NBA Player Tiers: Ranking all 30 starting centers in 2023-24

By Cal Durrett | Oct 14, 2023

NBA Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets dribbles against Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during the third quarter in Game Two of the 2023 NBA Finals at Ball Arena on June 04, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

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NBA Tier 1: MVP Club

2) Joel Embiid-Philadelphia 76ers
1) Nikola Jokic-Denver Nuggets

Unsurprisingly, Tier 1 is only for MVP-level centers, with only Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid making the cut. Between them, they have a total of three regular-season MVPs, with Jokic winning in 2020–21 and 2021–22 and Embiid winning last season after two second-place finishes. Jokic got the last laugh by winning a championship and the NBA Finals MVP, and he could very well repeat this season.

The fact that two of the NBA’s best players are centers is ironic considering that, at one point in the 2010s, center was arguably the least talented position in the league. Then the league went smaller, with players who may have otherwise been fours, such as Sabonis and Adebayo, scaling up to play the five.

NBA Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors drives against Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on October 19, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)

NBA Player Tiers: Ranking all 30 starting power forwards in 2023-24

The position of power forward has recently undergone a transformation and has helped change the NBA. Let's rank each of the 30 starting power forwards.

Then, of course, it was the 2013 and 2014 NBA drafts that brought us Jokic and Embiid. Even then, it seemed unlikely that either would be the best at anything. Embiid essentially missed 2.5 years to start his career, while Jokic was famously taken 41st overall. Had they not come into their own, then both the 76ers, the Nuggets, and the league as a whole would be worse off without these two elite big men.

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