Top 5 NBA Post Players
Post players should be in quotations. With the pace of play and spacing in the game today, most bigs spend the majority of their time on the perimeter.
#5 Nikola Jokić
• Points: 20.1
• Rebounds: 10.8
• Blocks: 0.7
Jokić is far from the most talented on this list, but he will never be outworked. The Nuggets continue to find themselves near the top of the Western conference every year thanks to the play of their young core anchored by Jokić.
#4 Anthony Davis
• Points: 25.9
• Rebounds: 12
• Blocks: 2.4
Davis is a skilled ball handler, an elite perimeter shooter, and he possesses unlimited athleticism. But, as mentioned in several prior posts, his exploits are seldom utilized by his team due to his penchant for injury. Whether it’s pure bad luck or poor off-season conditioning, Davis’ injury plagued career makes him impossible to compare to his contemporaries. When healthy, AD is a top three player in the league, period. But he’s almost never healthy.
#3 Rudy Gobert
• Points: 15.9
• Rebounds: 12.9
• Blocks: 2.3
Gobert is the last of a dying breed. Gobert is the only true big on this list that prefers to play with his back to the basket (Joel may prefer it, but it’s not his strength). Gobert is the heart and soul of the stingy Jazz defense. With more help on the perimeter, the Jazz would be a legitimate title contender.
#2 Joel Embiid
• Points: 27.5
• Rebounds: 13.6
• Blocks: 1.9
Arguably the best post player in the game, Embiid can stretch the floor or pound a defense on the block. No big has controlled tempo and style of play as effectively as Embiid since Shaquille O’Neal. Embiid is the best defender on this list and it is not a close competition. Gobert may have the hardware, but playing in the Western Conference gives Gobert an advantage. Embiid has ravaged the Eastern Conference with relative ease the pass three seasons. Look for Embiid’s dominant play to continue as his thirst for championship glory grows.
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#1 Karl-Anthony Towns
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• Points: 24.4
• Rebounds: 12.4
• Blocks: 1.6
KAT cannot be stopped. He is the biggest, strongest, and most effective big in the game. He lacks the attention he deserves due to playing in a small midwestern market. But this young talent is the real deal. He can turn over both shoulders. He can back down any player at will with Embiid being the lone exception. Any GM starting a team today would unquestionably prefer KAT to any player on this list and if they wouldn’t, they should be fired. KAT shoots like a wing, and directs traffic like point. KAT not only has the softest touch of any big on this list. But he is the most fundamentally sound and has the highest ceiling. As soon as the Wolves convince another star to join KAT in Minneapolis, this young prodigy will ascend to unknown heights.
