Philadelphia 76ers: Ranking starting centers in 2021 preseason
This is the last of The Sixer Sense position rankings with the starting centers rounding out this series of articles. There’s no question that the Philadelphia 76ers have a top-three center in Joel Embiid, but is he the best in NBA?
As with all the other articles, these are all based on projections on who will start. If a player is projected to miss most of the year due to injury they won’t be included in these rankings.
30. Marc Gasol
To be clear, if it weren’t due to the poor depth on the roster and Anthony Davis’ history of not wanting to play center, then Marc Gasol wouldn’t be my projected starter for the Los Angeles Lakers. Gasol is far past his prime and has lost a step or two on defense, which is where his value has been.
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29. Wendell Carter Jr.
Mo Bamba very well could be the starter for the Orlando Magic, but based on last season, Wendell Carter Jr. is projected to be their starter in this article. When healthy, Carter has shown flashes of being a solid well-rounded center, but his ability to stay healthy is the biggest question surrounding him.
28. Isaiah Stewart
Despiting signing Kelly Olynyk this offseason, Isaiah Stewart makes more sense as the starter for the rebuilding Detroit Pistons. Stewart is younger, stronger, and better defensively than his veteran counterpart. Stewart has potential as a floor spacer and if he proves to do that better in his second season, then he could jump up a few spots on this list.
27. Jakob Poeltl
Outside of an often injured Zach Collins and rookie Jock Landale, Jakob Poeltl has no competition for the starting center job for the San Antonio Spurs. Poeltl is a good rebounder, interior defender, and finisher around the rim. However, he can be a liability defending in space, which makes it hard to play him against certain matchups.
26. Derrick Favors
The Oklahoma City Thunder are in full rebuild mode, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t have a veteran or two on the roster and that is what Derrick Favors‘ role is for this team. He’s by far the best and really only proven center on the roster. If he plays well then maybe a contender will want to trade for him during the year.