There has been a long history of dominant centers since the sport was created. We've have read about the legendary battles in the 60's between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain which still spark debates of who is better to this day. The 70's gave us young Kareem on the Milwaukee Bucks. He redefined the game with quite possibly the most unstoppable move ever. In that same decade, Bill Walton also gave us one of the shortest but greatest peaks ever, winning the 1977 NBA finals with the Portland Trailblazers and the following season led the Blazers to a 50-10 record before he broke his foot. Walton went on to win MVP that year despite the injury, but that foot robbed us of maybe seeing a greater career from the Hall of Famer. The Merger of the ABA and NBA in the 1975-76 season added an influx of talented centers like Artis Gilmore, Spencer Haywood, and Moses Malone.

While Magic and Bird were busy saving the NBA in the 1980's, Kareem discovered the second prime to his career with the Lakers, and Robert Parish was an established key cog in forming one of the greatest frontcourts ever in Boston. The decade was ruled by those two teams, sprinkled in with a few finals appearances and a championship by some great 76er teams that had Moses Malone. Under the bedrock of championships won by those teams, the NBA drafts from 1984 to 1987 planted the seeds for a Center renaissance that would be a big --pun intended-- side story to Michael Jordan ruling most of the 90's.

That handful of drafts churned out three guaranteed Hall of Fame players. Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson. Brad Daugherty, a forgotten man who was drafted first overall in the 1986 draft, was a 5-time all-star himself before continuous back problems caused him to retire at the age of 28 in 1994. Ewing, Robinson, and Olajuwon all anchored their respective franchises on their shoulders for most of the 90's.

The basketball gods gave us a few more 7' foot titans to roam the realm of giants. The fourth pick of the '91 draft, Dekimbe Mutumbo, became an all-star his rookie year and a few more times during the 90's, eventually becoming one of the greatest defensive centers ever, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award 4 times. The very next draft gave the game one of the most dominant players --maybe the most dominant player ever-- Shaq, and under his over-sized shadow was an undersized center, Alonzo Mourning, a multi-Defensive player of the year award winner, and a Hall of Famer.

During their respective careers, these centers were mainstays in the top 10 for Blocks and Rebounds per game. The Shaqs, Ewings, Olajuwons, and Robinsons of the world were also among the top 10 scoring leaders season to season.

*Scoring Leaders in the 1993-94 season*

Rk	Player (Team)	Points		Gms
		Per Game	Total
1	David Robinson (Spurs)	29.8	2,383	80
2	Shaquille O'Neal (Magic)	29.3	2,377	81
3	Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets)	27.3	2,184	80
4	Dominique Wilkins (2 teams)	26.0	1,923	74
5	Karl Malone (Jazz)	25.2	2,063	82
6	Patrick Ewing (Knicks)	24.5	1,939	79

1994-95 season

Rk	Player (Team)	Points		Gms
		Per Game	Total
1	Shaquille O'Neal (Magic)	29.3	2,315	79
2	Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets)	27.8	2,005	72
3	David Robinson (Spurs)	27.6	2,238	81
4	Karl Malone (Jazz)	26.7	2,187	82
5	Jamal Mashburn (Mavericks)	24.1	1,926	80
6	Patrick Ewing (Knicks)	23.9	1,886	79

*Note this was during MJ's first retirement, but even during MJ's return Centers still littered the list*

1995-96 season

Rk	Player (Team)	Points		Gms
		Per Game	Total
1	Michael Jordan (Bulls)	30.4	2,491	82
2	Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets)	26.9	1,936	72
3	Shaquille O'Neal (Magic)	26.6	1,434	54
4	Karl Malone (Jazz)	25.7	2,106	82
5	David Robinson (Spurs)	25.0	2,051	82
6	Charles Barkley (Suns)	23.2	1,649	71
7	Alonzo Mourning (Heat)	23.2	1,623	70
8	Mitch Richmond (Kings)	23.1	1,872	81
9	Patrick Ewing (Knicks)	22.5	1,711	76

With most of these bigs in their prime or young in Shaq's case, there was some serious hand to hand combat down in the paint during the 90's. It made for some titanic battles that were really frightening and at the same time fascinating to watch. I was a wee lad, during the 90's but watching those giant sized fights on NBA TV replays and YouTube are really something even to this day.

Of course, there was a 7 game Finals series between Ewing and Olajuwon

By the tail end of the decade, as the rules related to how defenses could play zone changed, guards and skilled power forwards started to flood the league. Shaq entered his prime and took the torch displaying one of the greatest stretches of dominance from 1999 to 2002, which resulted in three straight championships, three Finals MVPs, and an MVP. Shaq in the 2002-2003 season was the last year a true 7 footer was in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, and blocks. Dirk and A'mare Stoudemire had a few appearances in the top 10 but those two were power-forwards and were sometimes used as early prototypes of the small ball center, unlocking spacing in their own unique ways.

The league started to get faster and more perimeter oriented. As guard and wing play started to rule the NBA, the center position started to become more of a prop to supplement the perimeter play. The big man started to devolve, as they were asked to either rebound, run the floor, roll to the rim in pick and roll or play defense. The legend of the true skilled back-to-the-basket post center that can shoulder the load on offense started to erode.

Different iterations of centers left a thread of hope that it wasn't the true "end" of the big man. Post-2006, the last time Shaq won a title (thanks mostly to D-wade), Dwight Howard, who is a no-doubt Hall of Famer, was the best center in the game at least a good 7 years. Many lamented Dwight for not reaching his full potential because they saw the physical stature and believed he could be a true back to the basket big. I believe he never realized his full potential for different reasons. I never saw him as a back to the basket big were you could dump the ball to him for 5 straight possessions to get a bucket. I think he should've accepted running more pick and roll. Instead, Dwight infamously hated running that style of offense, even though his Magic teams would've been more dominant running 4 out-1 in. From 2007 to 2012, his peak years in Orlando, he was ranked above the 95th percentile in points per 100 possessions as the roll man in a pick and roll, per synergy, but it was never a frequent part of his total possessions, never reaching 10% in any season with the Magic. Dwight insisted that he was a post player --posting up on more than 50% of his possessions during that same span-- when he had 3 predictable moves at best and was never that good at posting up.

Greg Oden's lone year in college during the 2006-07 season gave old-school fans hope that we could see another true dominant 7 footer that could transform a franchise on both ends of the floor, and I can't blame them. Oden was sensational to watch at Ohio State. While I was slightly more floored by Kevin Durant at Texas, you could've made a legitimate case, at the time, that a team should take Oden over Durant. But with every knee surgery, Oden had during his time with the Blazers, it dashed away the memories of legitimate flashes he had when healthy. It also dashed away hope that the dominant center could return.

Andrew Bynum had potential with the Lakers and after that, well....I'm a Sixers fan, I won't speak of him...

Take a look at these rankings from Bleacher Report in 2010 and 2011. Those where rankings of the best NBA centers at that time. "The True Bigman" was now a position considered dead, deceased, extinct. It was so dead that the NBA actually removed the Center position from the All-star ballot prior to the 2012-13 season. To this day, you're only able to vote for "Backcourt" and "Frontcourt" players to make the All-star team. 

But while everyone was writing their obituaries about the center position. A rebirth was actually brewing right under our noses. Players like Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, Dirk, LeBron, aka players with size and perimeter skills, gave templates for youngsters coming up in the high school and AAU circuits. They had a template to following showing that they could to add anything to their skill package. In the early 2000's high school coaches would have deterred the tallest players on the team from dabbling in the Dark Arts of guard skills. You had to "get your ass in the post" --as my high school coach put it to me when I played-- but now, having those guard skills are a necessity in today's NBA.

The Center was never dead. The position just needed more time to catch up to an evolving game that was moving towards spacing, shooting, and perimeter-oriented skills. Now, as we sit and watch the 2017-18 season we have young centers of different shapes, sizes, and skill-sets ready to reshape the ever-changing calculus in the league.

Much like the drafts from 1984 to 1987, this decade has kick-started what could be another big man renaissance. The NBA drafts in 2010, '12, '13, '14, and '15 have given us promise that the center position is not only back, it may be deeper than ever.

2010 Draft:

DeMarcus Cousins, about as complete of an offensive package as you'll ever see in a big man.

Hassan Whiteside, was drafted by the Kings, was cut, played in China and the D-league for 2 seasons, and finally came on to the scene with Miami in 2014-15 trying to get his 2k rating up. Since then, he has turned into a fierce shot-blocking force for the Heat.

2012 Draft:

Andre Drummond. A double-double machine who has turned into a good passer. He has quietly put it all together this season.

*I don't consider Anthony Davis as a true center, but is obviously incredible in small lineups where he is the center.*

2013 Draft:

Steven Adams (#FreeStevenAdams)

Rudy Gobert, who can contend for Defensive Player of The Year every season.

2014 Draft:

Joel Embiid. Has the most potential out of any of these centers if you can trust him to stay healthy.

Nikola Jokic was drafted in the 2nd round. A brilliant passer that invokes a mix of Arvydas Sabonis and Bill Walton

*Jury is still out on Jusuf Nurkic who has been good in Portland, I believe*

2015 Draft:

Karl Anthony Towns

Kristaps Porzingis, who primarily plays power forward right now because the Knicks haven't realized that it's athletic, rangy, 7'3 franchise player was actually put on this Earth to be the perfect stretch 5.

Myles Turner, a shot-blocking center who stokes threes, can move laterally and is a potential pick and pop nightmare.

The 2015 draft alone has provided 3 potential cornerstone players for their respective franchises and after going through this list, the center is a position that is all of a sudden on the rise and is primed to rule the final years of this decade and a considerable chunk of the 2020's. Today's centers aren't matched up on the block as often because of the increased emphasis on the pick and roll, but we have already seen some really good mano y mano match-ups so far from these young centers.

 

These bigs might be providing a zagging answer to the zigging small ball blueprint that The Warriors have taken and enhanced with Chemical X. Other teams have tried to copy it, but it's hard to find the greatest shooter ever, the second greatest shooter ever, a historic scorer, and a 6'6 power forward who is everything you want in a small ball 5. 

Bigs who are obviously freaks like Giannis, and Anthony Davis succeed playing Center in smaller lineups, but these taller and wider centers allow teams to reap the benefits of perimeter play that small ball provides while staying big. The benefits of shooting, passing, and being able to stay in front of someone on the perimeter on the defensive end for more than a second without fear and then recover back to their man.

This play right here is Peak NBA in 2017. A 7'2 guy guarding a 7'3 guy.

The back to the basket scorer. Players like Al Jefferson, Enes Kanter (though he has found a nice role with the Knicks) and to a mountain-sized extent, Jahlil Okafor, might as well become extinct. They could be limited to roles where a team needs scoring in a pinch off the bench, but the question remains, is it worth stomaching the negatives on the defensive end? Smaller teams can just put these slower, plotting bigs, through the pick and roll grinder. Is it worth it to compromise your own lineups just to cover the deficiencies for that type of player?

Most of the centers who have entered the league the past few years have been bigs who are better adapted to today's NBA, and this upcoming draft has more potential franchise-changing bigs coming down the pipeline, namely, Deandre Ayton of Arizona.

Ayton is a true 7'1, weighs 260 pounds, has a long 7'6 wingspan and is only nineteen years old. The physical tools are staggering on paper and even more staggering watching him on TV, especially when you see this man run the floor and move like a gazelle. His defensive instincts really leave a lot to be desired. His propensity to fall asleep at times protecting the rim leave you frustrated because there is no way in hell he should only be averaging 1.3 blocks per game and while having a 4.7% blocking percentage --which is only .2% higher than Jahlil Okafor's freshman year at Duke-- at the college level. With that said, he can still sleepwalk into averaging 20 and 11 with a field goal percentage of 62%. His shot mechanics are a little wonky and often times the ball comes off his hand flat, but the foundation is there to extend his range to the NBA three. He has all-world talent in a body that is built to dominate the modern NBA like the Embiids, KATs, and Boogies of past college centers. He is my top player in this upcoming draft.

I know hoop heads love Marvin Bagley, but finding a position for him, even in today's NBA is tough. Bagley does have length and freak athleticism but also doesn't have fully developed perimeter skills and a questionable jump-shot. Putting him at small ball center doesn't provide an advantage unless he develops those skills, and putting him at the 4 would clog the lane up if you don't have a center who can space the floor. Something that is explained at length by Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer.

If I'm the GM of an NBA franchise, I'm looking at the trends of the small ball era, and I'm looking at the other microtrends developing. If I'm able to have size and rim protection, while at the same time, keeping the benefits of small ball skills, then I'm taking that chance on Ayton, who already has built-in physical tools, and a foundation of set skills to build upon. He also has the ability to run the floor along with lateral quickness that is rare in a 7 footer. The scary part is he has shown flashes that he can be an adept passer. If he fully hones the ability to pass out of double teams like in the video below.... oooooh boy. 

*Video Credit to Rafeal Uehara*

My fear as a Sixer fan --but if you're an objective hoops observer it would be a joy to watch-- is that the Celtics somehow land Ayton with the Lakers pick if it falls in the 2 through 5 range. Brad Stevens would be able to fully unlock Ayton's latent ability to protect the rim, and coming over to help as a weak-side shot blocker. Ayton is just too big and too long to not develop those skills. He would make the Celtics experiment of reloading while rebuilding, a complete and total success (it has already been a success by the way) and every Danny Ainge joke would never see the light of day again. Ayton has that kind of special talent to me.

I hate how the term "Unicorn" has become an overused phrase when describing today's NBA Big Man. But if you think about, when a new term starts getting overused, it usually stems from something that is in flush in supply. Ayton is going to add to the growing number of centers that have the potential to dominate over the next decade as the Golden State Warriors and LeBron eventually fade out. The landscape of giants is another reason why teams should be having an all-out Tank-a-Thon for Ayton, especially before the new lottery odds change next year. I want to have a unique center of my own to match up with the other behemoths out there. That should also set up for some epic center battles that are throwbacks but with a little bit of modern flavor.