Ranking NBA's Top 15 Centers Entering 2018-19 Season

15. Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic

Age: 27

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 16.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.1 blocks

Advanced Metrics: 19.7 player efficiency rating (PER), 92.87 total points added (TPA), 2.23 real plus-minus (RPM)

Sliding Nikola Vucevic any lower is plainly wrong. He doesn't have much in his defensive tool belt save for some pesky hands, but he's been one of the NBA's productive big men for almost a half-decade. DeMarcus Cousins, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are the only other players since 2014-15 averaging at least 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists per 36 minutes.

Vucevic would be a shoo-in to outperform his placement if the Magic weren't the Magic. Opportunity should become an issue in a frontcourt that must also account for Mo Bamba, Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac. Vucevic will be more impacted by the logjam than anyone.

Going on 28 in October, he's playing out a contract year outside of Orlando's long-term timeline. His stock could suffer from a deliberately diminishing role and, perhaps, an eventual relocation.

14. Kelly Olynyk, Miami Heat

Age: 27

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 11.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks

Advanced Metrics: 17.8 PER, 102.75 TPA, 3.34 RPM

In an alternate universe where he's not jockeying for minutes with Bam Adebayo, James Johnson and Hassan Whiteside, Kelly Olynyk lands much higher. But he has never sniffed 25 minutes per game and isn't about to start now unless the Heat throw Whiteside into exile.

Think of Olynyk as a next-level Patrick Patterson from his days with the Toronto Raptors—a semi-switchy big who can shoot, pass and sometimes put the ball on the floor while coexisting with any frontcourt running mate placed beside him. If he ever holds up defensively against behemoth 5s without needing Johnson as a buffer, Miami will have a frightening cheat code on its hands. 

13. DeAndre Jordan, Dallas Mavericks

Age: 30

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 12.0 points, 15.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.9 blocks

Advanced Metrics: 20.2 PER, 104.67 TPA, 3.34 RPM

DeAndre Jordan is not the player the Mavericks thought they had signed in 2015. His influence at the defensive end has long been overstated, and he's only drifting further away from linchpin mode. 

Last season wasn't just a case of his falling victim to an inferior Los Angeles Clippers squad. He's lost some of his oomph. Opponents shot 4.4 percentage points better around the rim with him on the court, according to Cleaning The Glass, while the Clippers' defensive rating improved by 3.4 points per 100 possessions when he took a seat.

Playing without Chris Paul hurt Jordan's finishing out of the pick-and-roll, and Dallas poses only so much of an upgrade. Head coach Rick Carlisle always find ways to create space, but rookie Luka Doncic and sophomore Dennis Smith Jr. will be Jordan's primary connections. As long as their development remains a priority, he's in line for another minor drop-off.

12. Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors

Age: 26

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 12.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.9 blocks

Advanced Metrics: 22.5 PER, 52.56 TPA, 0.99 RPM

Jonas Valanciunas is tiptoeing around fossilization in Toronto. He's a coin toss to close games depending on the matchup, and the Raptors have done nothing to suppress their commitment to small-ball arrangements.

Dual-point guard lineups became commonplace last season and aren't going anywhere. OG Anunoby, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard have to play some minutes together. Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka unlock five-out combinations. 

But Valanciunas should be safe for now. He's the steadiest center Toronto has on the payroll. Neither Ibaka nor Siakam are automatic shooters, and lineups with them at the 5 will want for rebounding and, probably, rim protection.

Valanciunas at least cleans up the glass, and the space manufactured by the Raptors' excess of wings and playmaking guards will let him eat out of the pick-and-roll. He might actually outplay—not to mention outperform—his fellow bigs if he delves deeper into his three-point exploration.

11. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

Age: 33

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 17.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.4 blocks

Advanced Metrics: 17.4 PER, 71.41 TPA, 1.55 RPM

Marc Gasol will have the chance to make this look silly. Or he could make this seem a little too aggressive. Aging bigs are always difficult to place.

Gasol should be fine on offense. Memphis needs to pare down his post-ups, but he can work over defenses as a standstill passer and shooter. His question marks lie at the other end. Many of Gasol's contemporaries are too explosive and rangy for him to get by on high IQ and positioning alone. The Grizzlies haven't been demonstratively better with him on defense since 2015-16, and it will only get harder for him to make plays from outside the foul line.

Partnering with Kyle Anderson, a healthy Mike Conley and Jaren Jackson Jr. could keep Gasol afloat. But bigs who don't play like wings on offense are most valuable as defensive fulcrums. Gasol isn't that anymore.