Ranking EVERY Starting Center From All 30 NBA Teams

We've gone through four positions already, which means there's just one left to address, and that's the centers. Basically, what we're doing is we have been going through all five positions in basketball, ranking the starting player at each spot from all 30 NBA teams. We've already put out the videos for the point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards, so go watch those ones in case you missed them. But that now means that in today's video, we'll be closing out by going through the starting centers. The center spot has evolved a ton over the years, and now the position has both elite talent at the top and a ton of skill and depth throughout the league. Now, without further ado though, let's dive right into this list. We'll start at the bottom and work our way up to the number one spot. So coming in at number 30, we have Daron Sharp of the Brooklyn Nets. Sharp has been a consistently solid backup center throughout his career, never doing anything flashy or extraordinary, but he does play with good energy, rebounds well, and converts the chances provided to him around the rim. He's not going to create much for himself, and he's not a high-end rim protector by any means. Plus, he has the least amount of experience in a starting lineup on this list, so it's hard to put him above any of the rest. Next, at number 29, we have Brooke Lopez of the Los Angeles Clippers. Lopez has been a very good center in the NBA for a really long time, but he's now 38 years old, and everything about his game is slowing down in both a literal sense and a metaphorical sense. Lopez has lost a lot of his foot speed, which has hurt his ability to play defense at the level that he used to. He doesn't rebound much anymore, and he's coming off of a season where he averaged a career low 8 points per game, so he is very clearly approaching retirement. Next, at number 28, we have Derek Lively of the Dallas Mavericks. Lively has a lot of talent and should honestly shoot up this list over time, but the last two seasons for him have been pretty rough, and now he's at a point where he needs to prove that he can stay healthy and actually provide notable impact. He missed over half the season in 2025 and was only able to play in seven games last season. When he is healthy, he is a springy, mobile big man that runs the floor well, serves as a dangerous lob threat, rebounds well, and blocks a ton of shots, but he needs to put together a strong, lengthy stretch of games before he can claim a better spot today. Next, at number 27, we have Yaka Pirtle of the Toronto Raptors. Pirtle is unfortunately dealing with a nagging back injury that clearly hampered his play on the court all of last season. To make matters worse, he just signed a hefty contract extension with the team, so if these back issues keep lingering, he might not even be able to hold the starting job much longer and would then become a way overpaid backup. He still averages about 10 points and 7 rebounds per game, but his defense isn't as stout as it once was, and that's one of the biggest reasons that the Raptors extended him in the first place. Next, at number 26, we have Derek Queen of the New Orleans Pelicans. Queen's rookie season flashed quite a few incredibly strong, promising outings where he showed what he was capable of down the line as an incredibly skilled big man who can do a bit of everything on the offensive side of the ball. He's got an array of moves at his disposal both in posting up and facing up, his touch around the basket is exceptional, and he's another modern center with advanced passing talent, but he has some glaring red flags that hold him back for the time being. He is easily one of the worst defensive big men in the NBA, which is tough to overcome, and he still hasn't extended his shooting range out to the three-point line, so there is work to be done before he can climb this list. Next, at number 25, we have Nick Claxton of the Chicago Bulls. Claxton was one of the league's best shot blockers a few years ago, but progressively it's felt like he's lost the motivation to keep going all out to that degree, having been playing on a Nets team that has sunk further and further into the rebuilding since this point. Now that he's finally been moved to a new team, the hope is that he can have new life breathed into his career in Chicago with an exciting young core around him, but until that actually happens, his output doesn't currently stack up with most of the other starters in the NBA. Next, at number 24, we have Miles Turner of the Milwaukee Bucks. Turner left Indiana for Milwaukee last summer and pretty much immediately was playing some really uninspired basketball last season. The appeal of Turner's game is that he is a competent stretch big man that takes and makes threes at an efficient clip, but he's one of the worst rebounders at the position, and despite being a good shot blocker, he's known to play a bit soft on defense, getting bullied by any kind of physicality. Next, at number 23, we have Nemeus Keita of the Boston Celtics. Keita stepped into the Celtics starting center role last year and exceeded everybody's expectations throughout the year. He averaged about 10 points and 8 rebounds per game, playing with outstanding energy on both ends of the floor, doing all the things that help a team win games that don't show up in the stat sheet. He has great work rate on the offensive glass, generating second chance opportunities, he sets good hard screens, and he anchored one of the top defenses in the league last year. He's going to be splitting this role with Mitchell Robinson now, but he's definitely proven he can be a good starting center in the NBA. Next, at number 22, we have Yusuf Nurkic of the Utah Jazz. If there's one thing Nurkic is always going to do at a high level, it's rebound the basketball. He averaged a double-double last season, putting up 11 points and 10 rebounds per game, while also improving a ton as a facilitator out of the post. The Jazz need him to stay healthier than he has over the last two seasons, where he missed about half of the year in each one, because they just lost Walker Kessler this offseason in free agency, so their center rotation has become a lot thinner. Next, at number 21, we have Wendell Carter Jr. of the Orlando Magic. Carter is pretty bang average in most aspects of being a center, which can be both a blessing and a curse. He doesn't have any glaring weaknesses, but he also doesn't have many standout true strengths either. He's a solid rebounder, a pretty good defender but not a great one, and offensively, he has decent finishing skills and a capable jumper, but he's not very consistent from three. Averaging about 12 points and 7 rebounds per game in the middle for a playoff team is respectable for sure. There's just a lot of talent at this position ahead of him. Next, at number 20, we have Mark Williams of the and that success was built on a defensive foundation that didn't exist there two years ago. Additions like Mark Williams were major factors in that being the case, as he came in and used his massive size and length to alter a ton of shots in the paint, rebound the basketball at a high level, and offensively, he is an outstanding finisher around the rim, having shot 64% from the field. The team only plays him in about 24 minutes per game in order to not overwork him with the injury history that he has, but he brings clear positive impact when he's out there. Next, at number 19, we have Christaps Porzingis of the Golden State Warriors. The current version of Porzingis is not the Christaps Porzingis we've come to know for most of his career. He's been dealing with a mysterious illness for the last two years, which has really affected his availability, missing 90 total games over the last two seasons combined, and when he is available, he's not the fringe all-star that he used to be. He averages about 16 points and 5 rebounds per game, so he's basically become just a really big shooter out on the floor, whose efficiency has also taken a slight hit, making just 34% of his threes last year. Next, at number 18, we have Musa Diabate of the Charlotte Hornets. Diabate, I think, was easily one of the most underrated players in the whole league last year, and was sneakily the key to the Hornets turning their season around in the second half of the season. After Charlotte inserted him into the starting lineup, the Hornets performed like one of the top-ranked defenses in the whole league, which is really tough to pull off with a team like Charlotte, who have notoriously not played much defense over the last few years. Diabate is a beast on the offensive glass, generating a ton of second chance opportunities, he's an incredibly versatile defensive anchor, and he's a great role man in the pick and roll. Next, at number 17, we have Isaiah Hardenstein of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Hardenstein re-signed with the Thunder this summer on another hefty contract because the Thunder clearly understand how much value he brings to their lineup. This is the best-ranked defense in the NBA, and Hardenstein brings balance next to Chet Holmgren, taking on the bigger, stronger matchups. Hardenstein is a terrific rebounder, he has a very good little floater that he uses quite often to score in the paint, and he does all of the physical dirty work needed to succeed at the highest level. Next, at number 16, we have Zach Eadie of the Memphis Grizzlies. Eadie looked like he was about to have a big breakout year in year two last season, but unfortunately an ankle injury sidelined him for most of the year, playing just 11 games. When healthy, Eadie can be one of the best rebounders in the league and one of the best shot blockers in the league purely off the fact that he is a gargantuan human whose size and length overwhelms opponents trying to score around him. The sample size isn't there for him yet, but he can definitely shoot up this list over time. Next, at number 15, we have Jarrett Allen of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Allen has been a key cog in Cleveland's success over the years, holding things together in the middle as a part of a dual big man lineup where he plays next to Evan Mobley. Allen does more of the dirty work setting good hard screens, snatching rebounds, and being the primary interior defensive presence. He's not the most versatile player in the world, but he does produce well year in and year out. There's just a lot of players that bring a bit more to the table, so he's right in the middle of this list. Next, at number 14, we have Onyeka Okonwu of the Atlanta Hawks. Okonwu's development journey has honestly been super impressive to watch play out, because when he came into the league, he was purely an athletic, rim-running big that played good defense and offensively stayed primarily in the paint, never really attempting threes, and now he's a fairly efficient volume 3-point shooting center. He averages about 15 points and 8 rebounds per game, shooting 38% from 3 now, and defensively he's a very switchable and quick player on his feet, so he does a lot of things well that modern centers need to be able to handle. Next, at number 13, we have Alex Saar of the Washington Wizards. Saar came into the league and immediately emerged as one of the best shot blockers in the NBA as a rookie, and then in year 2, he improved a ton in other key parts of the game. He stopped settling for so many jumpers, he got more aggressive as a scorer in the paint, he improved his efficiency, and he blocked the second most shots per game in the NBA last season behind only Victor Wembenyama. Now, with a lot more talent in the Wizards lineup going into next season, we're about to see how Saar can anchor a group with real playoff aspirations, and on the trajectory that he's on, he could move even higher up this list for sure. Next, at number 12, we have Walker Kessler of the Los Angeles Lakers. Kessler is one of the most underrated players in the NBA from my point of view, and now that he's going from a team completely out of the spotlight in Utah to a team that lives in the spotlight like the Lakers, I think the world will wake up to how much he really brings. Kessler is both one of the best rebounders in the NBA and best shot blockers in the league. He ranked second in the league in blocks in both 2024 and 2025, and he was top 5 in rebounding in 2025. He missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, but he is back healthy now, and alongside Luka Doncic, I think he's going to be scoring more than he ever has. Next, at number 11, we have Donovan Klingin of the Portland Trailblazers. Klingin is another big-bodied center who provides stellar interior defense. He was top 5 in both blocks and rebounds last season while also leading the NBA in offensive rebounding, generating second chance opportunities more than anybody else. He's not necessarily a go-to scoring type of big, but he has a useful three-point shot, and he converts very efficiently in the paint. And in today's NBA, if you play high-end defense and space the floor a bit, you check some of the most important boxes of the center position. Now, to start off the top 10 of this list, we have Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons. Duren was named an all-star for the first time in his career this past season, and it seemed like things were looking up for him and his career. But then, things came crashing down in the playoffs, and now we're left wondering if he can be trusted in a bigger role when it matters. Duren nearly averaged about 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in the regular season, but he didn't even score anything more than 15 points in a single playoff game, and he had an equal amount of games where he scored in single digits as he had in double figures in the playoffs. He's not technically re-signed with Detroit yet, as he is currently a restricted free agent, but with Detroit able to match any offer that he gets, it does seem pretty likely that he will be back, looking to bounce back with the Pistons. Next, at number 9, we have Ivica Zubac of the Indiana Pacers. Zubac had a big breakout season in 2025, where he reached a truly elite defensive level and was named to the all-defense team. He dominated the glass, and he found a really good flow on offense in the two-man game with James Harden. Last season, he wasn't quite able to replicate that level, and then he was also traded from Los Angeles to Indiana, but now that he's in Indiana, he's their new anchor as they look to get back into contention, and with Tyrese Halliburton returning to the court next year, he is back playing with a high-end playmaker as well that could have him reach that 2025 level again. Next, at number 8, we have Demonta Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings. Sabonis definitely is better than what he showed on the court last season, he was just incredibly marred by injuries. At full strength, he led the NBA in rebounding several times, he's one of the best passers at the center position too, and he's a dominant paint scorer to go with it. He's also unfortunately a pretty poor defender, which has made it difficult to win with him at the heart of the lineup, but his production does speak for itself. Next, at number 7, we have Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gobert is always one of the most polarizing players when it comes to lists like this because his individual production doesn't really stick out as head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, but he's been one of the league's premier interior defenders for many years now, with four Defensive Player of the Year awards on his resume. Impact metrics always illustrate just how much he affects the success of this Timberwolves team. He holds their defense together, he dominates the glass, and he doesn't need to be a high-level scorer to be an elite center. Next, at number 6, we have Alperin Shangun of the Houston Rockets. Shangun is one of the most skillful offensive talents at the center position, and has been compared to Nikola Jokic for the way he facilitates the flow of things as a hub of creation at the position. He just put up about 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists per game en route to being named an All-Star for the second season in a row, but he still isn't that great on defense, and he had a mediocre showing in the playoffs, so at this point of the list, nitpicks need to start being made to differentiate these top dogs. Next, at number 5, we have Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat. Mr. 83 points is starting to the ways that he goes about getting buckets, adding in more 3-point attempts, and creating more for himself in general, but through these methods, his efficiency has also sunk a little bit. I don't think he's going to have to do nearly as much on-ball creating now that Yanis Anadokumpo is on the team, which is good, because he'll be able to go back to focusing fully on what he is best at, which is being an elite defender. Bam might be the best defender in the NBA currently without a Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume, and if the Heat have a great season, that might change this year. Next, at number 4, we have Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks. Towns this season arguably sacrificed more for the betterment of the team than anybody else in the league, and those sacrifices paid off as they won the finals with him being a key catalyst the whole way through. Early in the season, it was tough for him to adjust to his new role in this new system under a new coach, and some of his individual production did suffer for it, but in the playoffs, he played with more confidence than ever. He hit countless big-time shots, and most importantly, played with some of the best defense of his life, proving he could be a championship caliber center. Next, at number 3, we have Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. The story with Joel Embiid always boils down to whether or not he's healthy. When he is healthy, he's been one of the most unstoppable forces the league has seen. He just happens to get injured quite often. Knee injuries have affected his mobility a little bit, but even a lesser version of himself is still one of the best scorers in the entire NBA, and now with the amount of help around him on this upcoming 76ers team, he's not going to have to carry nearly as much of the heavy burden, which could actually help him maintain his body better over the course of a year. Next, at number 2, we have Victor Wembyama of the San Antonio Spurs. Wemby got his first taste of NBA Finals this year, and even though he didn't come out victorious, it feels like that won't be his only chance at a ring. He's been the league's best defender pretty much since he stepped onto an NBA court as a rookie, and this year he took home the Defensive Player of the Year award for the first of what should be many times. He leads the league in blocks every year he's been in the league. He is scoring better and better with time as well, as he just averaged about 25 points and 11 rebounds per game this past season. He is a 7'4 shot-creating matchup nightmare who needs to be accounted for at all times, because he's a threat from pretty much anywhere, and while he seems destined to one day be the best player in the NBA, he's not there yet with this next guy in his way. And finally, coming in at number 1 as the best center in the NBA, we have Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Jokic is a walking triple-double who produces at a level we really haven't seen before from the center position. He's one of the best scorers in the NBA, one of the best rebounders in the NBA, and one of the best passers in the whole league. He's a three-time MVP who has finished runner-up in the races that he didn't win over the last few years, demonstrating consistent dominance. The only weakness you can find in his game really is that he's a subpar defender who can be targeted protecting the paint, but overall he puts up numbers we've never seen before and is the best talent going. And with that being said, that's all I have for you today. Make sure to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and comment down below how you think the center is currently stacked up in the NBA. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you all next time.