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Ranking the top 5 centers for the 2023-24 season

The center position has changed but the last three MVPs have gone to centers and it's the position played by some of the best players in the NBA.

By Nicholas Chiarito

Denver Nuggets v Los Angeles Lakers - Game Four
Denver Nuggets v Los Angeles Lakers - Game Four / Harry How/GettyImages
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Ranking the top 5 centers for the 2023-24 season: 2. Joel Embiid

There may not be a more polarizing force in the NBA than Joel Embiid. For the first few years of career he was dealing with injury that had kept him sidelined for either the entire or most of the season. Now he has become one of the best players in the NBA.

Last season Embiid had the best season of his career, averaging a career- and league-high 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, a career-high 4.2 assists, 1 steal and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting a career-high 54.8 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3, and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. He was selected to his sixth All-Star game, his first All-NBA first-team selection, fifth All-NBA selection and was named the 2023 NBA MVP.

Embiid is easily one of the most unstoppable forces in NBA history. At 7-feet tall and 280 pounds, nobody is able to stop him in the paint. Last season he shot 81 percent on shots within three feet. Another key factor that shows his dominance is that he draws fouls. Last season he averaged 11 free throw attempts per game, which can really demoralize an opposing team. 

Not only is his paint presence on the offensive end unstoppable but Embiid as the ability to shoot from anywhere. He shot 50.9 percent on shots from 10-16 feet and 49.7 percent on shots from 16-23 feet. This makes him unguardable in the pick-and-roll where one of four outcomes would happen, a layup, dunk, mid-range shot or a foul. 

Not only is Embiid an enforcer on the offensive side of the ball, but he is a great defender too. He was one of four players to average at least 1 steal and 1 block per game last season. Despite being the league's MVP last season Embiid is only second. For one there is no flaw that is present in Embiid's game but there are some intangibles that are missing that have prevented him from becoming an all-time great player. 

They have to do with his performances in the playoffs. Embiid has failed to get past the second round every single year of his career. He has been close multiple times but his performances have come up short.

Then one other reason is that when the 76ers do end up coming short, Embiid has thrown his teammates under the bus. This really shows a lack of leadership from Embiid and why he only ranks as the second-best center in the NBA.

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