# Who is the best playmaking big man in NBA history?

> Seven-footers who see the floor like guards are rarer than they look. Old-school outlet passers meet modern point centers here, and every era has a case.

*By YPB Team · Published October 28, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-playmaking-big-man-in-nba-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Nikola Jokić** — score 1000/1000
   Serbian center and three-time MVP who runs the Denver offense from the elbow like a point guard.
2. **Boris Diaw** — score 797/1000
   French forward-center with point-guard vision who orchestrated the Spurs' beautiful game in 2014.
3. **Bill Walton** — score 706/1000
   Hall of Fame center whose outlet passes and high-post vision powered Portland's 1977 title.
4. **Draymond Green** — score 542/1000
   Golden State's defensive anchor and short-roll playmaker, often leading the Warriors in assists.
5. **Kevin Garnett** — score 534/1000
   MVP power forward with guard-like handles and vision who led Minnesota in assists for years.
6. **Brad Miller** — score 534/1000
   Two-time All-Star center whose high-post passing fit perfectly in Sacramento's motion offense.
7. **Al Horford** — score 534/1000
   Five-time All-Star big man valued for his smart decisions and passing out of the high post.
8. **Joakim Noah** — score 478/1000
   Chicago center who finished fourth in MVP voting in 2014 while running the Bulls' offense as a point center.
9. **Marc Gasol** — score 478/1000
   Defensive Player of the Year whose patient high-post passing ran Memphis's Grit and Grind offense.
10. **Arvydas Sabonis** — score 478/1000
   Lithuanian giant whose no-look passes and court vision made him a legend in Europe and Portland.
11. **Bam Adebayo** — score 414/1000
   Miami's switchable center who doubles as a primary playmaker from the top of the key.
12. **Wes Unseld** — score 341/1000
   Bullets center famous for the best outlet passes in league history, and the 1978 Finals MVP.
13. **Chris Webber** — score 341/1000
   Five-time All-Star power forward and a gifted passer at the heart of the Kings' Princeton offense.
14. **Pau Gasol** — score 341/1000
   Spanish big man and two-time champion with the Lakers, prized for his soft touch and interior passing.
15. **Tim Duncan** — score 341/1000
   Five-time champion power forward whose fundamentals included patient passing out of double teams.
16. **Dave Cowens** — score 341/1000
   Hall of Fame Celtics center whose versatility included handling and passing far from the basket.
17. **Alperen Şengün** — score 341/1000
   Turkish center for the Houston Rockets known for creative, flashy passing out of the post.
18. **Andrew Bogut** — score 257/1000
   Australian center and 2015 champion with Golden State, a superb screener and high-post passer.
19. **Domantas Sabonis** — score 257/1000
   Arvydas's son, a triple-double machine and multiple-time All-Star who runs offense through dribble handoffs.
20. **Vlade Divac** — score 159/1000
   Serbian center whose deft high-post passing anchored the Sacramento Kings' early-2000s offense.
21. **Wilt Chamberlain** — score 0/1000
   The only center ever to lead the NBA in total assists, doing it in the 1967-68 season.

Tags: basketball, players, nba, centers, passing