Those who pay attention to the NBA know that the central position has been slowly moved down the scale of importance. The era of positionless basketball has taken over and isn’t going away anytime soon. If you want to be a pro in this league, you have to do more than score inside, rebound and block shots. Compared to the 90s with centers like Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and more, there is a fuller skill set of modern centers today.
That’s why when you look at salaries for the upcoming 2022-23 season, there isn’t a single center listed in the top 10 highest paid players. There are a few players in the top 15 though. Some players are mistaken for centers like Giannis Antetokounmpo who is a power forward. Draymond Green is listed as a center on some depth charts, but he also played as a power forward last season. None of these players will be considered a center despite sometimes playing the floor position.
For these 10 players, they will have the position next to their name and they will be the 10 highest paid players.
10. Clint Capela – $18,706,896
Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
2021-22 stats: 11.1 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Compared to his first season with the Hawks, it was a down year. Capela won the rebounding title in 2019-20 with 14.3 rebounds to go with 15.2 points per game. Nonetheless, Capela shot over 60% from the field and averaged a double-double for his second consecutive season. With a newly added All-Star in Dejounte Murray in the fold, the Hawks have a solid top-to-bottom combination.
As for Capela, he still has two years left on his contract after this season at just over $40 million. Given that Capela is effective in the middle and a strong rebounder, it almost feels like stealing when looking at contracts around the league. His only downside is that he has never made a three-point shot in his career.
9. Jarrett Allen – $20,000,000
Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
2021-22 stats: 16.1 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.3 BPG
The Cleveland Cavaliers will have an interesting team next season. With Allen and Evan Mobley on the floor, the team was a tough team to score on the inside. Allen brings a lot to the table with his long frame, but he’s also a player who knows his role. In 56 games, he averaged a double-double and shot 67.7% from the field where he took 9.7 shots per game.
Allen is a real center. He shot 10% from three-point range last year. He missed a number of games due to injuries. If the Cavaliers want to repeat as the best defensive team, Allen will need to play more than 70 games. If that happens, the Cavaliers could be a dark horse among dangerous playoff teams next season.
8. Nikola Vucevic – $22,000,000
Credit: USA Sports Today
2021-22 stats: 17.6 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG
The Chicago Bulls didn’t have the outside shooting threat they wanted last year. Vucevic shot 31.4% from three-point range, which was eighth among players at that position. Vucevic also underperformed among all centers in the league, finishing with the 21st best player efficiency rating. Newly signed center Andre Drummond had a better rating than Vucevic.
Despite all this, Vucevic has managed 44 double-doubles and gives the attack a legitimate outside shot threat, which spaces the attack. Vucevic will have a lot to prove this season as he is playing the last season of his contract. At 32, he still has at least one big contract in his future.
7. Bam Adebayo – $30,351,780
Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
2021-22 stats: 19.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Adebayo might be the best defensive player on the list. Adebayo earned second-team All-Defensive honors as a forward because it’s a secondary position, but his position on his player profile lists him as a center. Adebayo is in the conversation for best two-way center after a successful offensive and defensive season.
Among crosses, Adebayo scored the fifth most points and shot 55.7% from the field. The Heat made a solid investment with their homegrown draft pick. Along with Adebayo, the team made the 2020 NBA Finals and played Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. The Heat will be among the favorites in the Eastern Conference this season.
6. Deandre Ayton – $30,913,750
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports
2021-22 stats: 17.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Assuming the Suns keep their word and keep Ayton, he’ll be a top-10 paid center. Both teams battled over Ayton’s contract value, but the team opted to match the Pacers’ offer to keep him on the team. Ayton can’t be traded until mid-January, but the decision to keep Ayton likely takes the Suns out of the Kevin Durant draw for now.
Keeping Ayton isn’t the worst thing in the world either. The Suns made the NBA Finals in 2021 and were the best team in the league last season before the team was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. However, Ayton was benched in the second half in Game 7 and there was a tense encounter with head coach Monty Williams. That said, Ayton shot 63.4% from the field, had 30 double-doubles and averaged one double-double for the season.
5. Nikola Jokic – $33,047,803
Credit: Isaiah J. Downing – USA TODAY Sports
2021-22 stats: 27.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.9 BPG
When Jokic signed his massive contract this offseason, there may have been some hecklers saying he wasn’t worth nearly $50 million per season. Then again, these people probably don’t realize he’s the back-to-back MVP winner. Jokic led the league in win shares, not just among crosses. He averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists. As a center, he has triple-double potential every night. This included 58.3% shooting from the field where he averaged 17.7 shots per game.
With Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. healthy next season, the Nuggets are going to be a title contender. Aaron Gordon and Ketnacious Caldwell Pope are the perfect additions to complete a starting lineup with Jokic in the middle. Jokic is in the final year of his initial contract before his supermax kicks off next season, where he will receive a $13 million increase in his starting salary.
4. Joel Embiid – $33,616,770
Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
2021-22 stats: 30.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.5 BPG
Embiid will see three players receive more money than him next season, but he outplayed each of those players last year. Embiid averaged 30.6 points per game, earning him the NBA scoring title. Embiid also contributed a solid stat line along the way. Embiid is in a similar position to Jokic, who was among the MVP candidates. With James Harden starting the season with the 76ers, the team appears to be a contender from the East.
What makes players like Embiid special is that he is a perfect definition of the modern centre. He can score inside and outside. Embiid shot 49.9% from the field, which included a 37.1% clip from three-point range. Embiid is also a pretty decent shooter from the free throw line, where he shot 81.4%.
2T. Kristaps Porzingis- $33,833,400
Credit: David Berding – USA TODAY Sports
2021-22 stats: 20.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.6 BPG
The Washington Wizards have an interesting team with the duo of Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis. Beal was shut down later in the season when the Wizards weren’t going to make the playoffs. Porzingis gives Washington two legitimate scorers on his team, while Porzingis makes the defense more dangerous on the inside.
Porzingis was one of four centers to average 20.0 points per game last season. He was also the best shooting center on the free throw line where he shot 86.7%. Porzingis is not the best rebounder, having only managed 15 double-doubles last year. That said, it will stretch the ground for wizards. What might be concerning is that he will have more opportunities for three-point shots, but he only shot 31.0 percent from the outside.
2T. Karl Anthony Towns – $33,833,400
Credit: Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
2021-22 stats: 24.6 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.1 BPG
When you watch Towns play the game, sometimes you forget he’s a center. Towns are starting to make a name for themselves as one of the best big shooters. Last year, Towns shot 41.0 percent from three-point range, which included 2.0 three-point field goals per game. Those two numbers led all centers. This also included 40 double-doubles, where he just missed the average of a double-double for the season.
When it comes to offense, Towns is as efficient as it gets. Towns scored 8.7 field goals per game, which was the farthest behind Jokic and Embiid among players in this position. The question will be what position Towns really play next season. He could be the team’s power forward with the addition of Rudy Gobert. It would be the first time in his NBA career that he changed positions.
1. Rudy Gobert – $38,172,414
Credit: Fadeaway World
2021-22 stats: 15.6 PPG, 14.7 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.1 BPG
The Minnesota Timberwolves have made it clear they want to win right now. The cost of five first-round picks and a handful of players completed a trade for three-time Defensive Player of the Year. With the Jazz, Gobert shot an NBA-record 71.3% from the field while taking 7.7 shots per game. With the likes of Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell surrounding him, he’ll play a similar role and look to be effective when playing offensively, while also being a locked rim protector.
Gobert had 53 double-doubles last season, which was the second most of any player in that position. His 2.2 blocks per game was fifth-best, while his 14.7 rebounds won the rebounding title. The move complicates the depth chart with two crosses in the team. If the two are considered a center, the Timberwolves have a combined $71 million tied to the position.
