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Five centers to watch for the 2016-17 NBA season
Steven Adams (L) of the Oklahoma City Thunder is in action against Gustavo Ayon (R) of Real Madrid during the basketball match between Oklahoma City Thunder and Real Madrid as part of the 2016 Global Games in Madrid, Spain on October 03, 2016. Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Five centers to watch for the 2016-17 NBA season

With the NBA season set to start in just a few weeks, Yardbarker is breaking down the most interesting players to watch at every position. Here, we take a look at the centers who will move the needle during the 2016-17 season. 

DeAndre Jordan, 12.7 PPG | 13.8 RPG | 1.2 APG | 70.3 eFG% | 11.5 WS | 20.6 PER

DeAndre Jordan just doesn’t get enough love for how good he’s been for the Clippers. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul get all the love, but it’s Jordan’s athleticism that defines this team. Lob City was born out of Paul being able to toss the ball up anywhere the rim, knowing that either Griffin or Jordan would come down with it. But these days, Jordan is the best lob finisher in the NBA (just ask Brandon Knight about that).

Jordan does all of the things that make basketball fun. He dunks on everyone head and obliterates the shots of those who try to do the same onto him. He is a human highlight reel of all of the things we like to watch highlights of. But he also excels at the minutia of the game, too. He’s an excellent help defender, rotates after screens, boxes out and thrives on cleaning the glass. He knows when to corral rebounds and when to tap them out beyond the perimeter to preserve possessions. Jordan does everything that most guys don’t want to do, and the Clippers are going to be one of two teams that will have the firepower to even think about challenging the Warriors out west, and Jordan is a huge reason they belong in the conversations. 

Steven Adams, 8.0 PPG | 6.7 RPG | 0.8 APG | 61.3 eFG% | 6.5 WS | 15.5 PER

The Thunder bet on Steven Adams and all of the weirdness that comes with it. His mustache alone is worthy of our eyes, but his tenacity on the defensive end of the floor is the only thing that comes remotely close to matching Russell Westbrook on the other end. Adams is a throwback enforcer. He isn’t afraid to get tangled up in a mess and step up for his teammates. While this kind of hypermasculinity isn’t necessarily needed in today’s NBA, it becomes an asset for teams looking to find an edge when talent isn’t enough – and Adams is the kind of guy who can deliver. 

Adams doesn’t get enough credit for how good his footwork is with and without the ball. When he is isolated near the rim, he has a myriad of moves to help him create space for a jump hook or get around his defender for dunks. He’s patient with the ball and uses the rim for protection as well as anyone. Without the ball, watch his feet as he releases during P&R sets. He opens up so wide as his roll starts that it creates a passing lane for a bounce pass or creates space between him and the big for a lob – and Adams has the soft hands and athleticism to go up and get anything Westbrook throws his way. Without Durant, we should see Russ and Adams work together a whole lot more this season, a partnership we should all be excited about. 

Joel Embiid, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

No one knows what to expect, and that’s the beauty of Joel Embiid. We didn’t expect his social media antics and his candid responses in interviews. According to all reports, Embiid has been phenomenal in workouts, and he’s been giving his teammates all he can handle. If Embiid is half as good on the floor as he is on Twitter, the 76ers are going to be fun to watch this season. It’s hard to write about the expectations for a guy who has sat out for two years with injuries, but with Ben Simmons out until the heart of the winter, Embiid’s presence is the most exciting feature of the 76ers season. 

Rudy Golbert, 9.1 PPG | 11.0 RPG | 1.5 APG | 55.9 eFG% | 6.4 WS | 17.5 PER

Rudy Golbert is going to win Defensive Player of the Year this season. He’s the best defensive center in the NBA by a wide margin, and with an improved Jazz team, he’s going to get a lot more recognition for what he contributes to this team. He defends P&R sets on the perimeter phenomenally; he moves his feet well enough to keep up with guards and protects the rim like a guard dog, his outstretched hands barking at all offerings.

Gobert takes on so much responsibility that shouldn’t fall on him. There were a countless number of defensive possessions where Gobert picked up a guard coming off a screen then moved to the other side of the lane after a pass to block a shot on the weak side. Timing is everything for Gobert, and his length allows him to stay punctual for all meetings at the rim. He moves entirely too well for a man his size, and for every block he doesn’t get, there’s a shot altered and a mutual understanding that the next time you enter the paint, your shot might leave before you do. 

DeMarcus Cousins, 26.9 PPG | 11.5 RPG | 3.3 APG | 47.7 eFG% | 5.7 WS | 23.6 PER

There might not be a more divisive player in the NBA than DeMarcus Cousins. When engaged, he’s the most unstoppable center we have in the league. He’s a bully on the schoolyard dumping everyone else head first into trashcans. His mean streak is only rivaled by his meaner streak. But Boogie can entertain no matter how he’s feeling emotionally. He has all of the physical gifts you’d want in your franchise center, it’s just his occasional mental lapses that keep him from being mentioned as the best at his position. 

What makes Cousins the most fun is when he takes a defensive rebound a goes coast-to-coast like a young Charles Barkley. Standing in Cousins’ way when he’s on a mission is an attempt at suicide, and only ends well for Cousins, the Kings and fans watching. Boogie taking everything upon himself is a single-possession metaphor for his career. From the outside, it seems a bit selfish, but the culture cultivated by the franchise suggests that Boogie doing it himself is the best option. He hasn’t been given the help he needs to build a winner in Sacramento, so he might as well continue destroying worlds on his own. 

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