Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams stand at opposite ends of the spectrum as to what defines an NBA center.
Jokic, a deft distributor equally comfortable leading a break or facilitating a pick-and-roll action, makes his bones on the offensive end; Adams, on the other hand, is a mountain on the defensive end, an unmovable cog on the offensive glass and a hazard on screens perfectly suited to create space for Russell Westbrook’s relentless attacks.
Both are redefining what constitutes an NBA center.
The only frontcourt player in the top 10 of assists, Jokic has some attributes that are more analogous to Westbrook than to Adams.