Sunday, ‘Bleacher Report’ came out with a list predicting the top-10 centers in the league by the end of the 2017 season. The rankings were assigned based largely on age, health, projected playing time and role changes (new teammates, playing style adjustments, etc.) along with the players past performances.
This season, the center slot is one that’s chalk full of talent! From Joel Embiid to DeAndre Jordan the variety of skill stashed at this position is overwhelming. Unfortunately, however, only one of these ‘top-10’ ballers can be deemed “the best.” And, according to Bleacher Report, 2017’s best big has already been determined.
That man?
New Orleans Pelicans All-Star DeMarcus Cousins.
Since coming into the league back in 2010 Cousins has always been in the conversation for “best center in the league.” His skill set is just simply too astonishing for others to ignore. In the article predicting ‘Boogie’ as the best center in the NBA this season, Dan Favale stated:
"Some bigs space the floor while merging volume with efficiency. Others plant their flags as brute forces down low. A few specialize in putting their foot on the gas and attacking like wings. A handful serve as playmaking hubs. Cousins does all this at a high level. He’ll even devote himself to snuffing out opposing offenses when the mood strikes."
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Cousins can simply do it all. Ask him to play down low and he’ll dominate. Have him shoot a 15-20 foot jumper and he’ll knock it down with ease! With averages of 27.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG and 1.3 BPG last season, Cousins proved once again as to why he deserves his “star status.” Couple that with a field goal percentage of 45% and a 37% clip from down town and you have one stud of a baller, let alone center.
Last April, Bleacher Report put out an article entitled “NBA Position Power Rankings, End of Regular Season Edition: Centers.” The piece had Cousins ranked 4th with guys like Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, and fellow Pelicans teammate Anthony Davis filling out the remaining 3 spots. Now, with Davis slated to play a majority of his minutes at the 4, Jokic fighting for touches with Paul Milsap and Goberts non-existent jump shot, Boogie seems to be the obvious choice for “top center” in the NBA.
When it comes to topics like these EVERONE’S going to have an opinion. “This person belongs here, that person belongs there”, etc, etc, etc. When it comes to DeMarcus Cousins being the best center in the league, however, there’s simply no debate. I mean, you can certainly try!
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You could say his demeanor on the court is troublesome. Maybe the fact that he hasn’t made the playoffs in his 10 years as a pro is alarming. But when it comes to his overall skill-set frankly, no one at the position is better.
Case closed.
“Check please!”
Stats provided by ESPN.com. Articles mentioned provided by ‘Bleacher Report’.