Top five centers in this summer's NBA draft
With both of the top-2 picks playing the center position, the position is receiving much of the attention leading up to the 2015 NBA draft, and with good reason.
Both Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor have the potential to make an incredible impact at the next level. Beyond that, the position includes three more potential lottery picks, all bringing various skills to the table for a team in need.
Karl-Anthony Towns, freshman, Kentucky
Big men who can dominate a game on both ends of the court are hard to find and that's the appeal of Towns.
He may not be as dominant as Okafor in the post, but he does more: he has more range on his jump shot, he blocks shots, he hits the defensive glass, and he's more mobile than Okafor.
It's not just that Towns is better than Okafor in those aspects, it's that he's demonstrably better. Towns connected on 81.3% of his free throws, compared to 51% for Okafor, he blocked 4.3 shots per 40 minutes of play compared to just 1.9 for Okafor, and he collected 8.2 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes vs Okafor's 6.7.
That ability to dominate a game on the defensive side of the ball kept Towns in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick all year despite Okafor's brilliance in the post. When Towns' emerging post-up game started to be showcased later on in the year, Towns overtook Okafor as the to player on most draft boards.
Jahlil Okafor, freshman, Duke
After just talking about some of Okafor's weaknesses (defending shots at the rim, defensive rebounding, moving his feet laterally, perimeter jump shot), it's impossible not to be blown away by his strengths.
You would be hard pressed to find a freshman come in with his skill set. Few players on the planet have the diversity of moves in the post that Okafor does, much less at 19 years of age. His footwork is impeccable, and his ability to recognize incoming double teams uncanny.
It's that second ability that may separate him from the other gifted post scorers. It's one thing to attract a double team, but to truly make a team pay by recognizing where the help is coming from and making correct passes out of the post is a true asset, and one that's extremely rare. At times, Okafor ran the offense from the post, appearing to be surveying the court and anticipating several steps ahead, just like you would see from a point guard.
With the NBA moving towards more face-up and pick-and-roll big men, can Okafor buck the trend? Is his post game that advanced, and his passing that unique, to truly separate him? Many around the league believe that it is.
More than perhaps any other player, the next 1.5 months is crucial for Okafor. Can he shed weight and appear lighter on his feet? Can that make him more of a threat to defend the rim, and make it easier for him to jump out on the perimeter to defend a ball handler off of a pick and roll? If Okafor can answer these questions, his unique offensive talents could vault him back into contention for that No. 1 pick.
Willie Cauley-Stein, junior, Kentucky
With the NBA moving towards face-up and pick and roll big men, mobile defenders to counteract that is in high demand and Cauley-Stein is the prototype to fill that role.
Like Nerlens Noel, his fellow former Wildcats player, Cauley-Stein's defensive intrigue isn't just a result of his ability to alter shots at the rim, but in his versatility. Cauley-Stein can pop out on the perimeter and defend guards, can disrupt ball handlers coming off of pick and rolls, and can rotate to help cover up his teammates missed defensive assignments.
The concerns with Cauley-Stein involve his offense, having never been a featured part of the Wildcats' gameplan. He did improve his free throw shooting up to 61.7%, which may not sound like a lot but is a drastic improvement over the 37.2% and 48.2% he shot during his freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively. Cauley-Stein is making progress on the offensive side of the court, but it's very slow and methodical.
Myles Turner, freshman, Texas
Turner has the chance to be a very polarizing prospect. On the one hand, he blocked shots at an elite level, registering 4.7 blocks per 40 minutes played, making an impact more as a result of positioning and timing than sheer athleticism. He also makes an impact on the defensive glass, and shows the ability to step out and hit jump shots out to the collegiate three point line. The combination of those three attributes is incredibly intriguing.
That being said, Turner's offense was extremely inconsistent. His jump shot was very hit or miss, and mostly miss as the season went along. Turner connecting on 83.9% of his free throws suggests this is a problem he should be able to correct down the line, but Turner definitely fell in love with his jumper a little bit too much, in part because his post game is still very unrefined.
And, when Turner's jump shot wasn't falling, he struggled to consistently make an impact. Can he develop some go-to moves down low? Can that jump shot become a much more consistent part of his arsenal? He has enough potential as a defender and rebounder to convince some team to take a chance that the answer to those questions is yes.
Frank Kaminsky, senior, Wisconsin
Kaminsky has the most diverse offensive skill set of any big man in the draft, with an ability to play both in the post and on the perimeter that's extremely rare. His growth over the years, from a freshman who averaged seven minutes per game into one of the best players in the nation, has been a joy to watch.
So what's the concern? It's mostly on the defensive side. Kaminsky doesn't move his feet well on the perimeter, thus struggling to defend in space. He also doesn't defend the post all that well, frequently giving up deep post positioning to the few post scorers he went up against. He's also not much of a shot blocker to make up for it, blocking only 1.5 shots per game in the 33 minutes per night he played.
It's tough to find a big man who can score in the post, connect from beyond the three point line, and pass the ball, so Kaminsky is likely going to be a lottery pick despite his defensive concerns.