NBA History: 5 greatest centers of the last decade (2010-2019)

The history of the NBA has been dominated by the “Big Men”. The likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, and so on, dominated not only the paint but also the stat sheets during their time. They ruled the NBA in their prime and muscled their opponents on both the ends of the floor.

The Modern-day NBA, on the other hand, has become more diverse with short players becoming more and more dominant. However, some Bigs have still made a huge impact on the game and have been the linchpins of their teams.

Every NBA Champion has a big name at the centre associated with it even today. Let’s take a look at the best centres of the last decade (2010-2019).

#5 Joel Embiid

Stats (2010-2019)-

Games Played: 180
Points: 4334
Rebounds:2075
Assists: 572
Steals: 133
Blocks: 338

With just 180 games in his career, Joel Embiid still makes it to the list of the best five centres of the last decade. The overall stats given above hide the real value of Embiid who makes life tough for the opponents on both the ends of the floor. When he is healthy, he plays like one of the best centres in the NBA right now, of which, his numbers are a proof. With a career average of 24.1 points per game, Embiid has shot 47.8% from the field and 31.5% from beyond the arc.

Embiid has not played in more than 64 games in any season and has still made it to the All-Stars, All-NBA and All-Defensive teams two times each. He has been on load management half of his career and has dealt with a lot of injury problems. So maintaining such stats is a commendable task and the sign of a legend in the making.