Philadelphia 76ers: 2023 offseason starting center rankings

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Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

It’s the end of the position rankings for this offseason. Thus far, I’ve covered point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and power forward positions. Now it’s time to rank the Philadelphia 76ers MVP center so let’s see if Joel Embiid can claim the top spot among starting centers.

30. Daniel Gafford, Wizards

There’s no legit competition at the Washington Wizards’ starting center position for Daniel Gafford this season. The 6-foot-10 big man has been a part-time starter for the Wizards for the past two seasons. With the Wizards in full rebuild mode, Gafford should have a chance to shine and average career highs across the board. The rim-running big man could climb higher on this board if he performs well.

29. Zach Collins, Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs made a wise choice to have Zach Collins be their stretch-five next to Victor Wembanyama. Injuries have hampered the development of the 6-foot-11 big man thus far so hopefully they don’t have that problem this year. If so then former Philadelphia 76ers Charles Bassey might get a chance to start at center. Assuming that Collins starts, the one area he needs to improve upon is rim protection so pairing him with Wembanyama will help him in that regard.

28. Richaun Holmes, Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have plenty of questions surrounding their center position. Long-time tenured veteran Dwight Powell didn’t provide winning play last year and rookie Derrick Lively is too raw to be a starter to begin the year.

That leaves newly acquired veteran Richaun Holmes, who happens to be a former Philadelphia 76ers. The 6-foot-10 big man didn’t have a good year last season, but he has a history of being good at rim running and shot-blocking. Maybe a fresh start in Dallas is what he needs to put his career back on track.

27. Mark Williams, Hornets

7-foot-1 big man Mark Williams showed flashes of true potential for the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets have missed on so many big men prospects over the years so it’s nice to see that they might have found a center of the future. It’s possible that he takes a big leap in his second season.

26. Jalen Duren, Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have plenty of options at center with Isaiah Stewart, James Wisemen, and even Marvin Bagley III. However, it feels like second-year big man Jalen Duran is the best option. The 6-foot-10 big man showed high-end defensive skills last season as a rookie and the Pistons need to continue to develop the young big man.