Portland Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic returned to action in the NBA bubble. Where does the Bosnian big rank amongst the best centers in the league?
Jusuf Nurkic made his long-awaited return in the NBA Bubble for the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bosnian big made an immediate impact with some colossal performances in the seeding games.
Before his return, some NBA scribes thought that he might not return to his best. The devastating lower leg injury he suffered could have taken away all the extra lift and strength he had. But Nurkic was happy to prove all these people wrong, as he lost somewhere in the vicinity of 30 pounds and was actually in better shape than when he went down injured all those months ago.
Nurkic showed in the seeding games why he is one of the best centers in the league. Not only did he help immensely with rim protection, but the Blazers also had the number one offense in the NBA Bubble. This was thanks in part to Nurk’s smart offensive game and his excellent passing.
Where does Nurk currently rank among the best centers in the league?
Anthony Davis – best center in the NBA
Anthony Davis has to be the first player mentioned when you are talking centers. Though he only played approximately half of his regular-season minutes at that position, he played around 60 percent in the postseason.
Davis is the best defender in the league and one of the best rim protectors also. He defends well without fouling, he can force turnovers, and he is an amazing shot blocker.
Davis offensive game is also one of the best going around for a big. He is a knockdown shooter who recently averaged 38% percent from three in the playoffs. Davis is one of the best finishers at the rim in his position also.
Currently, he sits atop the center tree, and it isn’t even close.
Nikola Jokic – 2nd ranked center in the NBA
Nikola Jokic is one of the most skilled centers in the league. Already the best passing big man ever, Jokic has the rare talent of bettering himself when it comes to playoff time. He is one of the best passers in the league and possesses Magic Johnson-like vision but at six-foot-ten.
He also shoots 41 percent from three in the playoffs and is one of the game’s best rebounders. Jokic, along with breakout star Jamal Murray, took the Nuggets to their first conference finals since the days of Carmelo Anthony in 2009.
Joel Embiid – 3rd ranked center in the NBA
Cameroonian big man Joel Embiid is one of the most gifted offensive players ever to grace the NBA. He can shoot, he can pass, and he gets to the line at one of the highest rates in NBA history. He might not have had the team success yet that’s deserving of a top-flight big, but Embiid is one of the best two-way players in the NBA and firmly a top-three center.
Rudy Gobert – 4th ranked center in the NBA
French national Rudy Gobert has been an All-NBA caliber center for four of his seven seasons in the league. The seven-foot-one Gobert is a throwback to yesteryears version of big men. He takes all of his shots at the rim, he is one of the leagues best rebounders, and he is a two-time defensive player of the year. Gobert is already an all-time level defender, and at 28, is firmly in his prime.
Karl-Anthony Towns – 5th ranked center in the NBA
The 2019/20 season was a tough one for Karl-Anthony Towns, but he is the best offensive center in the NBA when he is fit. No seven-footer bar Dirk Nowitzki has hit three-pointers at the volume and efficiency of Towns. He is a wrecking ball at the rim and an excellent passer.
Though the defensive side of the ball needs attention, Towns has rarely had the personnel or the front office and coaching support to enable this growth.
Now in the next tier – it starts to get interesting. This tier of fringe or former All-Stars all have claims to being in the game’s top 10 centers.
I have them in the following order.
Bam Adebayo, Jusuf Nurkic, LaMarcus Aldridge and Brook Lopez.
All four of these players are on similar levels in terms of their two-way play and playoff experience. Though all have big differences in their games, I have Nurkic sitting at number seven. Nurkic can float anywhere between the 6 and 10 range depending on health and the other player’s activity that season.
The next tier is Andre Drummond, Nikola Vucevic, Myles Turner, Clint Capela, and Steven Adams.
This tier is either strong one-way talent or up and coming centers trying to find their way on fringe playoff teams.
Jusuf Nurkic is one of the best ten centers in the league. Though he may never get the credit he deserves by way of an All-NBA or All-Star nod, his 2020/21 season may show the rest of the league that he belongs in the conversation.