Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Patrick Ewing, Bill Russell, David Robinson and Shaquille O’neal. There used to be some dominate centers in the NBA including but not limited to the ones I mentioned.

These days, the NBA has evolved into more of a skilled and jump shooting display.

This shift diminishes the value of a center. At least two people agree that centers are still important to NBA teams.

“Every team needs someone that can crash the boards and play tough down low,” senior Nijil Staley said.

“The big man is very undervalued in the NBA today, but it’s a position that isn’t necessarily needed to win championships,” basketball coach Kendall McCarter said. “Teams have already done it. But with the talent the centers are bringing now, I think they will be on the come up soon.”

This is added more credibility when you look at the latest champions. The last time a big time center was featured as a part of a championship team, was 2002 with Shaq and the Lakers. Future champions feature Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett  Dirk Nowitzki, both who are mainly power forwards, but not necessarily a “center” per se.

Centers on these two teams are Tyson Chandler and Tiago Splitter, both decent but definitely not Hakeem or Wilt.

On some teams, power forwards played out of position as a small-ball center, like Chris Bosh and Tristan Thompson.

The reason most guys do play out of position is because teams like to put small forwards at the power forward spot to defend the three-point shooting big men.

Beside the big men being able to shoot threes, they can also put it on the floor and are becoming more and more athletic.

In the past two years, PF/C Kristaps Porzingis and C/PF Karl Anthony Towns have won the NBA skills challenges. This is isn’t just winning the challenge but beating out elite guards such as, Isaiah Thomas and John Wall.

Now moving on to the center position specifically, there’s a few guys who are at the top: DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol, Hassan Whiteside, DeAndre Jordan, Andre Drummond and Karl Anthony Towns are usually considered for the best center in the NBA.

Whiteside and Jordan are considered the most ideal modern NBA center. They both rebound, protect the rim and can be set up by their teammates. These centers don’t require the ball to be effective, so they play their role on their team perfectly because they fit in so seamlessly. Drummond also falls in their category, but he isn’t on the level of the others in terms of rebounding. Drummond is second behind Whiteside in rebounding, averaging one fewer than Whiteside’s 14.

Cousins and Gasol are the most similar with each other, due to their scoring from anywhere on the court and ability to pass the ball. Both centers are averaging five assists, but Cousins is a far better rebounder than Gasol.

“I think KAT (Karl Anthony Towns) is the best center in the NBA,” Staley said. “He’s young, athletic, plays physical and can grab double digit points and rebounds.”

So most people put Cousins as the number one center in the NBA, averaging 28 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. While I don’t disagree with this overall answer, I believe he won’t hold this crown for too long.

DeMarcus Cousins has recently been traded to the New Orleans Pelicans to join the widely considered best PF, Anthony Davis. Both are obviously excellent players, but them being together will put a damper on their individual stats.

Even though I already had this idea before the trade, just take a look at the minutes. Joel Embiid has been on a minutes restriction this whole season, due to his past foot injury and will later be able to play as much as possible. But in his restricted 24 minutes, he’s putting up 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

All you can do is imagine how well he would play under his future intended 34 minutes. He has also showed Hakeem Olajuwon-esque moves and is doing all of this at the young age of 22, as a rookie.

DeMarcus Cousins is an excellent offensive player, rebounder and passer. Embiid does not possess the playmaking of Cousins, but definitely has the edge over him in terms of defense. At times Cousins doesn’t compete on the defensive end and maybe that’s due to the offensive load he had to carry in Sacramento.

Embiid also has shown Hakeem Olajuwon esque moves in his post game and carries a fluidness down low. If that wasn’t enough, he developed a 3-point shot and can now shoot from anywhere on the court.

Apparently that wasn’t enough because he decided to grow three more inches, making him 7’3”, and gained 30 lbs of muscle. Combining those skills with his rebounding, shot blocking and physical attributes, along with his overall defensive intimidation, it won’t be long till he’s considered the best center in the league.

Embiid has a sparkling personality as the “Mayor of Philadelphia.” He has embraced the culture and the fans of that city, who loves their basketball team despite the struggles. The 76ers have tanked multiple seasons, losing games on purpose in order to obtain high draft picks.

Former 76ers GM Sam Hinkie coined the phrase, “Trust the process,” which was a way to make the fans understand why he chooses to run the team the way he did. He was fired in 2015, but the phrase did not die.

When Joel Embiid finally was able to play this 2016-2017 season, fans chanted “trust the process,” as Embiid put on a show for his first game with, 20 points, 7 rebounds and 2 block in 22 minutes. Embiid has previously and currently embraces the team motto, tweeting it and mentioning it in interviews. The 7 footer as well holds the mantle of the king of Twitter with his expressive and hilarious tweets. What can he not do at this point?

DeMarcus Cousins is currently the best center in today’s NBA and he as well as Embiid are the embodiment of what the modern NBA wants out of a big man. Mainly the defensive skills will put Embiid over Cousins by next season, along with his increased minutes allowing him for more opportunities to showcase his talents.