NBA Draft Position Rankings: Utah's Jakob Poeltl is best of a deep group of centers

We are posting our position-by-position draft rankings with scouting reports on each of the top 10 players at each position. That will be followed by the next 10 on the Big Board. Each position will also be broken into tiers in order to help show how the players break down in terms of similar talent levels. For each player in each tier, it's often scheme-based in terms of which team fits each player best.

Finally, it's time to rank the centers available in the 2016 NBA Draft. At the top end, there isn't a ton here in the way of talent. Among my top 20 players, only Jakob Poeltl features in it. That's partially a product of the center class itself, and also partially a product of the somewhat diminishing value of the true big man in today's NBA.

Before, when teams played two big men at all times, it was necessary to take a risk on some project big men in order to find the necessary size. Now though, there's just little reason to do that when you can play small. Would you rather take a chance on a project wing/forward that might be able to play 30-35 minutes per game, or a center that probably will only play 20-25? Think the answer is often rather obvious.

Still, there is tremendous depth in the middle portion of this draft from the 20 to 45 range. Nine players feature there, meaning there are going to be plenty of chances for players to receive guaranteed contracts by the time this thing ends.

TIER 2

1. Jakob Poeltl | Utah | 7-1, 239 pounds, 7-2.75 wingspan, 20 years old

Poeltl is the top center in this draft and should hear his name called relatively early in the draft, a pretty shocking development for given that two years ago he was a relatively unknown commodity getting ready for his freshman season at Utah. In terms of his NBA potential, Poeltl has a lot of interesting aspects that should play well for teams around the league. To begin his athleticism for a player at 7-foot-1 is superb, particularly in terms of his mobility. As we saw in the Western Conference Finals this year with Steven Adams, getting players like Poeltl who can attack ball-handlers with their size, length and fluidity is important, and Poeltl has potential to provide that on switches and in the pick-and-roll. His rim protection is quite average at this point due to his average length and lack of explosiveness off of a stand still, but overall Poeltl should be a defensive plus.

The offense is what's come around in a big way for him this season though. This season, Poeltl was arguably the most efficient player in terms of finishing looks around the basket and out of post ups in the country. He made a ridiculous 69 percent of his non-post-up shots around the basket this season, and then out of the post made 59 percent of his 149 attempts. That ability to finish shots around the rim is going to really help in the NBA, as it's become rarer and rarer for teams to rely on big men to create their own shots. As long as guys can catch and finish, they should be effective, and Poeltl is as efficient at that as anyone in America.

He's still not much in terms of a face-up forward, but the leaps and bounds he made this season with his shooting and passing might show a bit more potential there. Poeltl saw his assist rate leap from a low 6.6 in his freshman year to a really strong 13.7 mark in his sophomore season. Plus, his free throw percentage jumped from 44 percent as a freshman to 69.2 percent as a sophomore. If he can add a bit more in terms of fluidity shooting the ball in game, he might be able to become an elite center in the NBA. More than likely though, you're looking at a solid starting-caliber NBA player.

Jakob Poeltl will have plenty of reason for high fives after the lottery ends of June 23. USATSI

TIER 3

2. Ante Zizic | KK Cibona (Croatia) | 6-11, 240 pounds, 7-3 wingspan, 19 years old

Zizic is about as productive as you could hope for at a young age for an international prospect. At just 19 years old in the tough Adriatic League, Europe Cup and Croatian League competitions, Zizic is averaging 14.5 points and 8.6 rebounds over 53 games this season with a ridiculous 69.5 true-shooting percentage, 25.8 defensive rebounding rate, and 22.7 PER.

Basically, the near 7-foot center is one of the most active, competitive big men you'll find. He's always a nuisance for the opponent around the glass, and if you don't pick him up in transition you can expect him to find a way to get the ball at the rim for an easy two points. In terms of his offense, he's not a particularly polished post player, but he shows terrific timing in pick-and-roll settings and should have no issues making an impact as a role player who can catch and finish around the basket.

Defensively there are some questions, but Zizic isn't afraid to throw his body around and play physically inside to protect the paint. Like on offensive, he just competes all the time. He has a solid 5.03 block rate, but he does a good job of contesting shots as well as blocking them. His feet are mobile and he possesses solid athleticism vertically, but there is some question as to whether or not he'll be able to make an impact in the pick-and-roll defensively as he still isn't quite as solid in terms of his fundamentals as you'd hope. Particularly, his hands aren't as active as you'd hope in terms of using his length to cut off opponents. He has potential in this capacity, but that's all it is at this stage.

Like Poeltl above him, Zizic is another solid NBA potential starter-type inside. He's not quite as athletic and mobile as Poeltl, which makes him fall in behind, but there is a lot to like about Zizic as a solid pro in the future given his motor.

3. Ivica Zubac | Mega Leks (Serbia) | 7-1, 265 pounds, 19 years old

Among NBA people, Zubac seems to be the more popular of the two Adriatic League centers between he and Zizic. I'm slightly higher on the player above him at the NBA level, but there's still plenty to like about Zubac's game at the next level even if he hasn't gotten a chance to make a lot of this season.

Obviously, Zubac has NBA size at 7-1, and he pairs that with solid athleticism and great hands inside to go with long arms. He is a good pick-and-roll player due to his ability to time his roll just right in order to get the best position. Once he gets near the rim, he has good touch and clears out space well. Above all though, the kid is just productive when he's on the floor. Be it scoring efficiently or crashing the glass, or even protecting the rim as he's showed in his short time on the floor with Mega Leks this year, Zubac gets things done as evidenced by his 20.2 PER.

If Zubac decides to stay in the draft, it's likely he'll go in the first round. The potential to find an NBA starting caliber big man is too great, and you might even be able to convince him to stay overseas if you need the roster space. There are plenty of teams late in the first round that might be fans of that.

4. Damian Jones | Vanderbilt | 7-0, 244 pounds, 7-3.75 wingspan, 20 years old

Jones is your prototypical project as a big man, although where he's not necessarily normal is that he's about to be 21 years old. The age is fine, in large part due to the incredible athleticism that the 7-footer possesses that NBA teams think he should be able to harness in time in order to become effective. Jones is a superb leaper plus is quite mobile, plus he has good touch around the rim and finishes well above the rim. In non-post up situations, Jones made 67.7 percent of his halfcourt shots around the rim, a superb rate.

Where Jones struggles occasionally is in reacting to what's happening around him instinctively. Jones is one of the smartest players in the draft, an engineering major at Vanderbilt who might suffer a bit from overthinking around him. He doesn't seem to have the truest feel for the game, and can sometimes be a step behind the action in terms of attacking the glass or playing defense. However, he's athletic, he protects the rim well, and can finish lobs. That's typically enough to garner a potential first round pick, as many will want to try to coach him up and get the best of his play.

TIER 4

5. Cheick Diallo | Kansas | 6-9, 220 pounds, 7-4.5 wingspan, 19 years old

Diallo is an interesting draft prospect. On one hand, he didn't have anywhere near the season that was expected of him at Kansas after arriving to the scene late due to an NCAA investigation. But on the other, he dominated at the NBA Draft combine, using his skills to his advantage in a way he never did under Bill Self.

The 6-9 Malian forward runs the floor as well as any big man that has entered the draft in years, has the mobile ability to switch everything defensively and guard a variety of players in switches, plus has one of the best motors in the draft in terms of playing hard. Plus, he can rebound, finishes well around the rim, moves well in the pick-and-roll, and can block shots on the weakside of the rim. There is some question about whether or not he will gain enough weight to play as a true center, but Diallo has solid potential to become an active role player and defender at the NBA.

Cheick Diallo has a shot to go in the first round. USATSI

6. Stephen Zimmerman | UNLV | 7-0, 234 pounds, 7-3.25 wingspan, 19 years old

Zimmerman had an up and down season at UNLV in what ended up being a highly difficult season that involved quite a bit of turnover. Midway through the season, the Rebels fired their coach and were left with an awkward situation that made it difficult for Zimmerman to develop.

On the plus side, Zimmerman did finish second in the Mountain West in defensive rebounding rate and fourth in block rate, showing his potential to be a solid role player inside in the NBA, exactly what was anticipated when he came into the season as a potential lottery pick. He also didn't really get a chance to do much in the way of showing off his passing or shooting ability, and wasn't particularly efficient on the offensive end anyway with his 51.9 true-shooting percentage.

Zimmerman's draft stock depends on what you think of him athletically and with his offensive game. If you think he can be a solid shooter who can then defend, rebound and protect the rim, then he's worth a first round pick. If you think he's deficient in one of those categories, he's probably more of a second round prospect when you also take into account the fact that he has a bit of an injury history. Still, a team could fall in love and take him in the 20s.

7. Chinanu Onuaku | Louisville | 6-10, 245 pounds, 7-2.75 wingspan, 19 years old

Onuaku is a young sophomore that has potential to be a solid defensive stopper at the next level. He's relatively nimble for a guy that's his size on the perimeter, defends the rim well, and rebounds the ball at a high level. Onuaku had a 25.8 defensive rebounding rate, put up a superb 9.6 block rate, and really is effective at carving out space in the lane and clogging it up for drivers. You'd just like him to be a bit taller than 6-10 as a true center.

He also improved immensely offensively from his freshman to sophomore seasons, becoming a more efficient finisher and scorer. He got quite a few points on put-backs, and also became better at catching and finishing around the basket. He made 63.7 percent of his non-post up field goal attempts around the basket, and then converted post-up shots at a 60.7 percent clip. Still, he's incapable of creating much of anything for himself on that end and his 20.8 turnover rate is a bit too high for a player that teams will need to be able to rely on him to make efficient plays. With that kind of turnover issue, he'd likely be a negative offensive player in the NBA until he learned how to cut them down.

Still, Onuaku is young and his defensive potential is legitimate. He could get into the first round based off of strong interviews with teams that convince them he has room for growth. Regardless, it's likely he'll get a guaranteed deal next season.

8. A.J. Hammons | Purdue | 7-0, 270, 7-3 wingspan, 23 years old

Hammons is the old hand of the group at 23, turning 24 in August. But he took major strides last season toward fulfilling his immense potential, and might be worth taking a risk on as an NBA pick. Few players -- if any -- have as proven a track record in terms of protecting the rim as Hammons does. He's had double-digit block rates in each of the last three seasons, had a 24.9 defensive rebounding rate, and contests shots while also affecting the glass.

Hammons can also step out and shoot the ball, throwing up a 58.5 effective field goal percentage in catch and shoot opportunities. Then inside, he was among the most effective players in the post this season, and made 67.2 percent of his non-post-up shots around the rim. The biggest questions with him at this stage revolve around his maturity and conditioning. These are aspects of his game that seemed much improved in 2016, but still need to continually be proved to convince NBA teams that he's worth the shot in the second round. He's also not particularly good at covering pick-and-rolls, and occasionally doesn't look all that engaged in what's happening in the game.

The Purdue big man could go anywhere from the 30s to undrafted and it wouldn't be a total shock. There's a lot to like, but there are also some questions about where his game is.

9. Diamond Stone | Maryland | 6-10, 254 pounds, 7-2.75 wingspan, 19 years old

Stone came into the year expecting to be a lottery pick, but further examination of his game didn't really reveal one that seemed likely to be successful given the way the NBA is headed in the future. Stone is a true post player on offense that struggles to make a tangible impact on defense. With Maryland this season, Stone averaged 12.5 points, but didn't quite show as much on offense as one would hope in terms of translating to the next level currently. He did move well with Melo Trimble in the pick-and-roll, finishing little dump offs around the rim consistently to post a 62.3 field goal percentage around the rim. But he was largely an eight feet and in player, which when combined with his defensive deficiencies makes him a tough fit.

Stone was one of the worst rebounding centers in this season's draft last year, putting up only a 14.5 defensive rebounding rate. Stone has good hands, but this is where a lack of upward explosiveness, only 6-10 height, and substandard motor come into play. He simply just doesn't attack and clear the glass in the way that's necessary for his skill set. Throw that into account with the fact that he's also not particularly useful in space as a big defender, and it's hard to see how he becomes useful on that end at some point.

If you're going to take Stone in the first round, you have to believe that he has some potential to stretch the floor with his jumper and can improve as a rim protector and rebounder. I'm not sold, but he is still super young, has great hands, and has touch. Sometimes, that's enough to figure it out within a couple of years. I just wouldn't take that gamble in Round One.

Diamond Stone has seen his stock fall a bit over the course of the season. USATSI

10. Zhou Qi | Xinjiang (China) | 7-2. 218 pounds, 7-7.75 wingspan, 20 years old

Zhou is a fascinatingly productive, yet entirely risky prospect from China. He's the country's best prospect since "The Chairman" Yi Jianlian, who was drafted by the Bucks in 2007, and has been quite successful in the CBA. This season he averaged 15.8 points and 9.8 rebounds, with superb metrics that showed growth. Particularly, his work on the defensive glass improved by leaps and bounds, going from a 17.9 defensive rebounding rate in 2015 to a 24.3 number this season. That's been a result of his body continuing to improve, as it looks like he's put on some muscle mass in the last year. His best skill is his ability to protect the rim, where he's CBA in block rate each of the last two seasons rather easily. He's also improved his range and can comfortably hit 3s from the international line, although he's not quite shooting as well inside this year as he did last year.

The questions with Zhou are body-based. His frame is slender and slight, and doesn't look like it can handle a ton of bulk in order to take the physical grind of the NBA better. He's going to get pushed around quite a bit on the glass, and it's going to be tough for him to get the spots he wants on the floor. There are also some questions out there about his age among NBA scouts, and if they believe he might actually be older, that might put an even further ceiling on his body development. He's also not particularly fluid with his movements, although you can say that about most 7-footers.

Basically, to believe Zhou is a first round pick, you have to think that he's going to keep improving his frame at an extremely high rate. I'm not sold on that happening at this stage. He's worth an early second round flier, but it wouldn't be crazy to see some general manager fall in love with his upside or an owner fall in love with the potential he has to enter the Chinese market in a big way and take him in the first round. After all, it's not often 7-2 guys with near-7-8 wingspans grow on trees.

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Tier 4 (continued)