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NBA centers have gone through a lot of changes over the last few seasons. The way three-point shooting has evolved has forced them to learn to shoot from further back from the paint on offense while also being asked to be rim protectors on defense.
Centers are often the captain or coordinator of the defense, and that still hasn’t changed, but they are asked to do more now. Centers often find themselves switched to a guard on defense, which usually turns into a difficult matchup.
With many centers coming in different playstyles and sizes, here are five that should take a step in the right direction in reaching their full potential.
The centers in the NBA who should reach their potential in the 2021-22 season
#5 Mohamed Bamba, Orlando Magic, Center
Mohamed Bamba was selected 6th overall in the 2018 draft and has always been seen as a project. Bamba stands seven feet tall, with a massive 7-feet 10-inches wingspan, allowing him to block just about every shot.
The issue was that he weighed 216 pounds coming out of the draft and looked even skinnier than that. Bamba will be 23 this season, and he has put on some weight and muscle, now weighing in at 231 pounds.
Despite Bamba being a high overall pick, he has not seen the court as much as you would like. He has averaged 15.3 minutes a game in his career, with just six starts at center in his first three seasons. This could be attributed to injuries, but the depth the Orlando Magic had at center also played a part. In the 2019-20 season, both Nikola Vucevic and Khem Birch averaged more minutes than Bamba.
At the 2020-21 NBA trade deadline, both Vucevic and Birch were traded, opening some more minutes for Bamba. Bamba saw his minutes almost double after the All-Star break, and his stats nearly doubled as well.
He went from 9.4 minutes to 19.5, scoring 4.8 points to scoring 9.9 and grabbing 3.8 rebounds to grabbing 6.9 per game. Bamba also averaged 1.5 blocks after the break. So far, Bamba has already impressed in the preseason, with two double-double games in just three preseason games, and in the one double-double game, he only played 12 minutes.
Last season, Bamba solidified himself a role on this Magic team. The issue is what that role will end up being. Wendell Carter Jr. (more on him later) will be a challenger for the starting center spot, but Bamba should still manage a career-high in minutes as a backup.
#4 PJ Washington, Charlotte Hornets, Center
PJ Washington falls into what non-positional basketball analysts call “a big” as he is just 6-feet 7-inches tall, and in years past, would be a power forward. Last season Washington spent a lot of time at power forward, but for the Charlotte Hornets to get their best starting five on the court, Washington should be the starting center.
He also comes in at 230 pounds, allowing him to be serviceable on the defense side of the court. His 7-foot 3-inch wingspan and 42-inch vertical at his NBA pro day also helps him be a more impactful defender.
The key point to why Washington could be the starting center this season is the Hornets putting their best five out there. Last season, the Hornets were a surprise play-in tournament team, and this year, they will try to be a surprise playoff team.
Washington is one of the best five players on the roster, so finding a way to get him over 25 minutes a game will be a big part of their success and his growth as a player.
Washington does fit perfectly into how the Hornets are going to try to play this season. The Hornets know they are a young team but will use that to their advantage by playing quick and through fast-break transitions.
Washington is a good mismatch as he is too quick for many centers but too big for wings and guards. Washington is also a career 38% from three on 4.3 attempts, allowing him to space the court easily.
In two out of the Hornets' preseason games, Washington started at center, and even though the system hasn’t looked the best, it is still likely the team’s best chance of winning.
#3 Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic, Center
Oddly enough, Wendell Carter Jr. was the center that was selected after Mo Bamba in the 2018 NBA Draft, 7th overall. Even though he was already an impact player for the Chicago Bulls, averaging 26.5 minutes and 131 starts over his three-year career, he was traded to the Magic for Nikola Vucevic.
Carter has proved he belongs in the NBA, making good use of the minutes he has received, averaging 11 points, 8.2 rebounds and a block per game for his career. Carter hasn’t been eye-catching, more just consistently good, never going under seven-rebound or 10 points in a season so far.
However, this might be the season in which Carter explodes onto the scene. With the Magic being an extremely young team, he is one of the few key players who has played many NBA minutes. This could allow Carter to be higher on the pecking order on offensive possessions, allowing him to take on more of an offensive role.
So far in the preseason, it seems like it might be the same, but it’s still early, and Carter could get more into his stride come the start of the regular season.
#2 Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks, Center
With no official timeline for the return of Mitchell Robinson from his injury last season, it’s hard to tell if he will be ready to be the starting center on opening night. However, if Robinson can get healthy, he can pick up right where he left off last season.
Despite having a reputation for always being hurt, Robinson appeared in over 60 games in each of the first two seasons of his career. Last season, he only played in 31 games, suffering two injuries that forced him to miss time mid-season and then the rest of the season.
When Robinson is on the court, he has a massive presence on defense, blocking 2.1 shots per game over his career. Robinson is a future Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and when he comes back will likely keep that going.
This season, Robinson could see an improvement on offense without really improving on his skills. So far, the New York Knicks have yet to provide Robinson with a point guard capable of making an alley-oop to Robinson. It was the one part of his offensive game that was untapped, and new point guard Kemba Walker might be able to open that right up.
#1 James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors, Center
The 2nd overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft, James Wiseman had a rough start to his career in the NBA. It’s hard being an NBA center, getting used to playing against a more smothering defense in the paint, and playing against defenders who are as big and as strong as you all the time.
On top of that, last season might have been the most challenging season ever to be a rookie in NBA history, with COVID-19, along with the Golden State Warriors, being a complicated team.
Also, consider that Wiseman only played in three college games before getting suspended and then dropping out of college to prepare for the NBA.
Wiseman had not played against real competition in over a year before being drafted, in a year where you could not be in the same locker room as all your teammates while trying to learn on offense that is all about feel, spacing, and moving. He only played 39 games due to a knee injury forcing him to miss the end of the season.
All these factors considered make sense of the struggles that Wiseman had in his rookie season.
It is way too early to cast judgment on Wiseman after just one season, and in that one season, he showed flashes of how good he can be, having seven games where he scored 15+ points and brought in 5+ rebounds. If the Warriors can get more of that out of Wiseman, he will undoubtedly shock some people this season with how good he can be.
Guess the Lakers players!
