First off, and I think it goes without saying –– the player needs to be tall. Not, 6-feet-4-inches or even 6-feet-9-inches tall for that matter. He needs to be a freak of nature when it comes to the measuring tape. He doesn’t have to rival Yao Ming or Shawn Bradley, but sizing up at a “respectable” 7-foot flat is a good height to see when constructing an ideal center.
Secondly, he must be relentless on the glass. I know it is probably just as important for him to be big, strong and muscular, but a knack for rebounding the basketball is an imperative mindset and skill for any prospective dominant center.
He doesn’t have to pull down Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell’s godly 20+ rebound per game numbers, but the perfect center isn’t going to be pulling down less than 10 rebounds a night.
The perfect center also carries an arsenal of offensive weapons in the post that would make even the Russian army a little nervous. If your 7-footer only has a couple go-to post moves, he’s going to be scouted and easily shut down. Sure, Hakeem Olajuwon had his famous “Dream Shake” and anyone who knows anything about basketball has heard of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s unstoppable skyhook – but these guys didn’t just have that one move.
Certainly, those moves were quite effective, but that’s because they were packing more heat in their games too. They could come at you with a drop-step dunk or a face-up jumper from 10 feet and be just as effective. Point being, the perfect center has an untapped number of post moves to go along with his “kill button” move and keep his defenders constantly guessing.
He also needs to be a great passer. No, he doesn’t need to have the passing ability of Steve Nash or Chris Paul, but he has to be able to find his teammates when they are open and/or when he’s trapped by defenders. If he’s a stud down low, double and triple teams are going to be an every game occurrence, and he must know how to find his teammates when the defense collapses on him.
Lastly, he needs to have a mindset similar to that of an NFL linebacker. That’s not to say he should want to knock over anyone who comes in his way (although, that might not be such a bad quality either); however, he must want to dominate and want to destroy his defender every time he touches the ball. If he’s physically capable of doing so (which the perfect center would obviously be), all it takes is the mindset.
Shaq and Wilt weren’t dominant centers just because they were massive human beings – their minds told them to dominate. To them, there was no other alternative other than being the most unstoppable force on the hardwood.
The perfect center is also big and strong with quick feet. To utilize post moves in the most effective manner, having a quick pair of feet is crucial. Without that, defenders can easily neutralize a big man’s offensive post game.
Additionally, he doesn’t need to be the Defensive Player of the Year, but any top-notch center must have some defensive ability. It’s his job to protect the basket, and as the last line of defense for penetrating guards, it’s imperative that a team’s center, as the closest player on the court to the basket, is capable of protecting the hoop from opponents looking to put points on the board.
