BPG
After a surprising trade that sent Valanciunas to New Orleans after a career year in Memphis, I didn’t suspect him to follow that up with a season just as good as the one prior. He’s a great three-point shooter for a big man and was essential in helping the Pelicans to get to the play-in, where they would win two games against the Spurs and the Clippers to make the playoffs as the 8th seed. While his defensive game isn’t as strong as the majority of other Centers in the league, Valanciunas is a huge presence in the post that has the ability to create his own shot by out moving his defender while doing it efficiently.
He can shoot open midranges and three-point shots, giving the Pelicans the ability to space the floor on an extremely high level, which will be huge once Zion returns from injury. Valanciunas finished the 2022 season 7th in RPG, and 1st in the playoffs. His fantastic rebounding and floor spacing ability are what lands him on this list over one specific player, which we will get to later.
#9: Kristaps Porzingis
2021–2022 Season Stats: 20.2 PPG 8.1 APG 2.3 APG 1.6 BPG
I will admit that I believe that I’m much higher on Porzingis than the majority of NBA fans. I really wanted to have him higher on this list but I think he needs to prove himself more with Washington next season. In his 17 games with the wizards, Porzingis put up 22–9–3 without playing a single game with the star of the team, Bradley Beal. If both are able to stay healthy next season I can absolutely see Kristaps having the best season of his career since his breakout one-and-done season with the Knicks in 2018.
He is proved to have the capability of still being a good three-point shooter, as he shot 36.7% from beyond the arc once he got to Washington, which will only go up with most of the attention going to Bradley Beal once he hits the court. His blocking ability is still one of the best in the NBA as he is a proven fantastic help defender in the right system. When it comes to on-ball defending he isn’t as strong as some of his counterparts, which leads to him being abused by stronger big men in the post.
#8: Deandre Ayton
2021–2022 Season Stats: 17.2 PPG 10.2 RPG 0.7 SPG 0.7 BPG
I remember having the opinion during the regular season last year that Ayton had done nothing to actually improve his game a substantial amount since his rookie season. Then, the Suns went on this legendary run to the NBA finals where Ayton had some fantastic moments while playing the best basketball of his short career. Then this season happened, and I still have the same opinion. Don’t get me wrong he’s still a great center, he wouldn’t be on this list if he wasn’t but considering that he was seen as a dominant physical force that would “dominayton” in the paint with force with generational physical gifts.
He should be taking over games, being unstoppable in the paint while abusing people with his physical dominance. Instead, his production has box score numbers barely improved while the team around him has grown into a contender. Since CP3 arrived in Phoenix Ayton’s efficiency while scoring has become one of the best in the league, with him being the most efficient player this season with 600+ FGA. I think he’s gotten a lot smarter with the shots he takes, but he absolutely benefits from having the best playmaker in the game on his team.
His defending ability and effort clearly dropped after the Suns' finals run in 2021, and it didn’t pick back up in the 2022 playoffs. With Devin Booker's injury and Chris Paul’s inconsistent play, Ayton had the opportunity to show himself as one of the premier centers in the game against a Mavericks team with Dwight Powell as their best center. While he didn’t play terribly, he didn’t show up as the player he needed to be for the Suns as they got upset by Luka and co. in the second round. I want to have him higher, and I really love his game, but he needs to improve and reach the potential ceiling that everyone thought he had when he was drafted 1st overall in 2018.
#7: Domantas Sabonis
2021–2022 Season Stats: 18.9 PPG 12.1 RPG 5.2 APG 1.0 SPG
Sabonis has to be one of my favourite players to watch in the entire league. I understand that he’s a lacklustre defender while being extremely slow and frustrating to watch at times, but he is one of the best offensive big men in the league. While he’s not a big body aggressive post scorer that can bully you to the rim and dunk on you with force, he is one of the best finesse players at his size.
He’s a top 5 playmaking big in the league, he’s been top 5 in RPG every year for the past 3 seasons and has been an All-Star twice for Indiana in two seasons where he was the best player on their team and led them to a playoff birth in 2020 and a play-in appearance in 2021. While the Pacers didn’t meet expectations this past season, Sabonis has been extremely fun to watch in a dynamic duo with his new co-star De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento.
He should have a fantastic season next year and I wouldn’t be surprised if he helped lead the Kings back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006. His finesse around the rim is just beautiful to watch as he has been one of the more efficient All-Star players in the entire NBA as a number 1 option in Indiana. While I understand his defensive game is extremely lacking, he does a fantastic job at using his length to try to block passing lanes when defending off the ball.
#6: Jarrett Allen
2021–2022 Season Stats: 16.1 PPG 10.8 RPG 1.3 BPG 67.7 FG%
When Jarrett Allen was dealt to Cleveland for basically just an unprotected first-round pick in the infamous James Harden trade I was shocked. I really liked his game in Brooklyn and thought that he was one of the better role-playing big men in the league while he was still realizing his potential. Now that he’s playing with an excellent playmaking guard that has an unselfish game, his offensive play hit another level. Allen has jumped just 3.3 PPG since his last full season in Brooklyn a couple of years ago, but his efficiency is what makes him stand out.
His efficiency was well above average before his move to Cleveland but this past year he finished 2nd in the NBA in FG% with 67.7%, only behind Rudy Gobert. Making his first All-Star due to his superb ability to protect the paint as well as his offensive jump in scoring. He along with his All-Star teammate Darius Garland is a young duo that should be able to lead the Cavaliers to the playoffs for years to come.
#5: Bam Adebayo
2021–2022 Season Stats: 19.1 PPG 10.1 RPG 1.4 SPG 0.8 BPG
If I was to pick one player in the NBA to get a 1-on-1 stop to save my life against a random player in the league, I’m picking Bam. He’s probably the most versatile defender in the league while having the foot speed and length to be able to keep up with smaller, faster players. His ball handling is up there with the best among other bigs in the league, and while he doesn’t have as many blocks as you would like him to, this is mainly due to him being much more of an on-ball defender on the opposing teams best player rather than being a roaming help defender, such as a Giannis or Gobert.
Despite not making a second All-Star appearance since his breakout season in 2020, Bam has only improved his game every season. While you would like him to add more options to his offensive arsenal, Bam is a great pick-and-roll option as both the ball handler and the screener that is an elite lob threat and excels in the dunker's spot. If he can stay healthy this coming season, I can see him back in the All-Star game easily.
#4: Rudy Gobert
2021–2022 Season Stats: 15.6 PPG 14.7 RPG 2.1 BPG 71.3 FG%
Rudy, despite being the most criticized player in the league, is coming off of one of, if not the best season of his career. He averaged 15+ PPG for the third time in the last four seasons, as well as averaging 2+ BPG for the eighth straight season, and averaged the most RPG in the league. Gobert also had the best defensive rating in the NBA (103.2), the best offensive rating (137.4), and the eighth best PER (24.7). He also had the highest field goal percentage in the league (min. 300 field goals made), which was 3.6% higher than second place, while being the only player in NBA history to average 15+ PPG and a 70%+ FG% (min. 300 field goals made).
Pretty good player. eh? It’s hard to discredit his three DPOY awards, three All-Star appearances, and four All-NBA team appearances. While he was “exposed” as a defender for being on a team with no perimeter defenders, he is still the best interior defender in the NBA. Moving to Minnesota will give him a much stronger wall of perimeter defenders in front of him (Jaden McDaniels, D’Angelo Russell, Kyle Anderson, Jaylen Nowell, and possibly Anthony Edwards) he should be less exposed against teams with superb ball movement.
#3: Karl Anthony-Towns
2021–2022 Season Stats: 24.6 PPG 9.8 RPG 1.1 BPG 1.1 SPG
While KAT will more than likely be a PF for next season now that he had Rudy Gobert on the team, this is the list he deserves to be on for now. He’s the best perimeter shooting big of all time, as supported by him winning the 2022 Three-Point Contest. KAT is an extremely efficient offensive big which is especially impressive considering that he was the first option on his team. He may not be the force in the paint that you would want him to be at his 6'11" 250 lbs frame, but he is still one of the best scorers in the league.
Next season, the trio of KAT, Gobert, and an all but certain breakout season from Anthony Edwards will be one of, if not the best trios and KAT's spacing and finishing ability will be a big part of it. While he did have a poor playoffs compared to how he was expected to perform, hopefully finally getting some time in the spotlight will help him when the Timberwolves eventually make the playoffs again next season.
#2: Joel Embiid
2021–2022 Season Stats: 30.6 PPG 11.7 RPG 1.5 BPG 1.1 SPG
It’s really hard to not put Embiid at first on this list. He was the 2021–2022 Scoring champion, the runner-up for the MVP in each of the past two seasons, and he’s coming off of his healthiest and most productive season yet. Embiid is a fantastic interior defender, which is something that is often overlooked with his game. His play in the post is unmatched across the league, and he is probably the most unstoppable player in the league once he gets to the paint.
Being an above-average playmaker out of the post while carrying a 76ers team without its second-best player playing to a top record in the Eastern Conference before the James Harden trade. Embiid is a superstar who I’ve seen not garner the praise that he deserves this past offseason, and because of that, I think he’s finally gonna get that MVP next season. He doesn’t play as many minutes as you’d expect him too, considering he was the highest-scoring player in the league last season, and as long as he can healthy he should be one of the best players in the league for many years to come.
Honourable Mentions
Surprisingly this position has a good amount of depth, and their are plenty of players that could’ve easily made this list.
Jaren Jackson Jr: 16.3 PPG 5.8 RPG 2.3 BPG
I was a lot higher on JJJ than most people seemed to be over the past couple of years. This season I feel like I’m lower on him. He emerged as one of the best rim defenders in the league, but his scoring efficiency dipped a lot since his last somewhat healthy season in 2019–2020. The Grizzlies need him to be better offensively, and despite his 6'11" frame he struggles to be a good rebounder.
Robert Williams III: 10.0 PPG 9.6 RPG 2.2 BPG
Going into this season I had the Time Lord as my MIP. While he didn’t exactly show that offensively, boy did he prove his worth defensively when given nearly 30 MPG this past season. Making his first All-Defensive team and being a key part of the Celtics Finals run, he is primed to be a future DPOY while getting more scoring opportunities in the dunker's spot to add more PPG to his boxscore.
Christian Wood: 17.9 PPG 10.1 RPG 1.0 BPG
I loved Wood during his time in Houston, and he’s probably going to be the player I regret not putting on this list the most. He is going to have a great season as the second option on the Mavericks with Luka Doncic feeding him open looks consistently. He’s a great scorer, but he needs to become a better rim protector if the Mavericks want to improve the success of their 2022 Conference Finals run.
#1: Nikola Jokic
2021–2022 Season Stats: 27.1 PPG 13.8 RPG 7.9 APG 1.5 SPG
While it was hard as it is to not have the runner-up of the past two MVPs at number one, it isn’t as difficult when you realize the person who actually won the award in both of those years was his competition. Jokic is one of the best playmakers in the league, never mind the fact that he’s the best playmaking big man of all -time. His rebounding ability is superb and it’s hard to ignore that he carried a team with Aaron Gordon as its second-best player to the playoffs this past season. For reference, on the last team Gordon was on, he was the third-best player on the Orlando Magic.
Next season, Jokic won’t have to put the team on his back as he had to this year, as Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. should be returning from basically a full year of injuries. Until then, it took the higher PER in NBA history (32.8) to be the sixth seed this past season. There isn’t too much to criticize about Jokic’s game aside from his defensive ability due to his athleticism, but even that is well above average as he had the third-best defensive rating in the league this past season (105.3).