Where does Jefferson rank?

[rmdlwajazz]

There seems to be a very wide range of thought amongst Jazz fans as to Jefferson's value - so out of curiosity where do you rank him among all NBA centers. To help I have included a list of some centers below to be considered in this discussion. (note these players are listed as centers by NBA.com)

Andrew Bynum
Pau Gasol
Chris Bosh
Andrew Bogut
Tyson Chandler
DeMarcus Cousins
Marc Gasol
Roy Hibbert
Dwight Howard
Al Horford
Brook Lopez
Greg Monroe
Joakim Noah

[red4hf]

Top 10 for me...... If he was just a little more consistent on defense he'd be top 5 easily........

[beefers1]

We'd have to look at different criteria as to what makes a good player:

Low-post skill - I'd argue that Jefferson is top 3 among the centers you listed. The only ones I can think of that are clearly better are Pau Gasol and Brook Lopez. DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol and Greg Monroe are around even. Once Dwight Howard develops some post moves, he'll be scary, but we're still waiting for that moment.

Shooting - Jefferson is middle of the pack in terms of mid-range shooting and free throws.

Defense - Herein lies Al's biggest weakness. But he's still probably better than Cousins and Monroe, who are still unpolished at that end.

Passing - Another weakness of Jefferson, though he's improving on that end. I don't think he's worse than Howard, Bynum, Cousins, Lopez or Chandler though.

Rebounding - Jefferson is a good rebounder. However, this one's a little too close to call, the outliers in Lopez and Bosh notwithstanding.

Overall, I'd say that Al Jefferson is definitely one of the most polished big men in the game, and would put him in the top 5 in centers after Howard, Bynum, Bogut, Horford and Marc Gasol (Pau too, but I always think of him as a PF).

EDIT: have we all forgotten about Chris Kaman? He's a pretty skilled player too. Probably not better than anyone on this list, but pretty close.

[reapaman]

Well based on what they have done this season so far he is top 5 along with Duncan, Chandler, Bosh, and KG.

Now of course guys like Howard will eventually play better so if you just look at it on paper then he's top 10.

[Jazzfan12]

For this season:

Duncan
Gasol
Chandler
Bosh
KG
Andy V
Noah

Are the best players starting at center. Al is in the next group with Horford, Bropez, and Dwight so far this year and a bit ahead of Pekovic and Asik.

[StocktonShorts]

I guess it depends on what you want from your center. If I were building a team I'd go for a defensive anchor at C, even if he has a limited offensive skill set.

So that pushes Al down my rankings quite a bit, despite his effectiveness on the offensive end.

[Litany]

I guess it depends on what you want from your center. If I were building a team I'd go for a defensive anchor at C, even if he has a limited offensive skill set.

If only we had one of those...

Sigh Corbin

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

Top 10 for sure but he's knocking on the door of top five. His ability to score in the post is nearly unmatched in the NBA right now, but his defense, mediocre rebounding and his ability to totally bog down an offense leaves a lot to be desired.

[erudite23]

Jefferson's biggest skill is not represented here. He is able to create large quantities of middling shots without the risk of a turnover. That has a certain value, but it presents a cap for an elite team. I have never been bullish on him since I started getting educated on basketball analytics. Al is a star from a by-gone era, a day when raw averages ruled the landscape and no one had ever heard of things like True Shooting Percentage, Usage Rate or PER. He's a solid player who is best used as a 3rd option. I would not put him in the top 10 of his position.