Empty the Bench

With the recent rule changes on hand-checking on the perimeter and the no-charge circle under the basket, most NBA teams have shifted focus. Their offenses are based on athletic wing players who can get to the basket and draw fouls, putting pressure on their opponent’s often-limited supply of big men. On the list of the league’s leading scorers, you have to go all the way down to ninth to find a true frontcourt player (Dirk Nowitzki), and a center can’t be found until 14 (Chris Bosh). That shows just how few dominant centers there are these days, but it also proves that a team that possesses one has a big advantage over most teams.

Despite the NBA’s attempts to emphasize athletic and marketable wing players, we still believe that a legitimate NBA center is a prerequisite for most squads to be considered a title contender (The unique Dirk providing an exception). The regular season is one thing, but when the playoffs begin and the game slows down, teams need to have a go-to scorer on the inside. Somebody who they can give the ball to on important possessions and expect points more than half of the time. Somebody who doesn’t need to pound the ball into the court and run the shot clock down to succeed. Somebody who will not go through extended scoring droughts. A player who can draw a defense in and free up the perimeter shooters. They need a player who can thrive in the half-court. They need a low-post scorer. As the postseason approaches, ETB takes a look at the best centers in the NBA.

The NBA’s Top Centers

Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
The cream of the crop. He returned to action last night after missing two months and responded surprisingly well (16 points, 11 boards, and 2 blocks). For the first few years of his career, the concern was that Yao would always be too timid and never assert his superior size. This year has gone a long way to erase those doubts. He’s been much more inclined to dominate games, scoring 32 points or more in five of his ten December games before the injury. His field-goal attempts are at a career high (17.9 attempts, but still 52.2% FGs) as are his free-throw attempts (8.3 FTs at 87%).

Yao is still just 25 years old, so we can expect him to get even more comfortable as the highest-scoring center in the NBA for another few seasons (He currently doesn’t qualify due to lack of games played). We talked about the significance of a center who can score on a consistent basis, and Yao embodies that. Part of it is the fact that at 7’6″ he can get his shot any time he wants. But it’s also because he isn’t a liability at the line, and outside of his height, that as much as anything defines him as a unique big man. The efficiency is stunning from a center, only approached by Steve Nash (53.3% FGs, 88.2% FTs), Amare Stoudemire (below) and David Lee (60.6% FGs, 81.5% FTs).

If Ming can maintain his health, we expect the Shanghai, China product to have a career-to-date defining performance in this year’s playoffs. Health is a concern though, as the latest time off was Yao’s third time rehabilitating from a significant injury in the last 12 months. In December of 2006, he underwent surgery for a big toe infection and missed 21 games. Last April, he broke his left foot and missed the final four games of the regular season.

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

Duncan is far and away the most boring star in the NBA. Still, he remains neck and neck with Yao for best center because he knows how to win, especially in the postseason. To be honest, it hurts us to rank Tim here, but he’s earned it. He’s the only guy on this list with a ring, and his team is currently in the best position of anybody here to win another this season. Duncan is as fundamentally sound as any player in the league, and possesses an utterly deadly mid-range and post-up game.

Nobody is better at the 15-foot bank shot, few play with his poise and perhaps no player can be counted on more to prevent opposing teams from putting a run together than Duncan. It’s difficult to be a fan of his, but it’s equally hard to deny what he brings to the Spurs every night. He is a model of consistency from the five spot, and if you had to win a title this year it would be hard to imagine wanting anybody else to be your center.

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Since his rookie year, the thing that has impressed me most about Amare is his propensity for taking the ball to the middle of the lane. It’s a rarity in the modern NBA. His jaw-dropping athleticism and the resulting thunderous dunks come in a close second. Amare doesn’t have the best jump shot, but what separates him from so many other athletic and tall players is his ability to take it to the basket for high-percentage shots (He’s shooting an incredible 58.5% from the field) and to draw fouls and get to the line. The charity stripe aspect of his game is greatly improved this year, and it will be key as his career progresses. Stoudemire is shooting a career-best 79.6% on free throws, a mark few expected him to reach this early in his career.

The injury to his knee was scary, but he seems to have fully recovered and is on an absolute scoring tear of late. They are obviously very different players, but Stoudemire’s stats at this age alongside those of Kevin Garnett are eye-opening. Although not nearly the defender or passer Garnett is, the obscure Florida high-school pick from the 2002 NBA draft was the league’s Rookie of the Year and has since put up superior rebounding (9.9 this year), field goal shooting and scoring numbers (20.8 PPG) than Garnett at the same point in their careers. The fact that he does all of this on just 12.6 shot attempts per game is all the more impressive.

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

The fact that Dwight makes this list in his third year out of high school is nothing short of astounding. He’s still extremely young and raw, so don’t take the following criticisms too hard. In reality, it’s that he’s already this good with so much room for improvement that makes Dwight special. Besides Yao, nobody possesses the true center’s body that Howard does, and the only person on this list who is as athletic is Amare. Dwight has already learned his low-post game at a very early age, shooting 59.9% from the field this season with 18.1 points a game. Unfortunately he only shoots a slightly higher percentage when nobody is guarding him, a very lame 62.3%. The FT shooting can be corrected, but it is a serious concern. We all remember the late-game treatment Shaq received in the playoffs. O’Neal was always dependent on a dominant wing player who could handle the ball and score in crunch time because giving him the ball was too much of a liability.

As we’ve mentioned in this space before, the other worry with Howard is turnovers. He leads the NBA in them. But this, too, can be fixed. The Magic simply put too much pressure on the young man and he has very few options when he gets doubled. If Orlando can sign a true perimeter scorer this offseason, which they intend to do, expect the TOs to drop off dramatically. I think Vince Carter or Rashard Lewis would provide an ideal counterbalance to Dwight’s interior banging, and with such a complimentary player on his team the sky would be the limit for Howard. As it stands now, the NBA’s second-leading rebounder (12.2 per) has as bright a future as any player in the Association and should win several rebounding titles and vie for a few MVP awards over the next decade. I don’t mean to overstate his prospects, but if given a star-caliber wing scorer I think he could be better than Shaq.

Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors

Another young guy rounds out this list, and we expect him to be one of the premier players in the NBA over his career. Bosh is 22 years old, but already fundamentally sound. The former Georgia Tech star is always overshadowed by his fellow 2003 NBA draft picks, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Well, it wouldn’t surprise us if he’s the next one to win an NBA title. He hasn’t advanced this year as expected, but that’s largely due to injuries. Bosh now has two young running mates in T.J. Ford and Andrea Bargnani, who looks like the real deal himself, that the team can build around. The season averages of 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 50.2% FGs and 76.5% FTs (81.6% last year) are very impressive for a post player his age.

Did I mention he’s only 22? That’s hard to believe when you watch Bosh play or listen to him speak. He is mature beyond his years mentally and emotionally. Unfortunately, his body hasn’t caught up yet. The rail-thin center needs to add a lot of muscle if he hopes to spar with the other names on this list. Offensively, Bosh is an excellent jump-shooter, but on defense he still gets pushed around far too often. He has good defensive awareness and diligence, but his body simply isn’t strong enough yet. He can rectify that.

Another reason why Bosh is one to watch is that he has GM Bryan Colangelo running the show. This is the guy who built the Suns from scratch, and seems to understand what needs to be done to maximize Chris’ talent. Ford can penetrate and dish (with a skill set very similar to Tony Parker), and Bargnani will provide the outside shooting that will punish anybody for doubling Bosh. In terms of basketball skills and work ethic, there is no limit on where Bosh can go. The physicality is what we’re worried about. That also goes for staying healthy. Bosh has yet to play a full season in his 4 years, and already missed a few weeks earlier this season.

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