NBA teams should be wary of paying centers big money – Andre Drummond, Rudy Gobert happen to be the perfect example of that.
The biggest mistake most general managers make when constructing their team is believing elite big-men still win championships, specifically centers. It’s even worse when those centers are paid like their elite when in reality, they are just fringe-all stars at best. Look no farther than Andre Drummond as a prime example.
Don’t get me wrong, Drummond is a nice player. He’s put up some massive rebounding numbers in his eight-year career. He’s led the league in rebounding four times, while also making two all-star appearances. So he’s had a nice career up until this point.
But he’s not the answer to winning a championship when you have to pay him the max.
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He’s too limited of a player to get a team over the hump. His interior defense raises a lot of eyebrows, you can’t throw the ball to him in the post, he doesn’t space the floor, and he is not a playmaker for others.
No center should get a max or near-max contract if they can’t do at least three of the four skills I just laid out on an exceptionally high-level. The same is true with Rudy Gobert. He is otherworldly defensively, but he is just pedestrian offensively.
Can Andre Drummond and Rudy Gobert type-center be the third-best player on a championship team? Sure they can. But they better not be top-three in salary on the roster.
The way the NBA is today with floor spacing and pace-of-play, you can allocate that money to multiple players that can do different things for your team. Or just one great guard or wing.
If you do have a center that checks all the boxes for the modern NBA, then maybe you should think of trading him before paying him. Even the best of the best centers today aren’t leading their teams to the conference finals.
Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Karl-Anthony Towns – some of the best centers we have ever seen from a talent perspective struggle to get their teams just out the second round.
The last time a big man, not even just a center, was definitively the best or second-best player on a team that went to at least the conference finals was the 2011 Dallas Mavericks lead by Dirk Nowitzki.
The San Antonio Spurs won a championship during the last 10 years, but was Tim Duncan definitively better than Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, or Kawhi Leonard? Kevin Love and Chris Bosh were both easily the third-best players on teams that won championships.
Trying to build around the center is just not ideal in today’s NBA. An elite two-way wing is the most valuable player in basketball followed by a dynamic guard.
If I was the Philadelphia 76ers, I would trade Joel Embiid for a player like Bradley Beal and make sure to surround Ben Simmons with shooters on the court at all times.
For further confirmation, take a look at the 2018 NBA draft. The first two picks were Deandre Ayton (center), and Marvin Bagley (PF/C). But of those players have flashed the potential to be all-stars and I don’t think either one of them is a bust. But If Phoenix or Sacramento had Luka Doncic or Trae Young right now, we might be talking about them making a run to the playoffs.
The ideology of centers being the best players on championship teams needs to fade away. It’s smarter to do what the Los Angeles Lakers are doing and have a rotation of cheap, yet effective centers who play their role: rebound, run, and tough interior defense.
The Boston Celtics are a perfect example of a team built for the modern NBA. Three all-star level wings who are versatile in their own right, and a dynamic point guard running the show. They were smart not trading for Drummond as he would have been a detriment to their style of play.
If this were any pre-Stephen Curry era, then Gobert and Drummond would be highly valued. But with small-ball – almost every player on the court is athletic, can handle the ball, and can shoot.
So remember…take the wing or guard in the draft before even thinking of a big-man. If you have a center that checks all the boxes, maybe you should scour the market for a trade. And NEVER EVER pay the center that is a fringe all-star.
Centers aren’t the catalyst for championship teams any longer. The faster teams accept that the more success they will see.