Could Joel Embiid Help Bring Back The Center Position?

Some of the best players to ever lace them up on the hardwood were deemed centers.  When compiling any Top 25 list in NBA history it’s littered with big men like Chamberlain, Russell, O’Neal, Olajuwon, Robinson, and Ewing.

Problem is, it’s been quite some time since any of those aforementioned names dominated the Association, as many teams have gone to a smaller, more athletic line-up, essentially phasing out the once feared 7 foot center.

Outside of All Star caliber bigs like Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, and Joakim Noah, the center position has largely been a forgotten entity in the professional ranks, until now.

In most 2014 Mock Drafts, Kansas center Joel Embiid is the consensus #1 overall pick, as long as his once fractured lower back clears the medical portion of his evaluation for prospective teams.

Embiid is so highly touted, that he has been favorably compared to Hall of Famer and 2 Time NBA champion Hakeem Olajuwon for his plethora of offensive moves around the basket, innate shot blocking skills, and game-changing capabilities.

He’s only played competitive basketball for 3 years and was a a former volleyball star, but he could be the key to helping bring back the center position in the NBA going forward.

Some past centers taken number one have fizzled out or become role players like Greg Oden, Andrea Bargnani, and even Andrew Bogut, but none were as talented as Embiid, who already can finish with both hands and has range on his jumper to beyond the 3 point line.

If Embiid works out in the pros, he could change how NBA teams draft, since in future years there are quite a few 7 foot center prospects tearing up the high school and collegiate ranks like #1 rated HS player Jahlil Okafor at Duke, Karl Towns at Kentucky, and Thon Maker, Steven Zimmerman, Chase Jeter, and Skal Labissiere, still in high school.

Adding in still young and developing current NBA big men like Andre Drummond, Demarcus Cousins, and Nerlens Noel, and we may be in for a tremendous upswing in talented centers in the near future.  Start practicing your back-to-the basket moves, the center position is poised to make a comeback.