The NBA has changed over the last decade and the center position has seen the largest need for evolution. No longer are the big guys expected to spend their time in the paint on both sides of the court.
A modern NBA center must be able to score from behind the 3-point line as well as defend all the way out to the perimeter. With all of these changes, who are the best centers in the NBA? Well, it’s time to look at the 10 best centers the NBA has to offer, according to the player overalls in NBA 2K21 and their in-game rankings.
10 Deandre Ayton (84)
Throughout his young career, no one has ever questioned the talent or potential of Deandre Ayton. His issues have always revolved around maturity and work ethic. During his first 2 seasons, Ayton improved both his scoring and rebounding year over year.
Despite a slow start during the 2020-21 season, it’s likely that the addition of veteran point guard Chris Paul could help Ayton take a larger leap forward. With an NBA 2K21 overall of 84, there’s plenty of room to grow for the 6'11" product out of the University of Arizona.
9 Jusuf Nurkic (84)
Between overcoming a severe injury and dealing with the loss of his grandmother due to Covid-19, Jusuf Nurkic is the epitome of perseverance. If the Portland Trailblazers have any chance to contend in the Western Conference, Nurkic will have to help the likes of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum by providing a consistent 3rd scoring option.
Nurkic hasn’t returned to exact form yet, but give him some more games to get reacclimated to the NBA game, and his 84 overall in NBA 2K21 will start to look a bit low for the stellar center.
8 Andre Drummond (85)
Andre Drummond is a rebounding machine, which happens to be a strength that many teams love to have on their roster. The problem for Drummond isn’t that he doesn’t deserve an 85 overall in NBA 2K21, it’s that he played for the Detroit Pistons and now the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Drummond’s efforts on the boards will go unnoticed as he will likely spend his entire career averaging 10+ rebounds a game for teams who have a tough time winning 20 games in any given season. The NBA world needs Drummond to be traded or signed by a winning team.
7 Nikola Vucevic (86)
If 100 random NBA fans were brought in to do a survey and asked to name the starting center for the Orlando Magic, it likely would result in many wrong answers. Despite averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds a game for almost a decade in Orlando, many people are unfamiliar with Nikola Vucevic.
The #7 center in the NBA according to NBA 2K21 happens to be a guy that replaced Dwight Howard and has built a legacy of his own. Promising rookie Cole Anthony might help Vucevic lead the Orlando Magic to the playoffs this season, allowing the center to showcase his talent to the world.
6 Kristaps Porzingis (87)
Kristaps Porzingis having an 87 overall, the same as Bam Adebayo and Rudy Gobert, is downright disrespectful. Not for Porzingis, but rather for two other centers who have shown a level of consistency in both performance and health.
There’s no denying that Porzingis is a special player who provides a unique set of skills at the center position. The real problem is over-valuing that set of skills for a guy who is never on the court. If the injuries continue to pile up, his NBA 2K21 overall will likely decrease quite rapidly.
5 Bam Adebayo (87)
Standing at roughly 6'9", Bam Adebayo doesn’t have the raw size expected out of the center position in the NBA. The reason he’s been able to be successful despite the lack of height is due to his unrelenting energetic play and hustle. He’s what would have happened if Ben Wallace had developed the ability to score on the offensive side of the court.
Sitting at an 87 overall, it’s safe to say that in a few more years Adebayo could have a rating at or above that 90 overall threshold that is reserved for the game’s best players.
4 Rudy Gobert (87)
Rudy Gobert is arguably the best defensive player in the NBA and has proven that by earning 2x NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards. Some argue that he or Anthony Davis should have won the award last year over Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Gobert has also added a bit of offensive prowess to his game over the last few years and is more than capable of scoring in the paint. An 87 overall seems a tad low for a player with his level of consistency and the resume he’s accumulated in terms of his effect on the success of the Utah Jazz.
3 Karl-Anthony Towns (90)
Karl-Anthony Towns has received his fair share of criticism over the years for not stepping up and being a superstar when the Minnesota Timberwolves needed him most. That aside, his career numbers show that he’s on his way to being an NBA Hall of Famer despite his lack of postseason success.
An NBA 2K21 overall of 90 seems right on the money, especially when you consider he’s already averaging very solid numbers for the 2020-21 NBA season that is still in its infancy.
2 Joel Embiid (91)
Joel Embiid is as dominant a big man as the NBA has ever seen. He’s managed to average 24 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game for his entire career. It’s unclear if he and Ben Simmons are a combination that will lead to success for the Philadelphia 76ers.
One thing that is crystal clear though is that despite his history of injuries and lack of playoff success, Embiid is one of the 12 best players in the entirety of the NBA. His 90 overall in NBA 2K21 is a shining representation of that.
1 Nikola Jokic (91)
It’s safe to say at this point in his career that Nikola Jokic might go down as the best passing big man of all-time. He has a knack for getting his teammates the ball and can post a triple-double on any given night.
As an ultimate team player, Jokic has been criticized for not taking over the game when his team needs it, but he’s just not that type of player. Imagine having a 91 overall in NBA 2K21 and being described as a player who is too team-oriented? Despite Jamal Murray’s breakout playoff performance last season, Jokic is still the man in Denver.
NEXT: NBA 2K21: 10 Rookies Drafted By The Perfect Team
