2023 NBA Draft prospects: Victor Wembanyama, Dereck Lively headline top 5 centers

Ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft Thursday, we're going to rank the five best center prospects in this class. This ranking is a combination of our projections, analysis from other experts, an expectation on where the player will be drafted and the player's production up to this point.

Here's a look at the top five centers in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Top 5 centers

Technically, Wembanyama isn't a center but there's no other great position for him to be slotted into. He's a 7-4 all-around star prospect who can handle the ball, block shots and move around like a perimeter player. The Spurs are eventually going to have to choose some sort of developmental direction with him, but this player has everything going for him. Health is the only thing stopping Wembanyama from being a superstar.

Lively never really panned out at Duke as a scoring threat on the interior, but he's a defensive force already. His ability to protect the rim makes him an intriguing prospect and there's room for him to develop offensively since he's still fairly young. The landing spot will be important for Lively to get enough game reps to grow as an offensive player.

Clowney was not shy about taking three-point shots in college, even if he wasn't connecting on a lot of them. That's a good sign for his development at the next level. He'll have to fill out a bit as well, since he's going to get bullied at his current listed weight of 210 pounds. Clowney has more upside than some of the other center prospects in this range, and he's a guy who gives great effort across the board even if the results haven't been great.

In terms of readiness, Nnaji is even more raw than Lively. However, the upside is there from a developmental standpoint. The big man didn't get many touches to improve at Barcelona, but playing in that league and system will have some benefits. Nnaji has a good feel for the game and that's a strong starting point for him.

The perimeter shooting is a bit misleading due to small sample size but Sanogo did show a willingness to take open triples. That'll help him stick around in the NBA, especially since he's somewhat undersized to be considered a true center. The college production is great and Sanogo was able to dominate on the interior in UConn's title run. That intangible element could help him carve out a role on a contending team, since he's expected to go later on in the draft.

  
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