2034 Top 10s Part 1 - Centers

Glossary:
PER - an attempt at combing all stats into one, per minute rating. Meh, not that applicable here, but I listed it anyways. Average is 15.
fbb_oRtg - a player's points produced per 100 possessions used, taking into account shooting efficiency, turnover rate, and offensive rebounding. League average is 111.8.
Poss% - The percentage of a team's possessions that a player used, primarily by taking a shot, getting to the free throw line, or turning the ball over.
TS% - A true measure of shooting efficiency, similar to eFG% except it also factors in free throws. League average is 53.6%.
TO/poss - The percentage of possessions a player turned the ball over. Again, assists are not factored into possessions. League average is 12.0%.
REB% - The percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while on the court. League average is 10%.
BLK% - Percentage of the opponents shots a player blocks. League average is .34%.
STL% - Percentage of opponents possessions that a player ends with a steal. League average is .34%.


C Top 10 Rankings
These rankings do not take contract or age into account, only who the best players in the league are right now, at this very moment. To decide that, I've used stats primarily from this season combined with ratings and a given player's statistical history.

1. Wilt Chamberlain C 28 7'2'' 293 A C C A- A B
-There isn't really any debate here, Wilt is clearly the best center in the league. He's as good of a scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker as any big in the league, and is the only guy other than perhaps Jerry Lucas that provides dominates all three facets of the game that you care about from your frontcourt players. Not sure how long it's going to take, but someone will win a championship with Wilt, whether it happens in Minnesota is yet to be determined.

2. Bill Russell C 29 6'9'' 241 A- C B A A C
-After wasting away in Cleveland for the early portion of his career, Russell is finally getting a chance to show how big of an impact he can have on the right team. Offensively he's come a long way, posting a solid 55% TS% and putting up a solid amount of volume. Defensively and on the glass is where Russell earns his paycheck, anchoring a Hornets team that no one wants to lay. He's not in Wilt's league statistically, but few are.

3. Bob Petit C 32 6'9'' 220 A- C C- A- A C
-Petit's been a God send for the Knicks, helping revitalize Skillz team since arriving in New York. Offensively he's been a bit streaky, but despite his FG% dropping to 44% this year, his shooting efficiency has remained above average because of his ability to draw fouls. Unfortunately, despite the Knicks winning 60 games this year (many of which were without Petit), he couldn't lead them past the first round.

4. Connie Dierking C 28 6'9'' 234 A- C C- A- B+ C
-Connie is the last guy on this list that scores, rebounds, and defends at an above average rate and efficiency. Most of the things said about Petit can be applied to Connie, with the big differences being Connie is a better shot blocker and not quite as efficient at putting the ball in the hoop. I'm not sure how the Mavs haven't found a way to win with him anchoring their team, but if he's dealt this offseason, someone will be getting a hell of a center.

5. Willis Reed C 22 6'9'' 235 B C D B+ A- A
-Last year's first pick, Reed has shown that he's more than happy to take all the shots he can; whether those shots go in or not is another story. His shooting efficiency has been pretty rough so far, but that's to be expected from a rookie who's asked to do as much as he is, and the rest of his game doesn't really have any holes in it. As his shot blocking develops, and he gets a bit more efficient around the basket, expect Reed to keep moving up this list, perhaps eventually even contending with Russell for the #2 spot.

6. Zelmo Beaty C 25 6'9'' 231 B C D+ A- B+ B
-Zelmo's stats don't look especially impressive on the surface, but at this point all of the remaining bigs have some sort of fatal flaw that separates them from the top 5. Zelmo's flaw is that he doesn't do a ton offensively. He shoots the ball decently enough, rebounds, doesn't turn the ball over, and can block some shots, but he doesn't really put up huge volume. Without the volume it's hard to rank him any higher, but seeing as most of the guys below him are awful at something, this seemed to be the only spot that Zelmo made sense in.

7. Woody Sauldsberry C 30 6'8'' 229 B C- D- A- A- C
-Woody is a heck of a player on the defensive end and on the glass, a huge reason the Pacers were as good as they were this season. His only real weakness is shooting the ball, with a 49.7% TS% that leaves a lot to be desired, but he makes up for it with the rest of his game. His rebounding helps balance out his oRtg, meaning he isn't going to be a net negative on that end despite the poor shooting, and that combined with his defensive impact means he's a center that anyone should be happy to have. Still, the Pacers would be better served if they could get him to shoot a little less often.

8. Nate Thurmond C 23 6'11'' 228 B C- D+ B+ A- A
-One of the key pieces of the Chet Walker deal, Thurmond clearly has a bright future in this league. He's as good of a rebounder as his ratings suggest, and defensively he's an elite shot blocker. Offensively, he's eerily reminiscent of a young Bill Russell. Sure, he can put up 20 points, but he's likely going to do it on some pretty awful shooting. Still, he's young, he has a long way to go, it'd be surprising if his efficiency doesn't at least get to an average level in the near future. For now, it holds him back on this list.

9. Walt Bellamy C 25 6'11'' 234 B+ C- C- A- A B
-Bellamy's the best rebounder on this list outside of Wilt and bumper, and he does that while being a solid shot blocker and a decent offensive player. He's not far off from being an all star caliber big, but his shot blocking is going to need to improve a little bit, and more importantly he's going to have to start shooting the ball better. He's not as bad as Thurmond in that regard, but he's also clearly not helping when he attempts to score.

10. Bumper Tormohlen C 27 6'8'' 245 B- D+ D+ A A C
-At this point it's hard to choose between Bumper and any number of the honorable mention guys, but Bumper is just so dominant on the glass and defensively that I couldn't keep him off this list. There isn't a better defensive big in the league, so if that's what your team needs, you'd be hard pressed to take anyone but the top 5 on this list over him. Offensively is another story, but no one is expecting offense from him, nor should they.


Honorable Mention
Hank Finkel - Excellent on the glass and defensively. Need to get that FG% up.
Maurice Stokes - Essentially Tormohlen lite.
Cleveland Buckner - Quality shot blocker, doesn't do much else.
M.C. Burton - Really solid player.
Durrell Valentine - Still pretty good on offense, but brutal defensively stat wise.
Bob Hopkins - Solid, but unspectacular.
Titus Alexander - Still awesome defensively, but brutal on the offensive end.
Reggie Harding - He blocks shots. Awful on offense, and a good but not elite rebounder.
EVERYONE ELSE'S C - REALLY GREAT, SHOULD HAVE BEEN #1, I JUST FORGOT ABOUT THEM!!!!

Dishonorable Mention
Jeremy Thorpe - Takes a lot of shots, doesn't make nearly enough. I remember when he was a poor man's Bob Petit. Not anymore.
-Most of the dudes getting minutes at center at least fill a role, so I'm not going to rail on them.