2016 Fantasy Basketball Draft Prep: Center Tiers 1.0
While most NBA fans might think the center position is dead, Fantasy players know better.
By
Chris Towers
•
4 min read
Towers' Tiers 1.0: Guard | Forward | Center
The center position got a nice injection of young talent over the last couple of years, with the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Hassan Whiteside, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert and others making the leap to elite Fantasy status.
That has helped turn the position from the most barren wasteland in Fantasy to somewhere in the middle -- not as deep as point guard or power forward, but arguably a bit better than shooting guard and small forward.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the position bottoms out pretty quickly. I probably want to grab two players from the first three tiers at the position, because things get awfully risky beyond there. There still could be difference makers in the mid-to-late rounds, but centers tend to be low-usage players by nature, which means there isn't typically a huge margin for error there.
Still, if you play it right, you shouldn't have any trouble finding two good centers to run out there every week. That strategy can put you ahead of the competition, and might be the path to victory.
The First Two Tiers
| Elite | Excellent |
| Round 1 | Rounds 2-3 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Hassan Whiteside |
| DeMarcus Cousins | Al Horford |
| Marc Gasol | |
| DeAndre Jordan | |
| Derrick Favors | |
| Brook Lopez | |
| Rudy Gobert |
It might just be year two, but Towns really is already this good. Just 19 when he made his NBA debut a year ago, Towns put up 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 blocks per game, and got better as the season went on. If all he does is replicates the second half of last season, he is one of the three best centers in the game for Fantasy.
The second tier has quite a bit of risk, headlined by Whiteside and Gasol. Gasol's risk stems from the fractured foot he is coming back from, as well as his age, two factors that could lead to a precipitous fall in Fantasy appeal. I might feel more comfortable downgrading him a bit this season.
Whiteside took a huge step forward last season, and the Heat's decision to bring him off the bench ahead of his free agency seemed to light a fire. He took his defense to the next level, started setting more solid screens, and even improved his free-throw shooting dramatically. If those improvements sustain, he might have first-round value. However, he is also a 27-year-old with a history of effort and personality questions, who has somehow barely played 600 more minutes than Towns in his career.
The Next Two Tiers
| Very Good | High-risk, High-reward |
| Rounds 4-6 | Rounds 7-9 |
| Pau Gasol | Alex Len |
| Nikola Jokic | Dwight Howard |
| Andre Drummond | Steven Adams |
| Nikola Vucevic | Jusuf Nurkic |
| Jonas Valanciunas | Clint N`Dumba-Capela |
| Marcin Gortat | Andrew Bogut |
| Enes Kanter | Joakim Noah |
| Nerlens Noel | |
| Robin Lopez | |
| Greg Monroe | |
| Jahlil Okafor | |
| Myles Turner |
Jokic was probably the second-best rookie in the league last season, at least on a per-minute basis, but rarely played more than 25 minutes even as he proved to be Denver's most effective player last season. The question with him is whether he can sustain that level of production in what is expected to be a much larger role. If he can, he might be a third-round value by season's end.
Howard struggled through his least productive season for the Rockets last year since he was a rookie, and it is fair to wonder if knee, back and shoulder injuries over the last handful of years are the reason why. However, getting away from what was apparently a poisonous situaiton in Houston should also help, as Howard has admitted his effort level waned at times last season. The Hawks do a better job of spreading the ball around, so Howard shouldn't want for touches, and I think he could have a huge bounceback season in store.
| Solid backups | Late-round fliers |
| Rounds 10-13 | Last Round |
| Zaza Pachulia | Joel Embiid |
| Timofey Mozgov | Roy Hibbert |
| Cody Zeller | Willie Cauley-Stein |
| Bismack Biyombo | Frank Kaminsky |
| Tristan Thompson | Kelly Olynyk |
| Tyson Chandler | Al Jefferson |
| Willie Cauley-Stein | Jared Sullinger |
| Mason Plumlee | John Henson |
There are questions across the board here. Can Mozgov find his form from two years ago, or was last year the start of the decline after a very short peak. Can Biyombo find enough playing time as Nikola Vucevic's backup to be relevant? Can Cauley-Stein turn his impressive defensive potential into actual production in a 25-30 MPG role?
In the next tier, the biggest name is obviously Embiid, because unlike the rest of this crew, we have no idea what he might be. Embiid has the talent to be the best big man in basketball -- I firmly believe that -- but he also hasn't played a competitive basketball game in over two years thanks to foot and back injuries. He also may not even have a significant role this season, as the 76ers are likely to limit his minutes and exposure, especially on back-to-back sets. However, his upside is so high, someone needs to draft him. If you're already set with your frontcourt, it might make sense to stash him for a month and see what he can do. It could win your league for you.
