The Thunder moved to 1-1 in preseason play after defeating the Timberwolves in Minnesota last night, and they have two preseason games remaining. As the preseason continues, we continue with our preseason coverage.
This season, we are ranking each team in the Northwest Division by position. We have already covered point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards, and now we take a look at centers.
The consensus rankings come from a points system. A first place selection is worth 5 points, second place is 4 points, and they continue in descending order with fifth place equaling 1 point.
Consensus Power Forward Rankings |
|
| Ranking | Points |
|---|---|
| 1. Oklahoma City | 13 |
| T-2. Minnesota | 11 |
| T-2. Denver | 11 |
| 4. Utah | 7 |
| 5. Portland | 3 |
Craig
1. Minnesota | Karl-Anthony Towns has been spectacular so far in his short career. The craziest part about his dominance is that he has improved every year. In a division where there’s no lack of talent at the center position, Towns still manages to stand out amongst them all.
With the departure of Jimmy Butler happening very soon, it’s safe to say that the young center will be the new face of this franchise, if he wasn’t already. He has scored nearly 22 points per game in his career, and that is likely to increase this season. Much of this teams success will fall on his shoulders. However, there’s only so much one guy can do if there’s no help around him.
2. Oklahoma City | Steven Adams was voted the toughest guy in the league. To be honest, it fits him perfectly. There’s three other centers in this division who average more points than Adams. The reason Adams remains ahead of those guys is because of his physicality and the impact that it has on the game.
When big men wake up the next day after playing against the Thunder, they have bruises on their arms. That’s because Adams has a physical play style that wears you down throughout the course of the game. He is a dominate guy around the rim on defense, and his ability to grab offensive boards separates him from the rest of the big men in the league. Not to mention the fact that he’s capable of scoring 15 or more points on you while doing all this.
3. Denver | Denver is blessed with a big man who can pass the ball. Nikola Jokic is capable of stat lines that make him look like a point guard. A year ago he had the best statistical season of his career, and it showed on the win column for the Nuggets.
Jokic averaged a career high 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. All while averaging 6 assists. Having a guy like that on your team makes your offense that much harder to stop. If he can improve even more from last season, the Nuggets could find their way to a top seed in the West.
4. Utah | Rudy Gobert has the ability to change the game on the defensive end unlike anyone else in this league. His length is ridiculous, and if he’s not blocking your shot, he’s definitely getting close enough to alter it. If this guy can stay healthy, he will without a doubt with defensive player of the year.
Gobert has always been a defensive minded guy. His first few years in the league he barely averaged a couple of points. However, his game has evolved so much and he can now hurt your team in multiple ways. He has statistically improved each year, and I don’t expect this one to be any different.
5. Portland | Jusuf Nurkic is heading into his second full season with the Trail-Blazers. The guy has been around long enough to be comfortable and settle into his game. I expect a great year from Nurkic, I just think he’s a few steps behind the other big men in this division.
Even though he may be a step behind, he certainly won’t play like it. He has the confidence needed to get the job done for his team. He’s not the kind of guy who will take over a game, but he will definitely do what his team needs him to do. He will shoot very efficiently and score points when needed, and he’s also an excellent shot blocker. If Nurkic has a big year you’ll need to keep an eye out for Portland.
Trent
1. Oklahoma City | Steven Adams was recently voted as the NBA’s toughest player by league GM’s, and he rests at #1 on my list of top centers in the Northwestern division. Adams averaged 62% from the field last season, giving him the fourth-best FG% in the league. His 9 RPG a year ago was his highest season-average of his career, yet he was just short of averaging a double-double.
The addition of Nerlens Noel brings depth to the center position for OKC, and he will get the opportunity to grow behind Adams. If Noel can prove his production level is still effective in this league, we may see him coming off the bench for several seasons to come.
2. Minnesota | The center position has evolved, and no one has caught up with the times better than Wolves center Karl-Anthony Towns. Entering his fourth season, Towns has gained respect as the one of the leagues best on both sides of the court. Towns led the league in double-doubles last season, and he finished top 5 in RPG. The Wolves hopes of a playoff run in April will be in the hands of Towns and how far he can take them.
Gorgui Dieng, who averages a career 8.3 PPG, will serve as the backup to Towns. Dieng appeared in 79 games last season and shot 47% from the field.
3. Denver | The Nuggets have desperately found a new face to their franchise in Nikola Jokic. The former 41st pick in the 2014 draft led his team in PPG, APG and RPG last season. His passing ability could be argued as the best at the center position in the league. Jokic is typically on the receiving end of inbound passes, which is clear evidence of his importance to Denver’s offense. Try to name another center who receives the ball from an inbound pass and run the offense. Jokic is seemingly a point guard in a center’s body, and he is singlehandedly changing the way the position is played.
Mason Plumlee will come off the bench in place of Jokic, and he shoots a career 8.6 PPG with a productive 5.1 RPG. Similar to Minnesota’s situation, the Nuggets will go as far as Jokic can take them.
4. Utah | Entering his 6th year in the league, Rudy Gobert will look to take this Utah team to the next level of elite. After an accomplishing season in 2018, Gobert’s efforts earned him Defensive Player of the Year. His productive 13.5 PPG and 10.7 RPG alongside his tough aggression on defense make him a top center in the NBA. The former 1st-round pick in 2013 has been apart of this Utah team since the start of its rebuild, and he seemingly will stick around to be apart of the team’s success. Gobert has become a fan favorite in Utah.
Epke Udoh, who averaged only 2.6 PPG last season, will look return from the bench to back up Gobert.
5. Portland | Portland finds themselves again on the short end of the stick with a last place finish in another position group on my list. The Northwestern Division has a stacked lines of all-star centers; everyone except the Trailblazers, that is. Jusuf Nurkic, entering his 4th NBA season, will start at center for Portland. He played in 79 games last season and averaged 14.9 PPG with 9.1 RGP. This offseason, Nurkic signed a four-year, $48 million deal to stay in Portland. The former “All Rookie 2nd Team” candidate will look to improve his stats after seeing a drop in numbers comparing the last two seasons.
In his rookie campagin, Zach Collins made a solid debut averaging 4.4 PPG with 3.3 RPG. The Blazers have high praise for the former Duke center, and they will look to implement him more in the offense this season.
Zack
1. Denver | The Nuggets are number one on my list for a couple of reasons. First off, Nikola Jokic is probably the most talented of the five very talented starting centers in the Northwest Division. Jokic is a dynamic scorer, and despite being 7-feet tall, he’s one of the best passers in the entire NBA.
Backing up Jokic is Mason Plumlee, a guy who averaged nearly 20 MPG last season, and while he doesn’t wow anyone with his stats or skills, he is a quality role player off the bench.
2. Oklahoma City | Steven Adams is severely underrated among big men in the league for no other reason than the fact that he plays alongside so many superstars. He does what is asked of him, and he’s quite good at it. While Adams doesn’t always stuff a stat sheet, he impacts the game in a number of ways like setting screens on offense and deflecting the ball on defense.
Nerlens Noel is a new face in Oklahoma City, and despite not playing much over the last couple of seasons, I feel as if he fits in perfectly as a backup for the Thunder. He’s long and athletic, which is just what Oklahoma City needs off the bench, and I think he is going to be a solid contributor.
3. Utah | Coming in at a close third on my list is the Jazz. Reigning defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert is a monster shot-blocker, and he makes it hard for any team to find success in the paint. On the offensive side of the ball, he’s a quality complement to Donovan Mitchell.
Ekpe Udoh is slated as the backup, but he only played 13 MPG a season ago, so it’s doubtful that he has much of an impact.
4. Minnesota | It pains me to put the Timberwolves down this far on my list, as I have a lot of respect for Karl-Anthony Towns, but that’s just how it shakes out sometimes. KAT is an offensive thrill ride, averaging over 21 PPG in his short career. He saw a drop in his production a season ago, most likely due to playing alongside Jimmy Butler, but KAT will likely be expected to step up and do more this year.
Gorgui Dieng will play backup to Towns, and in limited action, he’s expected to rebound and play defense, and that’s about it.
5. Portland | No disrespect to the Blazers, but the Northwest Division is stacked with solid big men. Jusuf Nurkic is just a little lower on the totem pole of the competition, though. He averaged 14.3 PPG and 9.0 RPG last year, and he will be expected to play the same type of role this season.
Behind Nurkic is John Collins, a young fella who averaged 15.8 MPG a season ago, and he will likely play similar minutes this year.
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