Top Centers in the 2019 NBA Draft

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2019 NBA Draft
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

We are concluding our list of the top players at each position in the 2019 NBA Draft with this list of the top centers in this draft class.

Here are our recent ranking posts relating to the draft:

Top Power Forwards in the NBA Draft

Best Small Forwards in the NBA Draft

Top Shooting Guards in the NBA Draft

Best Point Guards in the 2019 NBA Draft

Who are the best shooters in the NBA Draft?

Who are the best seniors in the 2019 NBA Draft?

This isn’t a very deep class of centers, but there are still a good amount of prominent names and a few that will land in the lottery.

 

Honorable Mentions:

Dewan Hernandez

Kenny Wooten

Marques Bolden

Moses Brown

Cameron Lard

 

10. Tacko Fall

Tacko Fall has continued to get a ton of hype as a prospect since he measured in so fantastically at the NBA Draft Combine. We still have grave concerns regarding how he will be able to stay on the court given his slow feet and inability to switch on defense. Still, he could make an impact professionally if a team throws him on the floor for just a couple minutes to dominate on offense.

9. Naz Reid

Naz Reid is a beast of a hooper. He’s just under 6’10 and 255+ pounds and plays like it. He’s a bully on the court and stretches the floor as good as most centers in this draft class. Reid’s 14% body fat is by far the highest in this class which is a cause for concern, but if he can drop that number down, he has a really good chance to be a stellar big in the NBA.

8. Alen Smailagic

Smailagic is unlike many other prospects in that he is coming straight from the G League. While his shooting percentages don’t seem all that impressive, he was much better towards the end of the year for the Santa Cruz Warriors. Even so, the most promising part of his game is his defensive versatility. He averaged just 17 minutes per game, but still put up almost 1 steal and 1 block per game. Smailagic is just 18 and has a lot of growing to do still, a team should take a chance on him late in the draft.

7. Jontay Porter

Injuries really do stink and they are something that Jontay Porter has seemed to deal with his entire hooping career so far. Given that he has torn his ACL multiple times over the past year, it’s hard to say that he has much draft stock this year. There still is no denying his intelligence and stretch floor potential as a prospect. The passing acumen is something to behold from Jontay.

6. Daniel Gafford

Daniel Gafford is very strong, a great rim protector, and very good around the rim. He hasn’t shown much in terms of expanding his game with a solid jump shot and doesn’t project to really be able to create one given his poor FT%. With that being said, Gafford did happen to move his FT% up by 7% points to 59% in his sophomore year. His defense and rim running ability will earn him an early 2nd round pick at the least this year in our eyes.

5. Bruno Fernando

Bruno Fernando has a similar archetype to Daniel Gafford. The main difference and the reason that we have Fernando higher on the list is that he is a better passer and projects as someone who can figure out his jump shot. Bruno has solid moves on the block and is an intelligent hooper. Expect him to be drafted in the late 1st round of the draft.

4. Mfiondu Kabengele

Mfiondu Kabengele has arguably the purest shot form out of all of the big men in this draft class. We are a little indifferent on his ability as a distributor, but most other aspects of his game are promising. While not having started a game during his 2 years at Florida State, Kabengele often finished games, was clutch, and was the most important player on the court for the team. He has shown the ability to switch on defense and protect the rim at an exceptional rate. Kabengele was one of the only players we remember that was able to block Zion at the rim. Expect a bright future for the young Seminole.

3. Goga Bitadze

Goga Bitadze is, along with Sekou Doumbouya, one of the top international prospects in this draft without a doubt. We had a lot of concerns last year with his game because he was extremely slow and really didn’t develop a full complete offensive game yet. This year, he has shown some ability to stretch the floor effectively while being able to protect the rim extraordinarily well. It sounds like he’s been moving higher and higher up on draft boards for NBA teams. He should be a lottery pick on draft night.

2. Bol Bol

Bol Bol has probably the best touch out of anyone we’ve seen at his height in a very, very long time. He has a brilliant floater, an exceptional three point shot, and can handle the ball too to be able to create his own shot. The major concerns with him are obviously his injuries (to his feet) and his inability to deal with stronger bigs in the paint. Still, there is no denying that when he gets it going on offense, he is literally unguardable. Because of that, he’ll be a lottery pick.

1. Jaxson Hayes

We are unsure if Jaxson Hayes will be picked before Bol Bol in the draft, but we just have less concerns regarding Jaxson Hayes’s transition to the NBA. Hayes should be able to last without a doubt. He is long, athletic, can protect the rim, and is only getting better day by day. Jaxson should be a top 10 pick and after a couple of years in the league, could be a premier big in the league.

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