Nikola Jokic is the best center in the NBA and it’s not even close in my opinion. there are two other centers that people try to mention in this debate, but I don’t think they have enough. Joel Embiid is the 2nd best center in the NBA but he doesn’t nearly have the same skill set as Nikola Jokic. He is better on the defensive end, and maybe rebounding, but other than that, give me Jokic all day. Half of the time, Joel Embiid can’t even stay on the court due to injuries and sickness, why would you want him over Nikola Jokic?
The other center is Karl Anthony-Towns. KAT is a great offensive Center, but he doesn’t have as good as rebounding or passing ability as Nikola Jokic does. He can’t rebound or play defense like Joel Embiid can. I do think KAT is a better scorer than all 3 Centers, but that is all that he has going for him. His scoring ability isn’t good enough to surpass the other Centers in other categories though. If KAT ever plays better defense or rebounds better, maybe he can move up.
Nikola Jokic Stats
I just wrote an article how stats don’t always tell the full story. In that article, I was talking about Hassan Whiteside. I just want to allude to that point now. Nikola Jokic averages 20.2 PPG on 52.8% shooting. That is lower than KAT’s 26.5 PPG and Embiid’s 23.4 PPG. However, Jokic is more efficient as KAT shoots 50.8% and Embiid shoots 47.4%. Jokic is on par with the the other two in terms of rebounding. He averages 10.2 RPG to Embiid’s 11.8 RPG and KAT’s 10.8 RPG. The biggest discrepancy between the 3 centers is APG. Assists are usually harder to come by for Centers. Jokic boasts a prolific 6.9 APG to KAT’s 4.4 APG and Joel Embiid’s 3.1 APG. Using their averages and doing simple math, Jokic contributes at least 34 points to the team, Embiid contributes 29 points, and KAT contributes 35 points.
While Jokic scoring numbers may not be as high as the others, that could be due to the supporting cast around him. Jamal Murray has really stepped into his own. The Nuggets have a talented roster where many players can score for his team. That’s why his scoring numbers are lower but his assist numbers are higher. Embiid is the leading scorer on the 76ers. For a team with not a lot of outside scoring, Embiid is the go-to to score on the inside. KAT has the highest scoring numbers but he is and has been the leading player on the Timberwolves. A full season with DLo might change that, but there’s not a lot of talent on the Wolves. That gives more opportunists for KAT to score.
If you still disagree with me I have no hope for you. You’re either biased to the conversation or you’re dumb. I can’t see it any other way. I went through the top 3 centers and explained why Nikola Jokic is the best. This is just at the moment too. Nikola Jokic has a chance to be better at defense and still expand his already dangerous offensive skill set. I think he might be one of, if not the best passing big man of all-time. Nikola Jokic is and will be the best center in the NBA for a long time, better start understanding that now.
