Top 5 Centers in OKC Thunder History
Feb 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward
Anthony Davis(23) has his shot blocked by Oklahoma City Thunder center
Kendrick Perkins(5) as center
Steven Adams(12) defends during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Throughout history, the center hasn’t been a rich position for many teams in the league. Unless you’re the Los Angeles Lakers, you’re lucky if you’ve been blessed with one great center in team history. The Seattle Sonics/Oklahoma City Thunder is no exception.
Center is either the most valuable position on the team or the least valuable, depending on who you’re talking to. A lot of great teams had a dominant center to get them easy baskets in the post and possessions with rebounding. However, the 90’s Chicago Bulls lacked a skilled center yet still won six championships. Of course, it helped that they had Michael Jordan.
Recent trends say it’s not important to have a great center. The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers just finished an NBA Finals that saw both teams utilize a combination of five guards and forwards, leaving their big men on the bench. However, current Thunder fans quickly point out that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have never played with a skilled big-man in the post, which is why they’ve fallen short of their championship aspirations.
If we were to re-do this list next season, it’s possible that current Thunder centers Steven Adams and Enes Kanter crack the top five. But until then, here are the top five centers in Sonics/Thunder history as of today.
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