Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Wembanyama is climbing the ladder The NBA has some excellent centers littered around its cities, and Victor Wembanyama is rapidly ascending its hierarchy. This crop of pivots is not as powerful as those of the 1980s and 1990s, but it’s still a noteworthy group because of the versatility of many. For a while, the NBA shifted to two-way wings being the rave but big men are closing the gap because more are coming in with guard skills. The ones that don’t have that know how to throw their weight around to overpower small lineups. Recently, centers have won the last four MVP awards; two have claimed two Defensive Player of the Year crowns in the previous four years; one led the Denver Nuggets to a championship (2022-23); and the Boston Celtics acquisition of a premium big man, tipped the balance of power considerably last season. Let’s review where Wemby ranks among the best centers. Players had to log at least 60 percent of their minutes at center to qualify. 11. Chet Holmgren Holmgren, like Wembanyama, is a generational talent who is also too slim. He is currently recovering from a hip injury, but he was playing exceptionally prior in 10 outings, averaging 26.5 minutes and making over half his shots. On the attack, Holmgren is smooth with the dribble and can play like a big man and wing. Regarding the former, he moves well around the dunker spot and attempts over a 33 percent of his shots in the restricted area. For the latter, he shoots threes well on the catch and can maneuver from the perimeter to the cup for a basket. His elite length is hard to gauge, yet the brawny centers can take advantage of him by going to the body. This is why the Oklahoma City Thunder badly needed and got a strong, quality big man in Isaiah Hartenstein to play next to him. Hartenstein has not played with Holmgren yet. But to Holmgren’s credit, he has the makings of a defensive junkyard dog. 10. Jarrett Allen Working next to Evan Mobley hurts Allen’s chances for the Defensive Player of the Year crown. Nonetheless, Allen is a winning player because he can guard on the perimeter and backline. It’s often mentioned how great shooters have a short memory, so confidence isn’t lost. An impactful disruptor like Allen is the same way, not getting phased by past breakdowns or asking off the assignment when powerfully dunked on, trying to block a shot. When that happens to him, his hunger never fades. Offensively, he doesn’t miss much. In the Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the abysmal Washington Wizards on Oct. 26, Allen was perfect from the field, making 10 shots. For the season, his effective field goal percentage is 69.5. He is mainly a roller with limited but effective moves near the rim. Sagging off him is dangerous because he is one of the most active off-ball players and will cut into the space given to him. His game is not flashy, but that doesn’t matter; it gets the job done. 9. Rudy Gobert The Stifle Tower is one of three players in NBA history, next to Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace, with four Defensive Player of the Year awards. It’s a shame the NBA doesn’t have a way to record how many pass-outs of the lane opponents make when Gobert is waiting for them. Yet this can be tracked: Gobert, Anthony Davis, Chet Holmgren, Daniel Gafford and Victor Wembanyama were the only players in 2023-24 to log at least 50 steals and 150 blocks. Despite his excellence covering the back, quick ball handlers with long-range accuracy can expose him in drop coverage. His other weakness is that he is not a dependable scorer. His best work on offense is screening, and he is usually among the league leaders in screen assist points. Additionally, the rim roll and putback are the rest of his arsenal. But because his offensive game is limited, opponents can sag off him, playing five-on-four. 8. Domantas Sabonis Sabonis is a versatile playmaker with some of his father Arvydas’ gifts. He creates for his squad with screening, handoffs and passes to cutters in transition or the half court. He can be counted on to score, too, because of his fakes and spin moves near the cup. Notably, he converts at 10.1 percent higher than league average at 0-3 feet and his jump shot is effective, falling on 48.5 percent of attempts. On the other side, Sabonis is not as strong when put in space because he doesn’t show the same intensity or backpedal well enough. Although, his best work here comes in the post. Still, opposing centers score on him on 52.7 percent of attempts while he guards them 59.4 percent of the time he is on defense, per the NBA’s matchup data. 7. Kristaps Porziņģis KP was the league’s deadliest mismatch killer in his first season with the Celtics (2023-24), and his presence, in combination with their riches, made them a super team. He is an effective sniper and because of his high release point, there is no blocking his jumper. He also feasts on rim rolls and cuts. As a disruptor, his 7’6 wingspan and intelligence make him a potent weak side shot blocker, a passing lane thief and transition defender. Last season, he was responsible for 42.2 percent of the Boston Celtics’ blocks. 6. Victor Wembanyama Over the last six games, Wemby’s 3-point shooting has been sharp, logging 39 percent of attempts. If this lasts, this type of efficiency will elevate his impact to a legitimate All-NBA caliber player. Don’t forget that while taking 7.7 percent less attempts at 0-3 feet, he is shooting 12.5 percent higher there. What’s scarier for the league, the Golden State Warriors deployed a scheme others have not- a-show-and-recover on him at the perimeter on one possession in their Nov. 23 game. The objective with this is to take the ball out of his hands by sending a soft/quick double team. If opponents start doing that while he is at the arc, it will make it easier to use the top feature of his arsenal- passing. The only other big man who has the passing gift like him is Nikola Jokić, despite Wembanyama’s poor assist-to-turnover ratio. Interestingly, only 18 of his 58 turnovers have been from bad passes, per Basketball Reference’s play-by-play. As the other Spurs keep blossoming and more high-level shotmakers come aboard, Wembanyama will be a threat to average a triple-double with points, rebounds, and assists each night. As he puts on muscle, he’ll become more of a dribble-handoff menace as well because it will be harder to get around him, buying teammates an extra moment to move. Additionally, he is the anchor of the NBA’s tenth-rated defense. Of all players through the early season, he is first with most games picking up at least five blocks (3), per Stathead. His instincts and reach make him a premier backline defender. Yet speed can bother him. In the game against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, Lauri Markkanen blew by him in transition for a layup. Some of the quicker guards, like De’Aaron Fox and Jalen Green, beat him in his area as they accelerated in games against the Spurs, too. When he cleans up his transition and screen-roll defense, he will unquestionably be the top dog on that side. 5. Karl-Anthony Towns Towns’ play this season has silenced doubts for now about the trade that brought him to New York because he is a certified offensive machine. Aside from Towns, the only center who has made at least 40 3-pointers is Wembanyama, but on 59 more attempts. Don’t discount the fact that New York’s center is one of the most active paint scorers in the league, either. He is a threat on face-up moves and a 3-point sniper who makes 52.9 percent of attempts on the catch. Furthermore, he has a nice bust-out move from the post when he has a smaller player on his back. When engaged on defense, he can be impactful, but that side still isn’t his calling. He is the only player I’ve ever seen get benched for a key stretch late while dropping 60 points. 4. Bam Adebayo Despite a slow start to the season, Adebayo is one of the top two-way weapons in the NBA. Of all the quality big men on this list, he guards perimeter players the best because of his top-shelf backpedaling. He is not as strong a rebounder as some of the other centers, but he is No. 1 in the NBA in box out averages, which helps his team secure a miss. Now he’s added the 3-point shot to his game, and he uses it sparingly when the opponent disrespects him. To boot, not many players possess his athleticism- this makes him a lob threat in the half court and a wide receiver on the break. And his playmaking is an underrated feature of his work because he creates opportunities for others by sacrificing his body with an off-ball screen or setting excellent DHOs. 3. Anthony Davis If there is justice in NBA media and the MVP voting were done today, Davis should be second on the ballot behind Jokić since he is the main difference-maker on a team exceeding expectations. AD is first in paint scoring among centers, pouring in 17.5 points per game and he is recording a career-high in 3-point shooting (36.1 percent). The Los Angeles Lakers are not good defensively, but Davis prevents them from being an abomination with his backline disruption and help. AD is 10th in blocks per game (2) and fifth in total denials (33). This is the best Davis has ever looked at age 31. 2. Joel Embiid The former MVP is one of the most dominating players in the league when he’s at least 75% of himself. He absorbs contact and deceives the refs, guaranteeing at least double-digit free-throw attempts. Embiid scores efficiently inside the arc at high volume because he has dependable post moves and a mid-range shot. The last three seasons have been his best in the passing department as well. He tears up double teams faster by feeding open 76ers for outside shots. Defensively, he is a good helper and has averaged 1.7 blocks the last two seasons. 1. Nikola Jokić The big Serbian’s power and finesse game is the standard by which all pivots are measured. He is superior to all at dissecting double teams, he also makes jumpers from anywhere and has an unrivaled post game. But what separates him is basketball IQ. Former Laker Mychal Thompson said Jokić is the best big since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton in late 2023. The Joker is one of the five strongest players in the NBA, too. It makes him one of the best screeners and cutters because his acreage frees himself and others up. Keep in mind, he is averaging a triple-double. If he maintains that for the season, he would be the third person in history to do so next to Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook, both of whom were guards. He can’t be hunted, either. He primarily defends pick-and-roll in a drop but will come up to help if his teammate is getting pinned. When assisting a teammate trap a player, his size is overwhelming, helping create turnovers. Scoring on him in the post is a tough challenge, too.