Which team has the best starting center, and which one has the worst? The Sporting News is ranking every team's starter at each position for the 2025-26 NBA season.
The list of starting centers is very top-heavy. Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the NBA, and is the clear No. 1. Victor Wembanyama is a solid No. 2. After those dominant big men, there is a steady and rapid decline.
There are a handful of players with All-Star potential littered throughout the best seven or eight starting centers. The middle of this list is where beauty starts to be in the eye of the beholder. And the last six or seven names are starting for their teams mostly by default.
Here are all 30 centers in the NBA, ranked.
NBA RANKINGS: Starters 1-10 | 11-150 | PG | SG | SF | PF
NBA center rankings 2025-26
1. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Jokic is the best passer in the NBA, one of the best scorers, and one of the best rebounders. He is impossible to stop one-on-one. He has a dominant post game, floater, fadeaway, and 3-pointer at his disposal to punish defenders. Bring a double-team, and he will pick it apart immediately. His feel for the game is special, and that shows up on defense too where he makes up for poor tools with great anticipation and hands.
2. Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Wembanyama was a shoo-in for Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA honors last season before a freak blot clot prevented him from meeting the minimum games requirement for those awards. He's the league's best defender, able to deter opponents from even attempting layups when he's on the floor. He's averaged a ridiculous 3.7 blocks per game for his career, and he's also a fluid enough athlete to guard out on the perimeter.
Wembanyama is also a great offensive weapon. He's a high-volume 3-point shooter who hit 35 percent of his looks last season. He's great near the rim, and he's a good passer who can throw highlight dimes. He should have an unbelievable year playing next to De'Aaron Fox.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
Towns might be the best seven-foot shooter in league history. He hit 42 percent of his 3's last season for the Knicks. He's also a good bully ball driver when he commits to it, a great offensive rebounder, and a capable passer. There aren't many bigs who are more talented offensively. His elite offensive play is counterbalanced by lack of defensive focus and rim protection.
4. Joel Embiid, Sixers
Embiid is only three years removed from his MVP season, where he was the best scorer and a top defender in the league. He has shown flashes of that old self when he's been on the floor, but he's managed to suit up for only 58 games over the past two seasons.
Embiid's knee problems don't seem like they are going away any time soon. If he can overcome the odds and put together a relatively heathy year, he can still be an All-Star. More likely, we see a player who misses a ton of games and only looks like 70 percent of his old self when he does play.
5. Domantas Sabonis, Kings
Sabonis is a good offensive hub who is one of the best screeners and dribble handoff passers at his position. He's a double-double machine who has led the league in rebounding in three consecutive years. He's great in the post and at putbacks, and he's addressed one of his main weaknesses by connecting on his wide open 3's at a great rate. Lack of rim protection and poor footspeed make it challenging to build an elite team around him.
6. Ivica Zubac, Clippers
Zubac should have been in contention for the Defensive Player of the Year award last season. He's a great rim protector who makes good rotations, rebounds well, and helped anchor a top Clippers defense. He's developed great pick-and-roll chemistry with James Harden, turning into a great finisher at the rim and setting monster screens all over the floor.
7. Alperen Sengun, Rockets
Sengun is a high-skill big with great footwork and touch in the post. He's an above-average passer who has a knack for hitting cutters, and he's a good rebounder on both sides of the floor.
His lack of footspeed limits his defensive versatility, but the Rockets have been able to scheme around that weakness by keeping him near the basket where he can try to deter shots without having to guard on the perimeter as much.
8. Draymond Green, Warriors
Green, 35, isn't much of a scoring threat any more. He rarely gets to the rim, and his percentages have dropped from there. He's still an effective offensive player because of how good of a passer he is in the short roll and as a screener for the Warriors' shooting threats.
Green hasn't missed a beat on defense, finishing third in DPOY voting last season. He's able to guard multiple positions and rotate quickly to erase teammates' mistakes on that end of the floor.
9. Rudy Gobert, Wolves
Gobert has won four Defensive Player of the Year awards, and he's still one of the best rim protectors in the game. He has anchored top defenses wherever he's been. He's a good rebounder and finisher, but he's limited offensively due to poor hands, bad vision, high turnovers, and lack of technique. He's one of the most polarizing players in the league due to that poor offensive bag, but his defensive impact is still massive.
10. Jarrett Allen, Cavs
Allen is a rebounding force who is also an elite rim runner and lob threat. He led the league in field goal percentage last season, converting 71 percent of his shots while playing in all 82 games. He doesn't take 3's and he's been criticized for disappearing in some of the team's biggest moments. He needs big performances in higher profile games to climb up this list.
MORE: Ranking the 15 best games on the 2025-26 NBA schedule
11. Myles Turner, Bucks
12. Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder
13. Jakob Poeltl, Raptors
14. Onyeka Okongwu, Hawks
15. Dereck Lively II, Mavericks
- Turner is a good defender who several years ago had All-Defensive buzz. He's one of the better stretch big men in the league and a massive reason that the Pacers went to the Finals.
- Hartenstein might be the league's best screener. He's a good pick-and-roll partner that utilizes a funky but accurate floater in lieu of a more conventional jump shot. He's also a solid rebounder and defender.
- Poeltl is another floater expert who plays similarly to Hartenstein, giving the Raptors solid playmaking, rebounding, and defense. He has traditionally been a poor free throw shooter, limiting his effectiveness at the end of games, but he shot a career-best 67 percent from the line last season.
- Okongwu had a breakout for the Hawks at the end of last year, showing that he was capable of holding down a starting role. He's only 6-foot-8, but he's able to compete against bigger centers due to good athleticism and a long 7-foot-2 wingspan. He's a strong finisher at the rim who can hit the occasional corner 3 and crash the offensive glass hard.
- Lively is a great young athlete who can rise up for lobs and block shots with authority. He's a decent playmaker who shows signs of one day being able to hit 3's.
16. Jalen Duren, Pistons
17. Deandre Ayton, Lakers
18. Nikola Vucevic, Bulls
19. Walker Kessler, Jazz
20. Nic Claxton, Nets
- Duren is a terrific rebounder, particularly on the offensive glass. He's a wildly efficient scorer but doesn't shoot from outside and needs to work on harnessing his defensive tools.
- Ayton is a strong finisher and has a nice midrange jumper that he goes to a little bit too often due to his aversion to contact. He has great physical tools but can be a frustrating watch because he has one of the worst motors in the league.
- Vucevic has great footwork and touch in the post. His shooting has been up-and-down throughout his career, but he had an excellent year stretching the floor. He can't protect the rim at all, and his footspeed is poor when defending on the perimeter. That makes him a one-way player that is tough to hide in high leverage situations.
- Kessler is a shot-blocking phenom and efficient finisher. He's limited offensively and needs to screen better, but he's a good defender and big body.
- At one time, Claxton was considered one of the best defensive prospects in the league due to his combination of footspeed and rim protection. He had a down year last year though, not contributing enough on offense. His inability to shoot outside and troubles at the foul line limit his value.
21. Wendell Carter Jr., Magic
22. Donovan Clingan, Trail Blazers
23. Mark Williams, Suns
24. Alex Sarr, Wizards
25. Zach Edey, Grizzlies
- Carter is a versatile big who shot the ball from 3 well before a disastrous 2024-25 season in which he connected on only 23.4 percent of his attempts. Injuries have been a concern too. When healthy, he's a jack-of-all-trades center.
- Clingan is a defensive-minded rookie who already showcased elite rim protection and rebounding. He fouls way too much though, and his offensive game outside of three feet needs major development.
- Williams is a massive body that can swat away shots when drivers try to challenge him. His positioning isn't always great though, making him a good defender in theory more than practice. As a scorer, he's a great lob finisher but can't shoot from outside. Injuries have been a major concern throughout his career.
- Sarr finished up a good rookie year for the Wizards where he proved he was capable of playing high-level defense and finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. He's been billed as a versatile scorer, but his shooting percentages were awful from everywhere on the floor. He needs to become a more efficient player.
- Edey is one of the biggest guys in the league. He is a great screener, rebounder, and scorer in the post. He showed flashes of a 3-pointer that he didn't have in college. He isn't as bad guarding out on the perimeter as many had feared, but it does remain a weakness that other teams can attack.
26. Isaiah Jackson, Pacers
27. Kel'el Ware, Heat
28. Yves Missi, Pelicans
29. Moussa Diabate, Hornets
30. Neemias Queta, Celtics
- Jackson had last season cut short by an Achilles injury. He's shown potential as a two-way player who has good athleticism, rim running, and versatility. He's a bit undersized for the position but makes up for that with a good motor.
- Ware is a fluid athlete who can block shots and score in a variety of ways. He needs to get stronger, become more consistent as a defender, and show higher intensity to take the next leap.
- Missi only started playing basketball at the age of 16. He's still a raw player, but he showed talent in his rookie year. He has great rim protection, defensive tools, and can finish well at the rim. He gets in trouble when he tries to create his own offense but fills a role as a screen setter and rim runner.
- Diabate is the hustle king of the NBA. He's not the most talented player, but he will scrap for every single rebound and get into opponents defensively. He moves well at his size but is too passive on offense and can't shoot it from outside, limiting his impact.
- Queta is a good shot-blocker and rebounder with size, athleticism, and energy. He's not a perimeter threat though, and he doesn't have great footspeed as a defender. He has also struggled to stay healthy. He or Xavier Tillman will likely challenge for the Celtics' starting spot.