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The NBA has been home to great centers since its inception. The heavily pushed conversation of the end of the center is clearly not valid, with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jovic winning the 2020-21 Most Valuable Player Award.
To put things into perspective, below are the top 5 highest scoring centers in the NBA over the past 10 years
Top 5 highest scoring centers in the NBA over the last 10 years
#5. Andre Drummond - 9,358 points
Andre Drummond was the 9th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2013, averaging 7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game with a field goal of 60.8%.
He spent 8 seasons with the Pistons with an average of 14.5 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. The two-time NBA All-Star player led the league four times in rebounding (2016-2019).
Drummond is the 5th highest scoring center over the past decade with a total of 9,358 points scored in 645 games. Big Penguin, as he is fondly called, has a field goal of 53.8% and also holds the record as the player with the most rebounds in the past decade (8,839).
In 2019, he became the third player in the NBA history to secure the most double-doubles in a single season (69), just behind Kevin Garnett (71) and Hakeem Olajuwon (72).
#4. Marc Gasol - 9,580 points
Marc Gasol was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008 after being selected as the 48th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. The three-time NBA All-Star spent 11 seasons of his 14 season-long career this far with the Grizzlies, having featured in 769 games with the Memphis jersey on his back.
During that time with the Grizzlies, he averaged 15.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists with a field goal percentage of .484.
Over the past 10 years, Big Marc has recorded a career total of 9,580 points in 659 appearances, making him the 4th highest scoring center in the NBA for the period in consideration.
He was selected to the NBA All-Star Team thrice (2012, 2015, 2017) with the Grizzlies and was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2019, where he won the NBA championship in his debut season with the Raptors.
#3. Brooke Lopez - 9,803 points
Brooke Lopez was selected by the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn Nets) in the 2008 NBA Draft as the 10th overall pick. He has since engraved his name in the history book of the Nets as their all-time leading scorer.
Lopez has spent 13 seasons in the NBA as of this article's publication, of which he has spent nine seasons with the Nets. Having featured in 562 games for the Nets, Lopez averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Lopez has a total of 9,803 points scored in the last 10 years, ranking him as the 3rd highest scoring center in the NBA with a career average of 16.5 points per game. Within that period, he has completed 3,492 rebounds, 837 assists, and 349 steals.
The 33-year-old made his first and only appearance in an All-Star game in 2013. Lopez was traded to the Lakers in 2017, where he spent a season and was traded off to the Bucks. Lopez clinched his first NBA championship ring last season with the Bucks.
#2. DeMarcus Cousins - 11,229 points
DeMarcus Cousins is the 2nd highest scoring center in the NBA with consideration limited to the last 10 years, having netted a total of 11,229 points in 525 games. The L.A. Clippers center has a career average of 20.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists with a field goal accuracy of 46%.
Cousins was selected by the Sacramento Kings as the 5th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and had an average of 14.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his debut season.
Boogie made the NBA All-Star for four years consecutively (2015-2018). The two-time Olympic gold medalist averaged 7.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.
#1. Nikola Vucevic - 11,265 points
Nikola Vucevic is the NBA's highest-scoring center in the past 10 years, with 11,265 points made in 668 appearances. He averaged 23.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists the previous season for the Chicago Bulls. He had a field goal percentage of .471, successfully netting 8.8 times from the field in 18.8 attempts.
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Vooch as the 16th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He made an average of 5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game in his debut season with the 76ers.
After his rookie season, he was traded to the Orlando Magic for the 2012-2013 NBA season and made the NBA All-Star team twice (2019, 2021). He has spent most of his career with the Magic, featuring in a total of 591 games in nine seasons. In his time with the Magic, he averaged 17.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
