Ranking the 10 best center prospects in the 2023 NBA Draft

Yesterday’s center is old news in the modern NBA. While behemoths like Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all dominated in the post and the paint back in the day, the modern NBA center both has to be a presence inside and have the foot speed to move outside of the middle.

While they don’t need to be dominant shooters on offense, an increasing number of centers have taken the next step in their games and become versatile offensive players. Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have jointly altered the expectations for centers in the modern NBA as well, opening up the floor with their shooting and passing.

With all of this said, compared to a few different positions, the center position in the 2023 NBA draft is one of the thinner positional groups. Obviously, Victor Wembanyama is a monumental player at the top of the draft. Still, after him, it’s a bit harder to find impact pivots after the NBA’s early entry withdrawal deadline decimated the rankings.

Even though the current crop of centers doesn’t have the same star power outside of Wembanyama, there are a number of talented big men who, with the right team, could develop into either valuable bench players or impact starters.

Here are the top ten rankings for the best 2023 draft center prospects. Players like Noah Clowney or Zach Edey were not included, due to either fitting into different positional groups or having returned to the NCAA. But let’s dive in!

Center #10: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky

Back in the day, if a center won the John Wooden and Naismith player of the year awards, they’d be the hottest prospect in their entire draft class. Had Tshiebwe played in a different era in the past, he may have ranked first on this list, not last.

Instead, Tshiebwe is slotted here due to being a fairly finished product in his basketball career. Sure, it’s great that he can hoover in rebounds and score inside of the paint. He averaged a dominant double-double for the past two seasons at Kentucky, doing so with solid efficiency. It’s hard to find NBA players who have the same tenacity and nose for the ball that Tshiebwe does:

https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1664025874033967104

Still, there isn’t much else that he brings to the table. He isn’t a good passer, a great athlete, or a capable defender, which lowers his ultimate ceiling. Some teams at the end of the draft may look towards Tshiebwe to shore up the back of their bench, but he’ll likely have to scrap his way through the NBA summer league and the G-League to make it to the NBA.

Center #9: Charles Bediako, Alabama

It’s indicative of this draft class’s relative depth at center that a player like Charles Bediako, who wasn’t selected to go to the NBA draft combine, could still be in play for teams. Even though he wouldn’t be on radars to be drafted in most years, there’s enough that he brings to the table for teams to consider this year.

Bediako came to Tuscaloosa as a five-star center, but has found himself overshadowed by the other young stars and perimeter studs at Alabama. Even though he isn’t putting up dominant numbers on the inside, Bediako started almost every game over the past two years and was a solid presence in the middle for the Crimson Tide:

The appeal of Bediako would be that he’s a massive human being, has some good defensive instincts, and wasn’t able to flash or develop all of his skills at Alabama. If that’s true, he may be worth a late second-round flier for a team. Otherwise, a two-way contract or summer league appearance could get him into the league.

Center #8: Drew Timme, Gonzaga

Drew Timme is another player that finds himself born in the wrong generation. Had he been born back when post play was paramount to NBA success, he’d have likely won more awards, seen more success at Gonzaga, and would’ve been in line for some massive NBA hype and success as a centerpiece of an offense.

Instead, Timme’s often looked at for what he isn’t instead of what he is. While he may not be a quick mover or good defender, there isn’t a more skilled post-scorer in the entire draft class and likely in college basketball compared to Timme. He’s a burly ballerina on the low block and can create tiny gasps of space to drop in touch layups, hooks, and scoops in his sleep:

That type of scoring is what could get him drafted toward the end of the second round. If a player like Luka Garza, who was also a talented center scorer, can get drafted, there’s no reason that another team in search of a quick burst of scoring pop off of the bench wouldn’t take a chance on Timme.

Center #7: Tristan Vukcevic, KK Paritzan

The context for young players outside of the United States is always important when considering their draft status. There are a few leagues worldwide like the Australian, NBL and the lower levels of Euroleague where young players are empowered to take a leading role, but more often than not, truly tantalizing players are hardly afforded the same chance to shine that their American counterparts receive in college.

That’s why it’s less about looking at the stats for Vukcevic and more about observing his game. That’s not to say he’s been bad when on the floor; far from it. Across a number of different competitive settings, Vukcevic showed a great knack of efficient scoring, including a sweet shooting stroke that is rare for a player that’s seven feet tall:

It’s hard to know exactly what Vukcevic can be at the next level, as he hasn’t flashed enough scoring or playmaking potential to be considered a likely starter. Still, any team like the Raptors or Heat that trust their developmental staff could look to draft Vukcevic late in the second round and hope he can pan out as a late-blooming center star.

Center #6: Mouhamed Gueye, Washington State

As a college program centered in Pullman, Washington, there isn’t a lot of hype often afforded to the Washington State Cougars. Sure, Klay Thompson played there and is one of their most famous NBA alumni, but the team hasn’t made it to march madness since 2008 and only features Thompson and Malachi Flynn as NBA players, though Flynn has an asterisk as his play at San Diego State got him to the league.

That’s what makes Mouhamed Gueye such a revelation. He’s a wildly athletic center prospect who popped and doubled his scoring average from last year as a freshman. He’s long, fluid, and has a keen ability to get to the rim and score, whether he’s finishing through contact or simply leaping over it:

While he’s young and somewhat moldable, Gueye isn’t a great shooter and doesn’t offer enough outside of his athleticism and interior scoring to crack the first-round. As a second-round flier, however, he offers a lot of upside for a team that’s hunting for a future rotation big man who can have a positive impact off of the bench.

Center #5: Adama Sanogo, Connecticut.

Arguably no established player at the college level changed the perception on his game as much as Adama Sanogo did this year at Connecticut. While he’s been a starter for the Huskies for the past few years, Sanogo was more of a good college player than a real draft prospect until this year.

All he did during Connecticut’s championship season was flash a consistent outside shot, the ability to bang down low on both ends of the floor, and improved conditioning that will help him stick at the next level. While he isn’t a great defensive prospect, his offense is sound enough in all areas to stick at the NBA level:

He may not profile as a starting center due to his defensive limitations, but Sanogo fits into the same category as the Xavier Tillmans and Isaiah Stewarts of the NBA. He will be a good big off of the bench who can contribute offensively and keep teams afloat in their non-star minutes.

Center #4: James Nnaji, Barcelona

Even when players are extremely athletic and have a high upside, they rarely get the proper run in European basketball’s highest levels. Instead, they are better served by playing in the U21 leagues that many countries and leagues have, as they can better show off their skills at that level.

That’s not the route that James Nnaji has taken. He’s been playing with the senior Barcelona team since he was seventeen, barely playing last year but carving out a small role for himself now that he’s eighteen. The allure of Nnaji is that as a young center, he already has great tools for rim-running, shot-blocking, and dunking the heck out of the basketball:

Nnaji will need a few years to ramp up his conditioning, improve his fundamental skills, and learn how to best use his athletic tools on the court, but if a team is patient enough, they could snag him as soon as the bottom of the first round and put him into their team structure with hopes that he can be their starting center in a few years.

Center #3: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana

At this point in the center rankings, the top three players should all see some legitimate first round interest. That isn’t the usual tally for this position, but it isn’t a knock of Trayce Jackson-Davis or the second-ranked player that they’re here or that they’re here by default.

In contrast, Jackson-Davis is a talented small-ball five who dominated the college game at Indiana for three years before graduating and heading to the league. He’s a crafty inside scorer, solid screener, good rebounder on both ends, and a sneakily-good passer out of the high and low post:

He’s shown enough defensive tape for teams to feel at least somewhat comfortable in smaller lineups with him as the center. He likely will need the perfect fit to start, but as a first big off of the bench who can offer a change of pace, Jackson-Davis is a perfect fit and could make a team happy at the end of the first round of the draft.

Center #2: Dereck Lively II, Duke

For the first half of the season, it looked like Lively II might be one of the draft class’s biggest busts. He was slowly coming back from injury, wasn’t making a profound impact on either end of the floor, and was being overshadowed by great freshman performers like Brandon Miller and Keyonte George.

As the year wore on, however, Lively II got back to what made him a top high school recruit: blocking shots. He was a monster around the rim during ACC play, tallying three separate games where he had five blocks including a smothering eight-block smackdown against the rival North Carolina Tar Heels:

There has been recent buzz that Lively II could be drafted as high as the late lottery and in some ways, that’s valid. He has a massive defensive ceiling, is still growing as an offensive weapon, and has a lot of room to grow as a center. In the right system, Lively II could develop at his own pace and take the league by surprise in a few short years.

Center #1: Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92

Were you expecting anyone else? Since last summer, Victor Wembanyama has been considered the biggest prize in the 2023 draft class. All he’s done since is dominate in a matchup against Scoot Henderson in Las Vegas, sweep most of the major awards for his French league, and lead his team to the finals in his conference.

With all of the hoopla and hype, what makes Wembanyama such a game-breaking prospect can get overlooked. He’s a massive human, has great athleticism vertically and horizontally, possesses some of the better defensive instincts we’ve seen in years, can handle the ball for himself and create shots off of the dribble, and plays with a mean streak that drives him to want to crush his opponents:

That sort of physical and mental makeup makes Wembanyama one of the best NBA draft prospects ever, centers notwithstanding. Other than maybe Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James, he would go first in every other draft in recent memory.

He’s going to make the Spurs ecstatic with his play and looks like the most likely player from the 2023 draft class to factor into the MVP and Hall of Fame conversations over the next few decades.