As the 2018-19 NBA season approaches, it’s time to rank all 30 projected starters by position, finishing off the series by taking a look at the centers.
As much as a surprising trade between the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets livened things up for a minute, the NBA dog days are in full effect in August. On the final day of the month, we attempt to ride that momentum by finishing off our series ranking all projected starters by position.
After sifting through the point guards, shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards, all that’s left is a position that’s become overrun by smaller players, the center spot.
These rankings are not based on any one advanced statistic or algorithm to predict wins added for the upcoming season, nor are they based on fantasy projections or contract value. Rather, a player’s stat lines from last season, team fit, impact on winning, defense, propensity for injury, team success and a myriad of other factors determine how these rankings unfold.
For our purposes, we’ll be taking a look at the 30 players who should be expected to spend the majority of the season starting at center for their respective teams. Injuries and trades can obviously change things in an instant, but as of right now, these are our best guesses as to who will start at the 5 for most of the new campaign.
Again, these rankings take a look at recent seasons to make predictions about each player’s impact and success for the upcoming year, but they’re meant to generate discussion more than anything else as the calendar gets ready to flip to September. With that being said, let’s dive into the rankings for all 30 starting centers in 2018-19.