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Where would prime Ben Wallace rank among centers in 2024?

Would modern analytically-driven coaches be able to use Hack-a-Shaq to keep him off the floor whenever his team is in the bonus? Big Ben was a career 47% FT shooter.

The Center position becomes a little murky in 2024, but looking at strict 5s.

1. Jokic
2. Embiid
3. Davis
4. Gobert
5. Bam

I think that's probably where Ben slots in after those 5, maybe I've missed someone. I'd have him over J.Allen for one.

The lack of scoring ability was always an issue that a team had to account for, regardless of era, what allows him more leash on that end in 2024 is the spacing alongside heavy roll and lob games we see.

If Clint Capela, Rudy Gobert can do what they're doing, I don't see any reason Ben couldn't have his head above water on offense for large parts of the game. His athleticism and strength is what makes up for the difference in length those other two possess.

Defensively he has the mobility, motor and hands to operate in a higher pace and perimeter orientated schemes - noting his basket and paint game would remain the elite facet of his game. Likewise his timing and nose for the ball translate anywhere, purely from a numbers perspective the amount and types of rebounds available would see some pretty incredible numbers in my opinion.

Ben Wallace was not Rudy Gobert or Capela on Offense. He was an outright negative Offensive player; he had terrible hands, couldn't receive entry passes with consistency without fumbling the ball. Wallace wasn't a real lob threat, or rim roller at a generous 6'9". In 2024, Ben Wallace would be a 20-25MPG player with real concerns of being played off the court Offensively.

ben wallace as much as he is a great defender he's just so bad on offense that he'll be hard to play major minutes and deadass unplayable in the clutch due to being a 41% ft shooter
there are simply too many flaws for him to be a viable center in the 2020's

JimmyFromNz wrote:The Center position becomes a little murky in 2024, but looking at strict 5s.

1. Jokic
2. Embiid
3. Davis
4. Gobert
5. Bam

I think that's probably where Ben slots in after those 5, maybe I've missed someone. I'd have him over J.Allen for one.

The lack of scoring ability was always an issue that a team had to account for, regardless of era, what allows him more leash on that end in 2024 is the spacing alongside heavy roll and lob games we see.

If Clint Capela, Rudy Gobert can do what they're doing, I don't see any reason Ben couldn't have his head above water on offense for large parts of the game. His athleticism and strength is what makes up for the difference in length those other two possess.

Defensively he has the mobility, motor and hands to operate in a higher pace and perimeter orientated schemes - noting his basket and paint game would remain the elite facet of his game. Likewise his timing and nose for the ball translate anywhere, purely from a numbers perspective the amount and types of rebounds available would see some pretty incredible numbers in my opinion.

well i mean ben isn't rudy or capela type lob threats or roll man
he was far worse on offense
for guys you've missed i'd say chet, sabonis, wemby, are all better than what ben would look like in this era
his inability to score on anything that isn't a wide open dunk
and inability to hit ft's will just hold your offense back so much it's insane