Upside and Motor: 5 centers who will define their position and the 2025 NBA Draft

The NBA is a constantly evolving ecosystem. The hallmarks of success in today's game are often ephemeral — never quite the same year to year.

When the Boston Celtics win a championship, everybody wants to stockpile wings and jack up 3s. When the Golden State Warriors win a championship, it's all about small-ball and positional versatility. Toronto with Kawhi Leonard. Denver with Nikola Jokic. Milwaukee with Giannis Antetokounmpo. They all changed how we understood and came to define a contending roster in the NBA.

Every front office deploys a different team-building strategy. Sometimes it depends on a team's conference and specific matchups. How many East teams have spent the last few years looking for their so-called "Embiid stopper"? How many West teams spent the Warriors' prime looking for a frontcourt piece to combat Draymond Green's unique blend of playmaking and switch-everything versatility at the five spot?

That leads us to trying to understand the "modern center." No position has undergone a more drastic shift in perceived purpose over the last decade. Allegedly gone are the days of lumbering, paint-bound bigs. In are the likes of Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Victor Wembanyama, and Kristaps Porzingis. There is an increasingly long list of these new, ultra-dynamic bigs who challenge our notions of what a center can do on the court.

The 2025 NBA Draft class features of a unique collection of bigs whose attributes contrast and intersect in fascinating ways. These five centers may very well define how their position is understood moving forward.

Danny Wolf, Michigan

Most kids who transfer from Yale to Michigan would earn a stern talking to from their parents. For Wolverines junior Danny Wolf, however, the result is going to be a guaranteed NBA contract. Upscaling from Ivy League competition to the Big Ten, Wolf has kept scouts enrapt with one of the most dynamic and confounding skill sets in college basketball.

Essentially functioning as a 7-foot, 255-pound point guard, the Wolverines gave Wolf the keys to the offense. He has been their primary playmaking fulcrum for much of the season, averaging 12.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists with the second-highest usage rate on the team.

Michigan has pushed the boundaries of Wolf's game in compelling ways. He's running inverted pick-and-rolls on the perimeter, navigating tight spaces as a ball-handler, and fluidly uncorking pull-up jumpers on the perimeter. There are concerns tied to Wolf's high turnover rate (3.3 per game) and poor free throw numbers (62.6 percent), but seldom is so much asked of a 7-footer on offense.

Wolf has dazzling court vision and a point guard's flare to his game. The mistakes are a natural part of the learning process, but he's hitting 35.4 percent of his 3s, leading his conference in rebounds, and doing enough defensively to convince scouts of two-way utility at the next level. With Wolf touching so many areas of the game, one has to think an NBA team will figure out how to use him.

Derik Queen, Maryland

The popular verdict on Maryland freshman Derik Queen going into the season was that he was not "modern" enough for the NBA. Queen has quickly turned that narrative on its head, however, developing into a prolific slasher with underrated playmaking chops and tantalizing flashes of perimeter touch.

He's not shooting 3s yet, but Queen is plenty comfortable firing from mid-range. His footwork and agility as a slasher, at 6-foot-10 and 246 pounds, is uncanny. He moves so effortlessly on the floor, whether it's driving through the chest of a smaller defender or dancing around a slow-footed big for the finish inside.

If Queen ever starts hitting 3s, defenses will struggle to keep him under wraps. He uses the space afforded to him on the perimeter to pick up a head of steam and create driving angles. Put him in more traditional post-up situations and Queen has a deep bag of tricks. He's efficient in the paint and highly adept at leveraging his gravity to set up teammates along the perimeter. If he can defend well enough at the next level, Queen has a long future ahead.

Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina

Is Collin Murray-Boyles a "center"? It's up for debate. The South Carolina sophomore, listed 6-foot-7 and 231 pounds with a rumored 7-foot-2 wingspan, is an oddity for NBA purposes. He doesn't shoot 3s, he's undersized in a lot of matchups, and there aren't too many indicators of long-term shooting upside (68.2 percent on free throws).

Murray-Boyles will undoubtedly work on shooting ahead of NBA workouts. He's going to try to expand his skill set. That is not a strength, though, and scouts will need to focus on the positive traits Murray-Boyles brings to the table. There are a lot of 'em.

He's a tremendous defender, first and foremost. Murray-Boyles is a menace in passing lanes and extremely physical at the point of attack. He's averaging 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks, with incredible instincts and timing as a weak-side rim protector. So, despite the lack of size, there is some potential small-ball utility with Murray-Boyles in the middle of your defense.

There is similar dynamism to Murray-Boyles' offensive repertoire. He's highly efficient in the paint despite relying so frequently on below-the-rim finishes. Murray-Boyles' footwork and touch really shine on post-ups or slippery drives from the elbow. While not much of a shooter, Murray-Boyles has some perimeter skill. He passes well for his position and is smooth as a face-up scorer, deliberately attacking open space and carving out lanes to the basket.

He is nontraditional by standards old and new. Can it work? All the evidence says yes in college, but teams will need to think outside the box.

Khaman Maluach, Duke

Easily the best prospect at his position, Duke's Khaman Maluach presents a compelling blend of immediate utility and long-term upside. His minutes are generally limited with the Blue Devils, but he's an 18-year-old who is fairly new to the sport. Generally, that's a green flag. It will take time, but Maluach has all the raw physical tools and a long runway for future growth.

At 7-foot-2, 55 percent of Maluach's interior shot attempts are dunks. He is among the most prolific and efficient finishers in recent NBA Draft history. That will lead teams to view him in a rather classical sense — as a run-jump lob threat with fluid coordination and a wide catch radius, not to mention a mix of mobility and vertical pop that will put tremendous strain on defenses at the next level.

There is more to Maluach's scoring profile, though. He hasn't attempted many 3s at Duke, but he's willing to pop out for the occasional mid-range jumper. He's shooting 72.4 percent on free throws and there is appreciable touch on the shots Maluach does attempt. It feels like only a matter of time until his range extends to the 3-point line. There is also plenty of high school tape that shows Maluach attacking closeouts and experimenting as a face-up scorer.

He needs to improve as a passer and tighten the screws on much of his skill set, but Maluach is a standout athlete with a sky-high ceiling. He's worth the investment from a high lottery team.

Maxime Raynaud, Stanford

Stanford senior Maxime Raynaud has really broken through in his final campaign with the Cardinal. He leads the ACC in points (19.9) and rebounds (11.2), with a mix of old-school tricks and new-age skills that should tempt NBA front offices as early as the late first round.

The major question with Raynaud is whether he can hold up defensively at the next level. He's coming by 1.1 blocks by sheer virtue of his hulking 7-foot-1 frame, but he's not terribly mobile in space nor vertically explosive. There will be real concerns about Raynaud's ability to defend across certain schemes and matchups.

Still, the offense should propel him to some level of impact. He's shooting 3s at a healthy clip (32.9 percent on 5.4 attempts per game) and dominating on post touches, where his strength, touch, and footwork is a ticket to dominance in college. Raynaud ends possessions on the glass and exploits mismatches in the interior. He also has some face-up juice, with enough coordination to attack closeouts, get downhill, and pose a varied threat on drives.

Look to effective NBA backups like Luke Kornet, and you'll see the blueprint for Raynaud.

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No, Ace Bailey is not better than Cooper Flagg

This "take" has been picking up steam in certain circles of late. Paul George is probably the most prominent proponent of Ace Bailey as a potential No. 1 pick over Cooper Flagg. Here's what he said on his now-defunct Podcast P (h/t NJ.com).

"I think Ace Bailey can scratch a little bit more off of his surface than Cooper Flagg can. Which I think both will be All-Stars, both will be superstars once they develop and get to the NBA. I think both will be superstars. I think those two will definitely be the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird comparison in terms of similar body types and the parity between those two. But I’m going to go with Ace Bailey."

Ace Bailey is awesome. Don't get me wrong. But can we stop with the manufactured contrarianism? There is a certain "real hooper" energy to Bailey that makes it easy to understand where these takes are coming from, but Flagg has been a historically productive and impactful freshman for the Blue Devils. He arrived in Durham at 17 years old and is currently in the driver's seat to win the Wooden Award. What are we doing here?

There isn't a more majestic shot-maker in college hoops than Bailey, but Flagg is infinitely more complete. He's miles ahead as a defender, he's a dominant three-level scorer (whereas Bailey is more of a two-level scorer who rarely gets to the rim), and Flagg is a legitimate playmaking fulcrum at 6-foot-9. Bailey's passing numbers, meanwhile, are abysmal.

It will take time for Bailey to iron out the kinks in his game and find his footing in an NBA offense with NBA responsibilities. Flagg should come in and render an immediate positive impact, with an adaptable, versatile skill set that can plug into any scheme, system, or personnel group.

Who holds the belt right now? A mini-NBA mock draft