NBA teams that need a center are 1. Los Angeles Lakers 2. Miami Heat 3. Boston Celtics and 4. New Knicks. Nikola Jokic from the Nuggets is 2023's best center.
Center is among the five crucial positions in basketball, normally the tallest player takes the position of center. The most popular center in basketball history includes Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal.
That said, centers are the most crucial players required for a successful team. Russell and Chamberlain are top NBA players who transformed the role of the center by combining athleticism in scoring points while playing the role of defense.
Abdul Jabbar was the highest scorer scoring center with 38, 387 points. His record was beaten by LeBron James in 2022, he scored 38, 662 points and is now the highest all-time scorer in NBA.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers need a center beside a player in their current roster. The Lakers' squad includes Colin Castleton, Anthony Davis, Tristan Thompson, and Jaxon Hayes as their center.
The Lakers had a good season, they went to the semi-finals after making it to the NBA playoffs by defeating Golden State Warriors. However, they were unable to come close to the championship due to balking performance of their center.
Christian Wood who is still a free agent is one of the best centers that shall be suitable for the Lakers. The management of the Lakers is looking for new prospects and is also bolstering their current team to take on challenges in the next season.
Here is a brief information about the current Lakers centers:
Colin Castleton
Castleton is the 23-year-old athlete and four-start recruit that played for Michigan and Florida. He went undrafted in NBA but joined the Lakers in 2023.
Anthony Davis
Daivs was the first round, 1st overall pick in the NBA draft, he has become 8x NBA all-star and 2020 NBA champion with the Lakers.
His accomplishments cannot be sold short, but 30 years old NBA players have lacked significantly in terms of their performance coming after the 2020 championship win.
Davis is playing in the position of power forward, he seems to be backing from the position of center. Thus, it is essential for L.A to have a dominant center in order to propagate their long NBA run.
Tristan Thompson
Tristan Thompson is a 32-year-old basketball player who was one of the best-performing players. He became NBA champions with Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
However, it does not seem to be favorable for perpetuity as Thompson cannot hold 40 minutes for 82 games, he has already hit the peak of his career.
Jaxson Hayes
Jaxson Hayes is the current center of the Los Angeles Lakers, he signed with the Lakers in 2023. Before joining the Lakers, he played seventy games and among them started in twenty-eight.
Hayes secured 9.3 points and rebounded 4.5 points. He had a field goal percentage of 61.6. He does show some promising prospects but the addition of a rookie is unlikely to help the dominant Lakers in the next NBA season.
2. Miami Heat
Miami Heat needs a center other than their current center forward Abebayo. The runner-up of the 2023 NBA finals and winner of the Eastern Conference lacked a dominant center against the Nuggets in the finals.
Heat also had a lower shooting percentage in comparison to the Nuggets. Adebayo did an amazing job holding up the defense but the offense and commanding presence are often required for centers.
Moreover, some instrumental improvements and an increase in his offensive prowess and arsenal shall do the job for him to achieve optimum results for his team.
Thomas Bryant
Thomas Bryant is an unrestricted free agent, he joined Heat in 2023. Bryant joined the Heat on July 2, 2023, he signed a two-year deal with the Heat at the contract of $5.4 million.
| Team | Salary |
| 1. Miami Heat (2023/24) | $2,528,233 |
| 2. Denver Nuggets (2022/23) | $1,968,175 |
| 3. Washington Wizards (2021/22) | $8,666,667 |
| 4. Washington Wizards (2020/21) | $8,333,333 |
| 5. Washington Wizards (2019/20) | $8,000,000 |
| 6. Washington Wizards (2018/19) | $1,378,242 |
| 7. Los Angeles Lakers (2017/18) | $815,615 |
Orlando Robinson
Robinson went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft and was signed by Miami Heat the last year.
Robinson played in the G-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce training camp. On 1st July 2023, the Heat signed a standard NBA contract while not being required to move to Skyforce.
Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo is the center-forward of the Heat. He was selected by the Miami Heat in the 2017 NBA draft as the 14th overall pick.
The basketball player from North Carolina is a 4x NBA All-Defensive Second Team from 2020-2023. The 26-year-old player is one of the best players on the team but a strong sub is also needed in order to fill in during his injuries.
Moreover, offensive support from a center shall be helpful for the boost of the team's scoring ability against the opponent.
3. Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics need a center similar to the athletic marvel of Robert Parish and Bill Russell to accomplish another NBA championship.
The current center of the Celtics includes Robert Williams, Luke Kornet, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis. Williams joined the Celtics in 2018.
Robert Williams
Robert Williams III is a Texas A&M former player, he was selected by Celtics in the 2018 NBA draft. Williams had a good 2021-22 season where he was named NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
Williams works well as a power forward. He does not seem to have a knack for shooting thus Celtics need a center who has offensive skills like shooting while also defending abilities to halt the opponents.
During Celtics, 2022 season Williams did not play due to torn meniscus also played fewer games with the Celtics in the 2023 season.
Luke Kornet
Luke Kornet went undrafted and he joined the New York Knicks for the summer league. They signed a two-way contract in 2017. He played for a year with the team and was traded to the Bulls and later to Celtics.
He did not remain long in the Celtics in 2021 but he returned to the Boston for the 2023 season after improving his game.
Kornet is not a starting player thus he cannot fill the hole of defense in the Celtics which requires a strong center to overcome the weakness of this NBA team.
Al Horford
Horford is a 37-year-old center and power forward of the Celtics but his age seems to be creating trouble for the Celts.
Al has notable accomplishments throughout his career but his age and lack of promising prospects to fill his position have troubled them in regards to their game.
Dominican-origin player joined Celtics in 2021, he played for Atlanta Hawks, 76ers, Celtics, and Thunder in his prime.
Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis became came to Celtics in 2023. He had notable accomplishments in Euro Cup. He came to NBA in 2015 and played for N.Y Knicks.
The Latvian player came to Boston this year. He has already secured over seven thousand points and has brought new hope to fill the weakness of the team thus he should have strong mental fortitude to defend against the offense of other teams.
4. New York Knicks
New York Knicks need a center that can synergize the team rather than create shortcomings where the members must overcompensate. The current roster includes Nathan Knight, Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, Jericho Sims, and Isaiah Harttenstein.
It has already been 50 years since the Knicks won the championship. They last went into the finals in 1999. NY's team came in 5th in the Eastern Conference competition in 2023.
It cannot be denied that Knicks has suffered from bad management but there are also multiple factors and issues in the team that needs improvement for them to compete in the 2023/24 season.
Nathan Knight
Knight plays center and power forward, he went undrafted and was selected by Atlanta Hawks for two way contract. He joined in Knicks in 2023 and also signed a two-way contract.
Nathan is the sixth man, who plays sub to fill the center position. Before the NBA he had an illustrative collegiate career but could not capitalize on the opportunities offered in the league.
Mitchell Robinson
Robinson is the 7ft center of the Knicks, he has yet to become a dominant player in the professional tournament despite his god-given height and talent.
Moreover, a supportive center-forward to pick up his slack shall be a helpful factor for the player to optimize his maximum effort.
Robinson broke Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record for the highest field goal percentage in a single season of 2019-2020. He also signed a $60 million contract in 2022 against the Knicks.
Julius Randle
Julius Randle is an all-star player and 1st round draft pick of 2014. Randle signed with Knicks in 2019. He was named NBA's most-improved player after leading the team to a victory over Dallas Mavericks.
In the 2021 season, he suffered multiple injuries and received criticism from commentators of fans, showing a lackluster performance despite signing a 4-year $117 million contract extension.
Similarly, the 2023 season also showed some promising prospects from the player but his shooting percentage was significantly lacking in terms of his past performance.
Jericho Sims
Sims became part of the Knicks after he was picked up by the NBA team in the second round of the 2021 draft. He signed a two-way contract with the team thus he has yet to become a successful basketball star.
Isaiah Hartenstein
Hartenstein is an American-German player who performs in the position of center. He signed a $16 million contract with the Knicks in 2022.
Isaiah's addition to the team does look promising but he has not been a consistent player since his debut in the NBA.
