Fantasy Focus: Centers
True, reliable centers are hard to come by in fantasy basketball. If the center(s) you drafted is not giving you the rebounds, blocks and shots you need, it may be time to talk trade within your league, or perhaps you should turn to the waiver wire for returning-from-injury gems. Today, we take a look at the centers who are providing owners with the needed statistical numbers so far in the 2010-11 season.
As always, when we talk fantasy here at HOOPSWORLD, we assume a nine-category league (points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocks, three-pointers made, turnovers, field-goal percentage, and free throw percentage).
Please note that we considered players with eligibility limited only to the center position in Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues. Many centers are ranked as a power forwards and forwards (such as Pau Gasol, Al Horford, Kevin Love), but we elected to stick solely with the center-ranked position.
Let’s take a look at the top five leaders in the center position in each major statistical category, averaging at least 25.0 minutes per game and who has played in at least 80% in games so far in the 2010-11 season:
*Note – All stats represent games played through 12/30/10
**Note – We disregarded three-pointers made since none of the qualified centers posted meaningful numbers therein
Points: Dwight Howard (21.1) Least Turnovers: Tyson Chandler (1.1)
Brook Lopez (19.3) Andris Biedrins (1.3)
Andrew Bogut (13.8) Emeka Okafor (1.5)
Roy Hibbert (13.5) Andrew Bogut (1.8)
Marc Gasol (11.8) Marc Gasol (1.9)
Rebounds: Dwight Howard (13.0) Field Goal%: Tyson Chandler (.669)
Andrew Bogut (11.6) Emeka Okafor (.568)
Andris Biedrins (9.8) Dwight Howard (.562)
Emeka Okafor (9.6) Andris Biedrins (.536)
Tyson Chandler (8.9) Marc Gasol (.532)
Assists: Marc Gasol (2.7) Free Throw%: Brook Lopez (.811)
Roy Hibbert (2.6) Tyson Chandler (.775)
Andrew Bogut (1.6) Marc Gasol (.752)
Andris Biedrins (1.5) Roy Hibbert (.732)
Brook Lopez (1.2) Dwight Howard (.565)
Steals: Dwight Howard (1.2) Blocks: Andrew Bogut (2.8)
Marc Gasol (1.0) Dwight Howard (2.5)
Andris Biedrins (0.9) Roy Hibbert (1.9)
Brook Lopez (0.6) Emeka Okafor (1.8)
Andrew Bogut (0.5) Brook Lopez (1.5)
Tyson Chandler (0.5) tie Marc Gasol (1.5) tie
Here are the top five true centers leading in PER (Player Efficiency Rating); again, averaging at least 25.0 mpg.
- Dwight Howard (24.20)
- Andrew Bogut (18.18)
- Brook Lopez (18.07)
- Roy Hibbert (17.03)
- Tyson Chandler (17.01)
{AUTHOR_BOX}Now that we see which centers are posting the best numbers in fantasy categories, there are several names that keep popping up. We will breakdown those multiple contributors who were undoubtedly snapped up on your draft night:
Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic):
Howard appears in every category above except for Least Turnovers (3.6 pg / 113 total, which is the fourth-highest in the league) and free throw percentage (.565 / 6.4 FT made of 11.4 attempted). Howard is leading the league in total free throw attempts, by far, at 352; just think of his value with improved FT efficiency. Any owner knows Howard will disappoint in free throws and turnovers, but the numbers he posts in all other areas far outweighs any concerns. Currently, 25-year-old Howard’s 21.1 ppg and 1.2 spg are career-high numbers.
Simply put, the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year provides the most meaningful center-position statistics in total to fantasy owners. And he’s only missed three games over his six-season career; he was sidelined in two games this season.
Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee Bucks):
Bogut’s name shows up in every category above except free throw percentage (a dismal .444 / 1.8 FT made of 4.1 attempted) and field-goal percentage (.497 / 6-of-12). He’s posting career-high averages in rebounds per game and blocks (and leads the league in blocks per game). At just 26 years old, he’s also playing the most minutes ever at 35.6 pg. Just keep in mind that he has appeared in 80% of the Bucks’ games and revealed that he will battle pain all season. He estimates he’ll keep playing at 85% to 90% this year; the decreased shooting percentages are directly related to the lingering injuries to his elbow and hand.
Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers):
Hibbert’s numbers have increased over last season (but not shooting percentages) in nearly four minutes more playing time. 2010-11: 13.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.6 apg and 1.9 blocks vs. 2009-10: 11.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.6 bpg. He can be a rather inconsistent player, and his recent production has taken a dip. The third-year player sometimes crumbles under pressure and is his own worst critic, but look for improved growth throughout the year.
Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets):
Lopez will give you impressive scoring (19.3), but not so much in rebounding (6.2), which is quite a decrease from last years’ 8.6 rpg…even in his rookie year, he posted 8.1 rpg. His current .455 FG% also leaves much to be desired. Still, he’s healthy and gives you 1.5 average blocks. He has a lot of time to turn the rebounding around.
Emeka Okafor (New Orleans Hornets):
Okafor’s numbers are remarkably similar to last season, yet not quite at the same level as his Charlotte days; of course, he’s not playing the same minutes (31.0 this year) either. He’s logged double-digit scoring in five of the past six games, along with double-digit rebounds in five of the past seven games. The great news is that Okafor has not missed a game since the 2006-07 season.
Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks):
Chandler has assumed starting center duties for Dallas. So much for any career-threatening toe injury? He’s solid, but doesn’t put up numbers that will blow you away. His average 8.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and very nice .669 field-goal percentage are certainly welcome on any fantasy team. He’s not posting the impressive numbers as we saw when he played for the Hornets, but then again, like Okafor, he’s not playing those type minutes either (27.6 mpg).
Keep your eye out for these centers:
Chris Kaman (Los Angeles Clippers):
You might consider grabbing Kaman off waivers now as he should return within a couple weeks. In 10 games this season, he averaged 10.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocks at 26.42 minutes. The downside is his .383 field-goal percentage.
Kendrick Perkins (Boston Celtics):
Keep a very watchful eye on Perkins. His reported February return may be bumped up to late January. He averaged 10.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 1.7 blocks in the 2009-10 season. His .602 FG% is nice; be aware of his .582 free throw percentage.
Marcin Gortat (Phoenix Suns):
Finally, Gortat has landed on a team that will give him minutes. In the three games with Phoenix so far, he’s averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 26.3 minutes, which is roughly double the minutes Orlando gave him last season. (Your writer here picked him up as soon as his trade was announced) He may not be winning many friends with his recent public criticism of the Suns’ defense.
Andrew Bynum (Los Angeles Lakers):
Bynum came off the bench in his first seven games after finally returning from injury, and responded with 18 points (8-of-12 shooting), six rebounds and a block in his first start a couple days ago. Cross your fingers and insert him in your starting lineup.
Obviously, we didn’t come close to covering every viable center, but hopefully this quick glance will aid you going forward. It may be time to approach someone about a trade.
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