Impactful Big Men: Three Elite Centers Making Waves in the NBA

Karl-Anthony Towns, Nikola Jokić, and Domantas Sabonis dominated the court last night, delivering standout performances that carried their teams to victory. These star big men are currently displaying the peak form of their careers, surpassing their previous accomplishments and solidifying their status as elite players in the league.

These three players are each averaging over 20 points and 12 rebounds this season, a rare feat only Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo can also say they’ve done over the last five campaigns. As the game has evolved and focus has turned to guards and wings, these three are proving there is still a place in the NBA for big-man dominance. 

With Jalen Brunson sidelined, Towns picked up the production and thrived against Utah last night. The big man was key in helping propel the Knicks to a 119-103 victory and their ninth straight win. Towns posted his second game of the season of 30-plus points and 20-plus rebounds, previously doing so on Dec. 19 against his former team, the Timberwolves. Towns is the only player in the league to do this two times this season, and the only other players to do it all this year, are the aforementioned Jokić and Sabonis. Even more remarkable, he’s the first Knick since Patrick Ewing in the 1989-90 season to accomplish this feat. 

Towns’ move to New York has come with an adjustment of styles, as he went from being mostly utilized as a stretch four next to Rudy Gobert, and is instead spending more time in the paint. The change has resulted in the 29-year-old averaging a career-best 13.7 rebounds per game, the second-highest mark in the league. With more time spent near the rim, it’s also led to an increase in scoring there. 36.3% of Town’s field-goal attempts are coming from within three feet of the basket, after attempting just 20.1% and 25.8% of his shots from that distance in each of his last two seasons. This has resulted in a more efficient and diverse array of opportunities for Towns to score, leading to him averaging 24.9 points per game, his highest total since the 2019-20 season. 

Transitioning from Towns to look at another standout performance from a big man on New Year’s, Jokić racked up his 14th triple-double of the season in last night’s 139-120 win over the Hawks. The 29-year-old put up 23 points while pulling down 17 rebounds and dishing out 15 assists. It was the fourth time this season he’s tallied north of 15 in both rebounds and assists in a single game. No one else has done it once this season. 

It should be difficult for a three-time Kia NBA Most Valuable Player to top himself. However, that is the beauty of Jokić who manages to continuously improve and pile on the stat sheet evening after evening in seemingly effortless fashion. The 29-year-old is near the top of the league in numerous categories. His 30.7 points per game are a personal best by 3.6 per contest and the third-highest average in the league. His 13 rebounds per game are also third-best, behind Towns and Sabonis, while his 9.7 assists per game tie him with Cade Cunningham for second behind Trae Young. He’s also shooting a league-high and career-best, 49.6% from three, on a career high 4.5 attempts per game. His continued excellence has him at the forefront of the MVP conversation once again, and he is currently sitting atop the

Kia MVP ladder

.

Sabonis recorded his fourth 20-plus rebound game of the season last night, also chipping in 17 points and seven assists. It was a performance that helped earn a 113-107 win against a red-hot 76ers team last night. The victory was the second in a row for a Kings squad trying to string together wins after a slow start and a recent coaching change. 

The Kings’ center continues to take strides after back-to-back Third Team All-NBA seasons. The 28-year-old has led the NBA in rebounds per game each of the last two years and is doing so again with a high mark of 13.8, up from his previous best of 13.7. He’s also scoring a career-best 20.6 points per game. Sabonis’ scoring bump comes as he is shooting an improved 78.2% from the charity stripe and a career-high 42.3% from deep, on 2.3 attempts per contest. 

You can catch Karl-Anthony Towns in action again on Friday night when the Knicks visit the West-leading Thunder at

8 ET on NBA TV

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Jokić will take the court again on Friday as well when he squares off with Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on

NBA League Pass at 9 PM ET

. 

Sabonis and the Kings will be working to get their third-straight victory when they host the Grizzlies Friday night at

10 ET on NBA League Pass

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