NBA Power Rankings: Which NBA Center Is the Most Dominant Defensive Force?

The man in the middle is a critical figure in an NBA defense. The rule is simple: The closer you get to the rim, the easier it is to make the shot. Therefore, if you have a big man who can keep that from happening, you're going to win a lot of games. 

Here are the 10 most dominant defensive centers in the NBA. Please note, offense does not matter in these rankings. This is not to determine the best overall center; it's which center is the most dominant defensive force. 

Joel Anthony

Joel Anthony provides virtually nothing for the Miami Heat on offense. Whatever he gives them is a bonus. Truthfully, he's not a great rebounder, either, grabbing only 4.1 rebounds per game. 

What he does do is shut down the paint, though. He is a big part of the reason the Heat give up a league-low 56.2 field-goal percentage at the rim and the third-fewest field goals (13.8).

He would be higher, but since defensive rebounding is part of defense, he drops a bit. In terms of stopping the other guy from scoring, he does a splendid job, though. 

Marcus Camby

Marcus Camby might be older than the hills, but even at 38 years old, he's still one of the best defensive centers in the NBA.

His defensive rating is just 97 on the season. He's one of the hardest players in the league to post up on, as he gives up just .56 points per play in the post. 

He's been on four All-Defensive teams, and that's probably all he's ever going to get, but his mindset is still that of a great defensive player. He is great while he's in the game, but he's not higher because his age keeps him to just 22 minutes per game.

Al Horford

Al Horford might be a forgotten man this year, with his torn pectoral muscle, but he is still an elite defensive player. Opponents were shooting just .429 on the Hawks before he went to the sideline. They've been shooting .442 against them since. 

Opposing centers averaged just 13.2 PER against Horford this season as well. He might be higher if he sustained that average through the whole season, but it's hard to determine how much of that was due to other teams shaking off the rust versus Horford playing defense. 

Andrew Bynum

There are some who would argue that, offensively, Andrew Bynum has surpassed Dwight Howard as the most dominating offensive center in the league. I'm not going to weigh in on that discussion. Defensively, he's not to the level of Howard yet, but he's working his way up the ladder rapidly. 

Bynum is excellent in the post, giving up just .73 points per play on post-up plays. He gives up just .76 points per play to the roll man on the pick-and-roll. His OPER is only 12.8. He is outstanding at using his length to alter shots, even when he doesn't block them. 

For Bynum to move up, though, there are two areas where he needs to step up. He needs to improve his help defense and his consistency. 

DeAndre Jordan

DeAndre Jordan uses his length to alter shots so well. Opponents shoot a ridiculously minuscule 35.3 percent against him. He averages 2.1 blocks per game. His defensive rating is 102, but that's on a team that has a defensive rating of 106. 

Therein lies the problem that Jordan faces. He's on a team with only one other truly good defensive player in Chris Paul. He essentially assumes the defensive responsibility himself. Put him on a team with a defensive mentality and a head coach with a three-digit IQ, and you might have a better indication of how good he is.

That he's doing this with Blake Griffin alongside him on defense, though, indicates he's a special defensive player.  

Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol was the punchline in one of the most "lopsided" trades in NBA history, but more and more, it looks like the joke wasn't so funny after all. Gasol made the All-Star Game this year, while big brother Pau stayed at home. 

He gets a lot of credit for being a 16-and-10 guy, but his defense is greatly improving. Gasol gives up just .72 points per play and a ridiculous .52 points per play on isolation plays.

He gives up an OPER of 18.3. Some people might be surprised to see his name on this list, but the numbers indicate that his placement here is warranted.  

Roy Hibbert

Roy Hibbert made the All-Star Game this year and deservedly so.

The Indiana Pacers have turned things around in the last year under their new coach, Frank Vogel, and Hibbert has been a big part of the reason why. 

The Pacers are a team that gets it done with defense first, and Hibbert is the anchor of that defense. He gives up just .74 points per play and .71 points on post-up plays. The Pacers yield the fourth-lowest efficiency in the paint, and the chief reason for that is Hibbert.  

Tyson Chandler

Tyson Chandler has made the New York Knicks a team that has really improved its defense. Sometimes, they even play exceptionally well. In fact, the Knicks now own the fourth-lowest defensive rating in the NBA. Last year, they were 23rd. If you're looking for why the change occurred, he's the reason. 

He is versatile, intense and a real leader on the defensive end of the court, which is what perhaps stands out above all the other things.

His defensive numbers aren't quite as good as some of the players he's ahead of, but that's largely because he provides a lot of help defense. 

Joakim Noah

There are two players in the NBA who are capable of defending five positions on the court—LeBron James and Joakim Noah. In fact, Noah may even be a more versatile defender than James.

He's the only player I've seen defend Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Dwight Howard one-on-one, all of whom have been argued as the best at their positions. 

Perhaps the most intriguing defensive number is 442—the number of defensive plays he was the primary defender on. The only other one on the list with even 100 plays in which he was the on-ball defender is Chandler, and he's about 80 plays behind him. 

Noah is constantly stepping out and either taking players in isolation or helping in a trap. The reason that the Bulls' defense works so well is Noah's versatility. Even with all that help he provides, he's the largest part of the reason that the Bulls give up the second-lowest field-goal percentage at the rim. 

Make no mistake about it, he was named to the All-Defensive Second Team last year with good reason. 

Dwight Howard

Three-time Defensive Player of the Year say enough for you? If not, how about this? The Orlando Magic have the third-lowest defensive rating in the NBA. 

The Orlando Magic, year after year, are a Top 10 defensive team, but year after year, they have virtually no other defensive specialists on their roster. With wings like Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu, he still manages, almost single-handedly, to make the Magic an elite defensive team. 

He's easily the best defensive center in the NBA and well on his way to his fourth consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award.