A lot has been made of the different types of bigs that are required for today’s playoff basketball and I want to weigh in on the debate. This post is not aimed at guys like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid—who are absurdly dominant on the offensive end and should rarely come off of the court in the playoffs.
No, let’s talk about the other, non-MVP centers who have made appearances this postseason. I’m talking about the bigs who are mostly confined to the paint on both ends of the floor but provide varying levels of rim protection, physicality and rebounding. The (typically) smaller and more mobile centers who are better equipped to defend 5-out offenses while offering versatility in pick-and-roll coverages. I’ll even throw in the bigs that are an awkward combination of everything, but not great at either.
The first round of the playoffs showed us that the paint-bound big was mostly off-limits. Kevon Looney, Andre Drummond and Steven Adams were ultimately benched for not being able to keep up on defense. Instead, the smaller or more mobile fives shined — Bam Adebayo, Brandon Clarke, Maxi Kleber, Larry Nance Jr., etc.
