It’s almost a rarer commodity than finding a PC in an Apple store. A unique skill set comprised of freakish height (even for NBA standards), brute strength, silky finesse and a mindset of dominance, a big man who showcases such a blend of talents isn’t going to be an annual find at the NBA Draft. In fact, the league is lucky to discover a new superstar center that fits this mold every decade.
However, even when a player pegged with the potential to provide a revolutionary presence in the paint does come along, they don’t always pan out as the next dominant big man. And even if they do turn out to be All-Star caliber, one wouldn’t be hard pressed to find someone (or many someones) who has a wheelbarrow full of criticism about why they aren’t an alpha dog center.
“He’s got great size and strength, but he doesn’t have a post move to his name!” or “he’s a freak athlete and can put up the points, but where’s the defense and rebounding?” are just a couple of many critiques of today’s potential up-and-coming star centers.
Realistically, there will probably never be a big man (not user-created in NBA 2K) who is universally accepted as an impeccable center. However, I thought it’d be nice to play the always cliche game of “What if ___” and through meshing the games of some of the NBA’s top middle-men of all time create the perfect center.
But what qualities and skills are necessary for a center to be deemed as “perfect.” Naturally, that question falls down to one’s own opinion and perspective of the game. However, there are a few requirements that the potential candidate must embody in order to even be recognized as a top-flight big man.
Next: The Criteria
