The NBA's Top Five Centers

The primary role of an NBA center, in short, is to dominate the paint.

Be it with interior defense, low post offense, or shot blocking prowess, a center has to be able to enforce his will down on the block. Centers are bruisers down low, and are most dangerous when equipped with a short jumper to diversify their game.

It is very popular among rebuilding teams over the years to build their squad around a big man. Big men can range from enforcers in the paint to do-everything superstars. A center, though ordinarily not thought of as very versatile, can either be the final jigsaw to a nearly completed puzzle, or the largest hole in the middle.

*Note: Maybe I should have called this the top six centers in the NBA, because there are two players at the third spot who I think, at this point in their careers, are equally effective, albeit in different ways.


5. Tyson Chandler

Before people start giving me the "Chris Paul is the only reason Tyson Chandler is even productive," let's analyze all the pluses he adds to his team.

Tyson Chandler is a durable and hard-working player who is still improving his game. I don't care which point guard he plays with, averaging twelve and twelve during the '07-08 season is nothing to sneeze at.

Chandler is a good rebounder for his size, but his athleticism and still-peaking abilities show that he has the potential to be the best rebounder in the league.

He is tall and athletic enough that when you throw a lob pass near the rim, more often than not he can stuff it down for you. He is a solid interior defender but needs to work a little more on his shot blocking.

Prior to his NBA days, Tyson was touted as the first seven-footer with point guard handles. Although those dreams were folly, his ball-handling skills are nothing to scoff at. He is a highly-productive center averaging only one-and-a-half turnovers per game over his career.

Tyson Chandler is an efficient and polished player with raw potential that has not yet been realized. Alongside David West and Chris Paul, the Hornets' dynamic trio is still getting better every season—and the sky's the limit.

Career Stats: 8 points, 9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.6 turnovers


4. Chris Kaman

Chris Kaman is not a flashy player. He doesn't have a signature move, nor much of a mean streak. Kaman is, and will be, a very productive center that does everything a coach wants in a center for a very long time.

He is a instinctual rebounder that grabs boards using his size and girth to muscle the opposition. He is developing in the low post, and should be a respected threat in the paint regardless of who's guarding him.

His solid stat line of sixteen points and thirteen rebounds was the result of a cool down towards the end of the season. The start of the season saw flashes of greatness and proof that if Kaman keeps his focus, he can become a twenty and ten player.

Chris Kaman had a breakout season in every statistical category, blocks not withstanding. He was a top-ten shot blocker, averaging almost three blocks for the season while proving he is a worthy interior defender. Kaman is a prototypical center in that he does everything that defines that position—and he does it very well.

Career Stats: 10

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