In the final segment of our five-part series, looking at the best players at each position, this time we will focus on centers. Remember, many big men in the NBA, are classified as power forwards and centers.
5) Domantas Sabonis–Indiana Pacers—Heading into the 2020 NBA Playoffs there was optimism surrounding the Indiana Pacers, as they were fourth in the East with a record of 45 wins and 28 losses. However, Indiana was steamrolled by a hot Miami Heat squad and was swept in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, four games straight. Gonzaga product Domantas Sabonis was a bright spot for the Pacers last year, as he averaged 18.5 points per game, 12.4 rebounds per game, 5.0 assists per game, a .540 field goal percentage, a .254 three-point percentage, and a .723 free throw percentage.
4) Bam Adebayo–Miami Heat—A major reason why the Heat beat the Pacers easily in the Orlando bubble was because of the play of Adebayo, who had 60 points, 21 assists, and 45 rebounds during the four-game sweep. In the regular season, Adebayo averaged 15.9 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game, 5.1 assists per game, 1.3 blocks per game, 1.1 steals per game, a field goal percentage of .557, three-point percentage of .143, and a free throw percentage of .691.
3) Anthony Davis–Los Angeles Lakers— We know Anthony Davis has many talents, but one skill set that often is underrated is his great free-throw shooting. Last year, Davis was at .846, the second-highest free throw percentage among the top 20 fantasy centers in the NBA. Only Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers at .854 was higher than Davis. In the regular season, Davis also averaged 26.1 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game, 3.2 assists per game, 2.3 blocks per game, 1.5 steals per game, a field goal percentage of .503, and a three-point percentage of .330.
2) Nikola Jokic–Denver Nuggets—Serbia has had some great players over the years. They include Vlade Divac, Nenad Krstic, Marko Jaric, and Darko Milicic. You can no add Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets to the list. The seven-foot center averaged 19.9 points per game, 9.7 rebounds per game, seven assists per game, 1.2 steals per game, a .528 field goal percentage, .314 three-point percentage, and .817 free throw percentage in 2019-20.
1)Giannis Antetokounmpo–Milwaukee Bucks— Expectations are high for the Bucks this season. That is what happens when you lead the NBA in wins (56), and winning percentage (.767). But like the Pacers, the Bucks lost to the Miami Heat in the 2020 playoffs in the Orlando bubble, and were knocked out in the Eastern Conference semifinals in five games. In 2019-20, Antetokounmpo, who was the NBA MVP, averaged 29.5 points per game, 13.6 rebounds per game, 5.6 assists per game, a field goal percentage of .553, three-point percentage of .304, and a free throw percentage of .633.
For FREE!
