Modern Centers are some of the most interesting players in the NBA. They can no longer be clunky, have to be quick and they either need to have great defense, good shooting, or both. Dominant centers like KAT, Embiid and Jokic can do all of this.
Unfortunately, there were some big men who fell off as the game advanced:
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1. Greg Monroe
Monroe is 29 years old and is already out of the NBA. He had success in the early 2010s as a good offensive center and was great in the post. But he was slow, couldn’t shoot and mediocre on defense. His career average shot distance is 4.4 feet. His career died in Milwaukee and was passed around after that. He was not meant for today’s NBA and thrived earlier in his career.
2. Jahlil Okafor
He was really never broke out and it could just be he was never that good. But he rapidly declined as the big men previously mentioned started to break out. He is similar to Monroe and is no fit for today’s NBA. He is a more extreme version of Monroe as he is slower and a worse defender. Okafor could have thrived in the 90s and 2000s, but is now a benchwarmer.
3. Roy Hibbert
Hibbert was one of the first old-school bigmen to fall off. Though it was due in part to weight issues, he was ill-equipped for the Modern NBA. His defense was actually pretty solid a couple seasons beforehand but his weight issues severely hurt it. Hibbert was very, very slow and was not an efficient shooter. His midrange game was not so bad, but needed significant improvement. He wouldn’t be the worst fit in the modern NBA, but nothing more than a benchwarmer.
4. Dwight Howard
Howard is too outdated for the Modern NBA along with his age. He is still a great defender, and is serving his role on the Lakers pretty well. He is still a bit slow and cannot shoot, but his defense is really helping him. His IQ is still very high and is one of the best post-players. Still a good role-player and really helped the Lakers this season.
The NBA is way different than it was 10 years ago, and though some of these players are still in the NBA, they are not as they could have been in 2000’s or earlier in the 2010’s.
Photo: Sports Illustrated
