NBA Live 19 Ratings: Top Centers (C)

Many believe the NBA is going the way of the smalls, but a look at the age's of the best centers in NBA Live 19 suggests otherwise. From Anthony Davis to Joel Embiid to Karl-Anthony Towns, the following looks at the top ten centers in the game.

Anthony Davis (94) 

Age: 25

Position: PF

Height: 6’11’’

Team: New Orleans Pelicans

Traits: Post Anchor

Best stats: 99 Defensive Awareness, 97 Stamina, 97 Inside Shot, 97 Shot Block

Davis is one of the best players in the world, and for many people, is tipped to replace LeBron James as the best when the King finally relinquishes his crown. Last year, on the back of a dominant second half of the season, he averaged 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.6 blocks. With just a year remaining on his five year, $130 million contract, this season will see plenty of discussion about where he will play in 2019/20.

Joel Embiid (92)

Age: 24

Position: C 

Height: 7’0’’

Team: Philadelphia 76ers

Traits: Post Anchor

Best stats: 97 Strength, 96 Post Moves, 95 Draw Shooting Foul

Embiid got to put together a decent body of work for the first time in his four year career in 2017/18, managing 63 regular games and averaging 22.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 blocks per night. Heading into the 2018/19 season, he will kick off a new contract which will see him earn around $30 million with the 76ers this season - a significant increase on the $6 million he made last season. 

Karl-Anthony Towns (91)

Age: 22

Position: C 

Height: 7’0’’

Team: Minnesota Timberwolves

Traits: Post Anchor

Best stats: 95 Stamina, 95 Post Moves, 95 Injury

Towns’ third year in the NBA saw him play 82 games for the third season in a row, and though he became a lethal 3-point shooter, his points per game average dropped significantly. He put up 21.3 points per night to go with his 12.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, and while he hasn’t yet taken the steps forward he was expected to after his dominant first two seasons, he is still an elite player and, at just 22 years of age, is the tenth highest rated player in NBA2K19. Still on his rookie contract, Towns will earn a little under $8 million with the Timberwolves this season. 

DeMarcus Cousins (90)

Age: 28

Position: C 

Height: 6’11’’

Team: Golden State Warriors

Traits: Post Anchor

Best stats: 99 Draw Shooting Foul, 95 Strength, 95 Defensive Awareness

48 games into the final year of his contract with the Pelicans, Cousins was averaging 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per night. Unfortunately, he then ruptured his Achilles Tendon and was out for 12-months causing his market value to drop enormously. As a result he signed a one year deal worth just $5.3 million with the Warriors, where he will be likely be available for around half of the season. 

Rudy Gobert (89)

Age: 26

Position: C 

Height: 7’1’’

Team: Utah Jazz

Traits: Rim Protector

Best stats: 99 Defensive Awareness, 98 Shot Block, 96 Post Defense, 96 Rebounding

In a testament to his defensive dominance, Gobert took out the 2017/18 Defensive Player of the Year despite playing just 56 games. In those games, which earned him a cool $21.2 million, the Stifle Tower averaged 13.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, and he has been rewarded with a big rating in this year’s NBA Live.

Marc Gasol (88)

Age: 33

Position: C 

Height: 7’1’’

Team: Memphis Grizzlies

Traits: Post Anchor

Best stats: 96 Post Defense, 95 Post Moves, 93 Injury

Marc Gasol endured a difficult 2017/18 season as the lone star on a team which didn’t want to win, but the 10-year Grizzlies veteran fought through admirably, putting up 17.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks a night. At 33 years of age, Gasol enters 2018/19 on the second last year of a five year deal, and will earn around $24 million this season. 

Andre Drummond (88)

Age: 25

Position: C 

Height: 6’11’’

Team: Detroit Pistons

Traits: Rim Protector

Best stats: 99 Rebounding, 96 Strength, 95 Injury

The most dominant rebounder in the game, Drummond took things to another level last season, averaging a career high 16 boards to go with 15 points per game. He also drastically improved his passing game, accumulating 3.0 assists to go with 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks. The impressive numbers came in the second season of his five year, $127 million contract with Detroit, which he signed in 2016.

Al Horford (87)

Age: 32

Position: C 

Height: 6’10”

Team: Boston Celtics

Traits: Stretch BIg

Best stats: 93 Post Moves, 93 Injury, 92 Stamina

While Horford’s numbers may not do justice to his impact on the court, his contract certainly does, with the Celtic star set to earn just under $30 million this season. His numbers last season were typical Horford; he averaged 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 blocks, doing a little bit of everything to lead the inexperienced Celtics to the Conference Finals. 

DeAndre Jordan (87)

Age: 30

Position: C 

Height: 6’11’’

Team: Dallas Mavericks

Traits: Rim Protector

Best stats: 98 Rebounding, 98 Strength, 97 Post Defense

After ten seasons with the Clippers, DeAndre Jordan will play his first NBA season outside of Los Angeles in 2018/19 after signing a one year deal worth nearly $23 million with the Mavericks. Jordan is coming off a year in which he averaged 12.0 points and 15.2 rebounds per game, the latter of which is the highest number of his career. 

Nikola Jokic (86)

Age: 23

Position: C 

Height: 6’10’’

Team: Denver Nuggets

Traits: Stretch Big

Best stats: 93 Post Moves, 89 Injury, 88 Stamina, 88 Inside Shot

In his third NBA season, Jokic continued to show why he is one of the most intriguing and entertaining players in the game. The best passing big man in the world, Jokic put up 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.2 steals last season, allowing him to sign a five year contract worth just under $150 million with the Nuggets, starting this year. 

Hassan Whiteside (85)

Age: 29

Position: C 

Height: 7’0’’

Team: Miami Heat

Traits: Rim Protector

Best stats: 95 Shot Block, 92 Rebounding, 91 Strength

Whiteside took a step backwards last season, failing to justify the $23.7 million he earned from Miami. In a year punctuated by injuries and a poor attitude, Whiteside struggled to adapt to a more limited role, averaging 14.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks - all well below what he is capable of. 

The Best of the Rest

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