Which centers would you prefer over Deandre Ayton?

[Mainstreet]

I wanted to see how the Suns stack up at the center position to other teams around the NBA.

So I made up a list of centers for the different teams. It may not be completely accurate because some teams play power forwards as centers.

Also I ended going two deep at the center position because some teams regularly go two deep or injuries have confused the situation.

So what do you think, which centers would you prefer over Deandre Ayton? Please name them.

Here is a list of teams:


Atlanta Hawks- Clint Capela, Damian Jones

Boston Celtics- Daniel Theis, Robert Williams

Brooklyn Nets- Deandre Jordan, Jarrett Allen

Charlotte Hornets- Bismack Biyombo, Cody Zeller

Chicago Bulls- Wendell Carter Jr., Luke Kornet

Cleveland Cavaliers- Andre Drummond, Tristan Thompson

Dallas Mavericks- Maxi Kleber, Boban Marjanovic

Denver Nuggets- Nikola Jokic, Mason Plumlee

Detroit Pistons- John Henson, Thon Maker

Golden State Warriors- Draymond Green, Kevon Looney

Houston Rockets- Robert Covington, Tyson Chandler

Indiana Pacers- Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner

Los Angeles Clippers- Ivaca Zubac, Montrezl Harrell

Los Angeles Lakers- Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard

Memphis Grizzlies- Jaren Jackson Jr., Jonas Valanciunas

Miami Heat- Bam Adebayo, Kelly Olynyk

Milwaukee Bucks- Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez

Minnesota Timberwolves- Karl-Anthony Towns, Naz Reid

New Orleans Pelicans- Derrick Favors, Jaxson Hayes

New York Knicks- Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle

Oklahoma City Thunder- Steven Adams, Nerlens Noel

Orlando Magic- Nikola Vucevic, Mohamed Bamba

Philadelphia 76ers- Joel Embiid, Al Horford

Phoenix Suns- Deandre Ayton, Frank Kaminsky

Portland Trail Blazers- Jusuf Nurkic, Hassan Whiteside

Sacramento Kings- Rachaun Holmes, Alex Len

San Antonio Spurs- LaMarcus Aldridge, Jakob Poltl

Toronto Raptors- Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka

Utah Jazz- Rudy Gobert, Ed Davis

Washington Wizards- Thomas Bryant, Moritz Wagner

 

[Mainstreet]

If I were going to pick a few centers who are considered better than Ayton right now and who project to be over the next couple of years, it might look like:


Nikola Jokic

Rudy Gobert

Karl Anthony Towns

Joel Embiid

Anthony Davis (plays power forward)

 

[Chaplin]

If I were going to pick a few centers who are considered better than Ayton right now and who project to be over the next couple of years, it might look like:


Nikola Jokic

Rudy Gobert

Karl Anthony Towns

Joel Embiid

Anthony Davis (plays power forward)

KAT is iffy. What he has over Ayton on offense, Ayton has over him on defense. It's close. But that list is about right. Only one that isn't on your list that I'd consider putting on is Bam Adebayo.

 

[GatorAZ]

What is Bam’s true position?

 

[Mainstreet]

What is Bam’s true position?

I'd call him a center but that's where it gets tricky sort of like Porzingis.

There really aren't a lot of true centers out there that rate higher than Ayton.

 

[Chaplin]

Bam starts at center for the Heat. If you're going only by "true" centers, then at least half that list has to be disqualified.

 

[Mainstreet]

This is one of the reasons I did the list.

Ayton has received a lot of criticism for not being a dominant center when there aren't a lot better out there unless power forwards are included.

 

[GatorAZ]

Bam averaged over 5 assists per game. They trust him to hit shooters from the post and he’s a quick decision maker. I’d take him right now...

KAT is so good offensively and terrible defensively but I’d take him for the simple fact that he’d gel with Booker better.

Jokic is obvious and Embiid when he’s motivated.

 

[Mainstreet]

Bam averaged over 5 assists per game. They trust him to hit shooters from the post and he’s a quick decision maker. I’d take him right now...

KAT is so good offensively and terrible defensively but I’d take him for the simple fact that he’d gel with Booker better.

Jokic is obvious and Embiid when he’s motivated.

Ayton has a great chance to be as good or better than Bam if he becomes a better passer.

https://www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/bam_adebayo_vs_deandre_ayton.htm

Jokic, Embiid, KAT and Gobert are probably a notch higher Ayton.

 

[Chaplin]

Ayton has a great chance to be as good or better than Bam if he becomes a better passer.

https://www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/bam_adebayo_vs_deandre_ayton.htm

Jokic, Embiid, KAT and Gobert are probably a notch higher Ayton.

Jokic, Embiid and Gobert, yes. KAT no.

 

[WhyAlwaysMe]

Only AD, Bam, and Embiid on that list are obvious.

KAT and Jokic maybe, but I feel like they’re much more exploitable than DA even if pretty clearly better now and projectably.

Sabonis, Draymond, and Gobert are coin flips.

 

[BC867]

I hope this discussion takes into account the mental and dependability
capabilities they have (or have not) shown.

And, more than stats, which combination would best fit the Suns and,
even more important, help lead us into, and advance in, the playoffs
going forward.

Especially now that the bubble performance has given us hope. If we
regress, it would not be same-old-same-old, it would be a step back.

That would be even more demoralizing.

 

[Bobster]

Embiid has already missed 274 of the 483 games Philadelphia has played since they drafted him. So he good enough to make up for that? Not to me.

Jokic, Davis (PF) and possibly Gobert and Towns.

If you compare season #2 for Ayton and Adebayo, it's no contest. I think if Ayton continues to improve he'll be better in the long run. He certainly has more upside.

Sabonic and Vucevic are the best of the rest and they just aren't going to be anywhere close to Ayton defensively.

What sets Ayton apart from most of them is that he's got a lot of potential on both ends of the court.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

KAT is iffy. What he has over Ayton on offense, Ayton has over him on defense. It's close. But that list is about right. Only one that isn't on your list that I'd consider putting on is Bam Adebayo.

Agree with everything here.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I hope this discussion takes into account the mental and dependability
capabilities they have (or have not) shown.

And, more than stats, which combination would best fit the Suns and,
even more important, help lead us into, and advance in, the playoffs
going forward.

Especially now that the bubble performance has given us hope. If we
regress, it would not be same-old-same-old, it would be a step back.

That would be even more demoralizing.

It should also take into account that all of them are older and further along in their development than Ayton. Some of these guys have already peaked as well.

While it is mostly by his own doing in year 2 he still had to operate around only about half a season and I suspect that had some negative impact on his performance. Year 3 is going to be very important as now that he has shown a lot of improvement on defense he now needs to take some sort of leap on offense.

 

[Yuma]

So I am hoping he matures a bit. No doubt missing all those games at the beginning of the season made our bubble task impossible. However, my whole thing is if he just becomes more consistent every game, that will go a long way towards our success.

 

[Sunstroke]

I have no problem with DA @ the 5. The game has evolved. No big center needed to win NBA championships.
You need big ATHLETIC forwards along with an athletic point guard. Talented # 5's, even if they start, are just roleplayers.
This game is too up-tempo the for the late 90's early 2000's NBA. Jokic? He's a star. Embid? He's a star. Yet,
where are these teams? Davis, Antetokounmpo, Durant, that's what you want. The big men competeing for their respective
confrence finals? I can't find a notable star let alone a superstar. (maybe a future Adebayo)