NBA centers diversified their skills in the 2010s, adapting to stay relevant. The late 2010s witnessed a big man renaissance with new talents paving their way. Elite centers like DeAndre Jordan and Joel Embiid faced challenges despite their natural abilities.
For decades, NBA centers were counted on to rebound, defend the paint and score inside buckets. While that was still the calling card for many of the best big men during the 2010s, players began to experiment more during this era, resulting in a diverse mix of skill sets from centers. The veteran centers from this list fall more into the traditional big-man category, although a handful expanded their offensive repertoire to stay relevant in their later seasons.
On the other hand, the fives who entered the league later in the decade proved they could produce in various ways. As a result, the late 2010s and early 2020s could be viewed as a big man renaissance, with many of the current top centers paving their way to a Hall of Fame career in new ways. The 2010s were a clear transition phase among centers, as even the top names on this list were only dominant for so long.
Similarly, the up-and-coming stars had only recently solidified themselves as All-Star talents when the decade ended. It makes for an incredibly tight-knit group of elite centers with no clear top dog. 10 Brook Lopez Brook Lopez opened the decade as a towering inside scoring presence for the New Jersey-turned- Brooklyn Nets .
His lone All-Star appearance came in 2012-13, when he was utilized as the team’s featured scorer before massive trades changed the roster. Lopez was the youngest member of the Nets' veteran-laden starting five after the team acquired Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett . After leading Brooklyn for another couple of years while extending his shooting range, he departed for the L.
A. Lakers . Brook Lopez – 2010s Statistics Category Stat PPG 17.
1 RPG 5.9 APG 4.0 SPG 0.
6 BPG 1.8 Lopez spent one year in Los Angeles before becoming the starting center of the Milwaukee Bucks . In Milwaukee, Lopez honed his defensive skills, earning an All-Defense selection, and his three-point stroke (35.
4 percent from deep across six seasons) while helping shape the team into a contender. 9 Joel Embiid One of the best bigs in the league today, Joel Embiid wasn’t dominant for long enough in the 2010s to warrant a higher ranking. He missed two full seasons after being drafted in 2014 due to lingering foot injuries.
Once Embiid finally made it to the court in 2016-17, he proved quickly that his skills were worth the wait for the Philadelphia 76ers . He nearly won Rookie of the Year despite only playing 31 games. Joel Embiid – 2010s Statistics Category Stat PPG 23.
9 RPG 11.5 APG 3.1 SPG 0.
8 BPG 1.8 Embiid would become a consistent All-Star and defensive menace as the decade progressed, displaying his potential as a future MVP center. 8 Karl-Anthony Towns Embiid may be the better player now, but Karl-Anthony Towns displayed more in a larger sample size during the 2010s.
After winning Rookie of the Year in 2015-16, Towns was immediately poised to become one of the best centers in the league with an incredibly modern skill set. Towns averaged over 25 points per game as a second-year player before becoming an All-NBA big in 2017-18. In the same year, the Minnesota Timberwolves returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Karl-Anthony Towns – 2010s Statistics Category Stat PPG 22.7 RPG 11.8 APG 2.
8 SPG 0.8 BPG 1.5 Towns continued to put up numbers in droves for the Timberwolves to close out the decade.
However, Minnesota would again bottom out with Towns leading the team, paving the way for the franchise to draft Anthony Edwards . 7 Joakim Noah Joakim Noah opened the decade as a fierce, defensive-minded center with the Chicago Bulls . Soon, he would become the leader of the team’s league-best defense and catalyst for many of the Bulls’ playoff runs.
Once Derrick Rose was injured, Noah stepped up on both sides of the ball, becoming one of the NBA’s best big-man facilitators while still manning the middle on defense. Noah made back-to-back All-Star games and claimed Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. Joakim Noah – 2010s Statistics Category Stats PPG 9.
2 RPG 9.5 APG 3.5 SPG 0.
8 BPG 1.3 Injuries quickly derailed Noah’s career after his best seasons with the Bulls, prompting the team to move on from him. He signed a lucrative and ill-advised contract with the New York Knicks , where he flamed out and bounced around the league until retirement.
6 DeAndre Jordan The first of the “Lob City” trio to land with the Los Angeles Clippers , DeAndre Jordan had settled in as the team’s starting center by the start of the decade. Jordan settled into a rebound and dunk role for many of his best years, but he was elite. He led the league in rebounds in both 2013-14 and 2014-15 for the most competitive Clippers teams of the era.
He was also named to the All-Defense First Team twice. DeAndre Jordan – 2010s Statistics Category Stat PPG 10.3 RPG 11.
8 APG 1.0 SPG 0.6 BPG 1.
7 Jordan's effectiveness steadily dropped after his lone All-Star appearance in 2016-17. He eventually ended up with the Dallas Mavericks , a team he was supposed to sign with years earlier. Instead, he ended the decade with three different forgettable stints.
5 Al Horford Al Horford opened the decade as an All-NBA center for the Atlanta Hawks and remained remarkably consistent for the duration of his time with the franchise. Horford was a four-time All-Star in Atlanta and manned the middle for some very solid Hawks teams, including the team that finished first in the East in 2014-15. Unable to unseat the Cleveland Cavaliers , Horford moved on to another East team, the Boston Celtics .
In Boston, Horford enjoyed a smaller offensive role while showcasing his keen defensive skills. Al Horford – 2010s Statistics Category Stat PPG 14.7 RPG 7.
8 APG 3.8 SPG 0.8 BPG 1.
2 Horford added another All-Star berth in Boston and helped the team get back to contention. To end the decade, however, he spent one monetarily luxurious but ineffective year with the Sixers. 4 Rudy Gobert A towering defensive presence standing over 7 feet tall, Rudy Gobert was a somewhat unknown prospect from France when he joined the Utah Jazz in 2013.
By his second season, however, he had already shown enough value to snag the team’s starting spot. Gobert would become the league’s most feared shot-blocker and paint defender, making four All-Defense teams and winning two Defensive Player of the Year awards between 2016-17 and 2019-20. Alongside Donovan Mitchell , the Jazz were revamped into an impressive regular season team.
Rudy Gobert – 2010s Statistics Category Stat PPG 11.7 RPG 11.0 APG 1.
4 SPG 0.7 BPG 2.2 Gobert made his first All-Star game in 2019-20, but his elite effectiveness on defense places him highly on this list.
Even with his deficiencies, his value was undeniable. 3 DeMarcus Cousins DeMarcus Cousins burst onto the scene in 2010 as the complete package big man for the Sacramento Kings . A high-usage and crafty scorer, solid rebounder and a decent enough playmaker, Cousins quickly settled in as the franchise's centerpiece.
By 2014-15, Cousins was an All-Star and the best center in the NBA, but the team's success was lagging. The Kings moved Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans at peak value, bringing in a haul for his services. DeMarcus Cousins – 2010s Statistics Category Stat PPG 21.
2 RPG 10.9 APG 3.2 SPG 1.
4 BPG 1.2 Cousins remained an elite big in New Orleans, creating a terrorizing big-man tandem alongside Anthony Davis . The former’s Achilles tear ended that pairing quickly while also putting to rest Cousins’ time as a starting center.
He ended the decade by joining the already-loaded Golden State Warriors . 2 Marc Gasol Marc Gasol was an up-and-coming leader of what would become known as the “Grit ‘N Grind” Memphis Grizzlies in 2010. He earned his first All-Star appearance in 2011-12 and remained one of the most consistent big men for the rest of the decade.
A Defensive Player of the Year winner in 2013-14, Gasol led a well-oiled Grizzlies machine. The team was a consistent playoff threat throughout the decade, and Gasol only continued to improve his repertoire as he aged. Marc Gasol – 2010s Statistics Category Stats PPG 14.
9 RPG 7.5 APG 3.7 SPG 0.
9 BPG 1.4 Gasol was named an All-Star again in 2016–17 thanks to extending his range beyond the arc. Once Memphis decided to move on from its aging core and rebuild, Gasol manned the middle for the champion Toronto Raptors in 2019.
1 Dwight Howard More so remembered for his work in the 2000s, Dwight Howard was still the NBA’s best center during the first half of the decade . After two Defensive Player of the Year awards, he earned a third to open the decade for the Orlando Magic while notching a career-high 22.9 points per game.
A disgruntled Howard eventually joined the star-studded Lakers for another solid All-Star season that ended in disaster for the team. He then teamed up with James Harden on the Houston Rockets , where he put up one last elite season. Dwight Howard - 2010s Statistics Category Stat PPG 16.
2 RPG 12.0 APG 1.4 SPG 0.
9 BPG 1.7 Howard’s last All-Star season would come in 2013-14, but he remained a double-double machine on multiple teams during his 30s. He also played a key role in the Lakers’ championship in 2020.
The decade featured a variety of skillsets from the four position, including high-flying dunkers and stretch bigs..
