Since 6-foot-10-inch George Mikan stepped on the court for the Minneapolis Lakers, the "big man" has dominated the game of basketball.
Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain put up numbers in the rebounds and points category that have yet to be matched. The NBA didn't start recording blocks until the 1973-1974 season, but I am sure their numbers were insane in that category as well. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still holds the NBA record for most points throughout a player's career. Shaquille O'Neal used brute force while Hakeem Olajuwon finessed his way into the basketball Hall of Fame.
But just like the Last Airbender, the good centers in the league vanished and the ones that were still around like Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum managed to self destruct. In 2013, the NBA even took off the center position from the All-Star ballot prompting Howard to make a PSA on centers.
But it isn't 2013 anymore and I am happy to tell you that the center position is making a comeback. We knew the position wouldn't be gone for long. It is far too valuable. The point guard is usually the leader and conductor for a team but the center is the anchor on defense and the foundation for an offense. Even a team that relies on a heavy amount of 3-point shooting can benefit from a strong inside presence.
Centers leading the revolution
Demarcus (Boogie) Cousins
Two-time NBA All-Star, Olympic gold medalist in Brazil and named to the All-NBA Second Team twice, Demarcus Cousin has shaped into a dominant player in today's NBA. His Kings haven't been able to find much success in his six seasons with the team, but despite this and constantly being apart of trade talks, he has been the bright spot on this team.
Scouts do have concerns about him. He picks up a lot of fouls and that hinders his ability to finish games and stay on the court when the team needs him the most. He even recorded six fouls in a single quarter against the Miami Heat on Nov. 1, 2016. He also led the league last year with 17 technical fouls. People have gone on to say that he may even be uncoachable due to his bad relationships with previous coaches.
But Cousins posses some things that are rare in today's game. He has a lot of strength and awareness around the rim. He is able to get to his spots and finish with a soft touch. And within the past two seasons, he has added outside shooting to his resume. I watched him drain three 3-pointers back-to-back-to-back.
Karl-Anthony Towns
Last year's rookie of the year looks more comfortable with each game he plays. Like the Lakers, he is on a team with young stars that are playing exciting basketball. He is able to stretch the floor with his outside shooting abilities but can still bang it out down low in the post. In the 2016-2017 General Manager Survey, 48.3 percent of GM said if they could choose any player to start build a franchise around, they would choose towns. They chose him over Lebron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, I think you get the point.
Joel Embiid (The Process)
Embiid has been sidelined for the past two seasons due to a fracture in his foot. But now he is here and those Phili fans that trusted the process now get to see what this kid can do. He is a threat on defense and despite being limited to 22 minutes per game, he is leading his team in-game averages for points (18), rebounds (7.6), 3-point percentage (50%) and blocks (2.2.)
Teammate, sophomore, number one overall pick Jahlil Okafor is having an underwhelming start to this season but is another center to watch out for in years to come.
Hassan Whiteside
An NBA D-League success story, Whiteside is making it known that he isn't going anywhere. He is grabbing an astonishing 16.2 rebounds per game. A player hasn't finished a season with rebound numbers like that since Dennis Rodman was with the Spurs in the 1994-1995 season. He is second only to Anthony Davis in blocks this season with 2.75 per game. He also leads the league with 11 double doubles. He has played 12 games.
Andre Drummond
It is kind of crazy to think that Andre Drummond has started his fifth season with the Pistons. He passed Shaquille O'Neal to be the fastest player since 1983 to record 4,000 points and 4,000 rebounds in his career. He has been averaging more than 13 rebounds a game every year except his rookie year. He recorded a 27 rebound game last season against the Portland Trailblazers. This guy is a monster on the boards.
Deandre Jordan
The offense won't be run through Jordan, maybe if he would have went to Dallas, but he is a major threat on defense and but is extremely reliable when the ball is in his hands. Jordan has led the league in field goal percentage for the last four seasons.
The center position was never dead. It may have been on life support, but the electricity that came with these young centers have brought back a pulse for the big man. I didn't even get to mention Rudy Gobert, who is an exception shot blocker, Marc Gasol, Nikola Vucevic, Al Jefferson,Dwight Howard, Bismack Biyombo, Joakim Noah and others who have been adding threats to their game and stepping up their level of play.
We are in a very exciting era of basketball and it just might get better.
