Youngest Centers in 2022-2023 NBA Season

12 Youngest Centers in 2022-2023 NBA Season

NBA 2022-2023 has so far witnessed the emergence of a new wave of stars and young centers in the league. This year’s NBA draft is one of the most exciting drafts in recent memory. With so many young players that could become future All-Stars, you can forget about your fantasy leagues and watch the games.

To add to the excitement of watching teams like these compete for titles, basketball has evolved with new rules and rules changes over the years that have allowed players such as Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant to dominate at their peak. As we have seen in recent years, outside shooting centers are now almost essential for success.

But what about the youngest centers around? Let’s look at the 12 youngest centers in today’s NBA.

12. Bam Adebayo (July 18, 1997 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 25 years, 7 months, 16 days
Team: Miami Heat (2017 – present)
Height: 2.06 m.
Weight: 116 kg.

Bam Adebayophoto source: Hot Hot Hoops

American basketball player Edrice Femi “Bam” Adebayo plays for the Miami Heat in the NBA (NBA). Before the Heat selected him with the 14th overall choice in the 2017 NBA Draft, he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. During the 2019-2020 NBA season, he was selected as an All-Star and to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.

Additionally, he received a gold medal on the 2020 U.S. Tokyo Olympic team Adebayo was one of the top high school prospects in the 2016 class and was classified as a five-star recruit. He was regarded as the No. 2 power forward and No. 5 overall recruit in the 2016 high school class. Also, he had been thinking about the Nigerian Olympic team.

Did You Know?

Despite being dropped from the US national team for the 2019 World Cup, Adebayo was selected for their 2020 Olympic squad and took a gold medal.


11. Ivica Zubac (March 18, 1997 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 25 years, 11 months, 16 days
Team: Los Angeles Clippers (2019 – present)
Height: 2.13 m.
Weight: 109 kg.

Ivica Zubacphoto source: NBA.com

Ivan and Dijana Zubac gave birth to Ivica Zubac in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ivica’s parents, who stood 66-foot-6 and 6-foot-2, respectively, are to thank for his towering stature. Zubac is a naturalized Croatian, even though he was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ubac progressed through the Croatian basketball system, competing with the Croatian junior national team in the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in 2013 and the FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Greece in 2015. In 2013–14, he participated in games for the Cibona and KK Zrinjavec Zagreb youth squads.

Did You Know?

Ivica Zubac was rewarded by being chosen to the All-World Championship Second Team, where he averaged 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds.


10. Robert Williams III (October 17, 1997 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 25 years, 4 months, 17 days
Team: Boston Celtics (2018 – present)
Height: 2.06 m.
Weight: 108 kg.

photo source: Yahoo! Sports

American professional basketball player Robert Lee Williams III enjoyed a breakthrough year that included being selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and making it to the NBA Finals as the starting center for the Celtics. Williams recorded his first triple-double of the 2021-2022 season on December 31, 2021, when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 123–108.

Williams’ performance included 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. He plays for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a Texas A&M Aggies basketball player. The Celtics selected Williams with the 27th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Did You Know?

Due in part to his timekeeping gaffe upon joining the organization in his early career, Williams has earned the moniker “Time Lord” among Celtics supporters.


9. Jarrett Allen (April 21, 1998 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 24 years, 10 months, 12 days
Team: Cleveland Cavalier (2021 – present)
Height: 2.06 m.
Weight: 110 kg.

Jarrett Allenphoto source: Sports Illustrated

Jarett Allen won two SPC titles while a student at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. He participated in the McDonald’s All-American Boys Game in 2016. He committed to basketball to play for the University of Texas in Austin. Allen had a 13.4-point and 8.4 rebound average in his first season at Texas.

In a 12-point defeat to Kansas, his greatest performance was a 22-point, 19-rebound effort. After the season, he sacrificed his final three years of college eligibility and instead joined the 2017 NBA draft without first hiring an agent. In the 2017 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets picked Allen as the 22nd overall choice.

Did You Know?

In a 127-119 defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 17, 2018, Jarett Allen scored a career-high 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.


8. Deandre Ayton (July 23, 1998 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 24 years, 7 months, 11 days
Team: Phoenix Suns (2018 – present)
Height: 2.13 m.
Weight: 113 kg.

photo source: Forbes

Deandre Ayton was initially discovered by the Bahamian Basketball Yearbook, an annual publication covering basketball in the Bahamas. When Ayton was 12 years old, the All Bahamian Brand scouted him while they were in Nassau at Bahamas Academy High Institution, a small private school at the time on Wulff Road.

Afterward, Ayton relocated to San Diego, California, where he played high school basketball. Ayton, a senior in 2016–17, averaged 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game as he helped Hillcrest to a 33-6 record and national rankings over several sites.

Ayton participated in the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit as a member of the World Select squad, contributing eight points and seven rebounds.

Did You Know?

Ayton had to take part-time jobs to get the $100 needed for training camp so that he could fully practice for basketball.


7. Mitchell Robinson (April 1, 1998 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 24 years, 11 months, 2 days
Team: New York Knicks (2018 – present)
Height: 2.13 m.
Weight: 109 kg.

Mitchell Robinsonphoto source: Baller Shoes DB

American professional basketball player Mitchell Robinson III plays for the National Basketball Association’s New York Knicks (NBA). He received widespread media attention before starting his professional career when, as the first athlete to do so, he decided not to fulfill his promise to attend Western Kentucky University. Instead, he devoted the whole 2017-2018 season to training alone.

On July 8, 2018, he signed a multi-year rookie scale deal with the Knicks after playing for the team in the 2018 NBA Summer League, where he established summer league marks for blocked shots and offensive rebounds. Robinson made his NBA debut on October 17, hitting two points in a 127-106 victory over the Atlanta Hawks despite battling an ankle issue during the preseason.

Did You Know?

Mitchell Robinson, who had exceptional top speed and a long reach that resulted in multiple highlight-reel blocks, has been referred to by some observers as “the finest shot blocker in his class.”


6. Wendell Carter Jr. (April 16, 1999 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 23 years, 10 months, 17 days
Team: Orlando Magic (2021 – present)
Height: 2.08 m.
Weight: 122 kg.

photo source: NBA.com

Atlanta’s Pace Academy was where Wendell Carter Jr. attended school. In his sophomore season, he helped the Knights to a (27-3) record and the Georgia 6AA regional championship while averaging 21.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks per game. While leading his AAU Georgia Stars to a Nike Peach Jam victory in the summer of 2015, Carter continued to refine his technique.

Carter received second-team Atlanta Tipoff Club All-Metro accolades and was named the Georgia Region 6 AA Player of the Year. In 2015–16, he scored 21.6 points and 13.6 rebounds each game as a junior. Carter led Pace Academy to victory in the state championship game with 30 points and 20 rebounds.

Pace Academy won the 2016 Georgia Class AA state championship. As a junior, he was chosen for the first team of the state, the Georgia Class AA Player of the Year, and the Atlanta/South Fulton Player of the Year.

Did You Know?

The Naismith Trophy and a first-team Junior All-American by MaxPreps awarded Wendell Carter Jr. an honorable mention All-American.


5. Nic Claxton (April 17, 1999 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 23 years, 10 months, 16 days
Team: Brooklyn Nets (2019 – present)
Height: 2.11 m.
Weight: 98 kg.

Nic Claxtonphoto source: Nets Wire

Nicolas Devir Claxton, an American professional basketball player, plays for Brooklyn Nets. The Brooklyn Nets made Claxton their first-round choice in the 2019 NBA draft on June 20, selecting him with the 31st overall pick. The Nets made a statement on signing Claxton on July 7, 2019. For the Georgia Bulldogs, he played collegiate basketball.

He was transferred to their G League club, the Long Island Nets, in January 2020 due to a hamstring ailment. On June 24, 2020, the Nets revealed that Claxton had successfully had arthroscopic labrum repair surgery on his left shoulder and will be out for the remainder of the 2019–20 campaign.

Did You Know?

Claxton is the child of Charles Claxton, a native of the US Virgin Islands who played basketball for Georgia in college and briefly, in the 1995-1996 NBA season, was a member of the Boston Celtics.


4. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (November 3, 2000 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 22 years, 4 months  
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder (2021 – present)
Height: 2.03 m.
Weight: 109 kg.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earlphoto source: Sports Illustrated

American basketball player Jeremiah Christian Robinson-Earl plays for the National Basketball Association’s Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA). He was a basketball player for the Villanova Wildcats in college. One of the star players in the 2019 class, Robinson-Earl, received a unanimous rating of five stars when recruiting.

On October 30, 2018, he chose Villanova over offers from Arizona, North Carolina,  Kansas, and Notre Dame to play college basketball.

On November 11, 2019, he received the Big East Freshman of the Week award. Robinson-Earl was unanimously chosen for the Big East Freshman Team following the regular season. He had nine double-doubles, averaged 10.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, and was voted the Big East Freshman of the Year.

Did You Know?

Robinson-Earl helped his team win the gold medal at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Greece by averaging 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.


3. Isaiah Stewart (May 22, 2001 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 21 years, 9 months, 12 days
Team: Detroit Pistons (2020 – present)
Height: 2.03 m.
Weight: 113 kg.

photo source: Detroit Bad Boys

After spending his first two years of high school at McQuaid Jesuit High School in New York, Isaiah Stewart enrolled at the prep school La Lumiere School in Indiana. He was regarded as one of the best players in the 2019 class and had a unanimous five-star recruiting rating. Stewart won the Mr. Basketball USA, Naismith Prep Player of the Year, and McDonald’s All-American awards.

Stewart participated in the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup for the United States. He played in seven games, scoring 11.1 points and grabbing 8.4 rebounds each. Stewart led all scorers in the championship game’s 95-52 victory over France with 15 points and nine rebounds. The Portland Trail Blazers selected Stewart with the 16th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Did You Know?

Isaiah Stewart was a Washington Huskies basketball player in college.


2. Walker Kessler (July 26, 2001 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 21 years, 7 months, 8 days
Team: Utah Jazz (2022 – present)
Height: 2.13 m.
Weight: 111 kg.

Walker Kesslerphoto source: NBA.com

Walker Ross Kessler plays basketball professionally for the National Basketball Association’s Utah Jazz (NBA). Kessler participated in basketball for the Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia. As a senior, his team won its first Class 4A state championship because of his 17.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.2 blocks per game average. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named Kessler their Player of the Year.

With the 22nd overall pick, Kessler was taken by the Memphis Grizzlies. He was then moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with TyTy Washington for Jake LaRavia. He was dealt to the Utah Jazz two weeks after being selected, along with Rudy Gobert, Jarred Vanderbilt, Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Leandro Bolmaro, four additional first-round selections, and a pick swap.

Did You Know?

Alec and Chad Kessler, father and uncle of Walker, played basketball for Georgia in college and were both selected by the NBA before becoming orthopedic doctors.


1. Alperen Sengun (July 25, 2002 – present)

Current Age (as of March 2023): 20 years, 7 months, 9 days
Team: Houston Rockets (2021 – present)
Height: 2.11 m.
Weight: 110 kg.

Alperen Sengunphoto source: NBA.com

Giresun in northern Turkey is the birthplace of Alperen Engün, the youngest center in the 2022-2023 NBA Season. His parents encouraged him to start a swimming career. Having seen his older brother play basketball, Engin preferred the game. He, therefore, started playing basketball when he was eight years old.

He did play both sports together in the beginning. He was forced to pick between the two sports, and he chose to continue playing basketball because of practical considerations, including a lack of time to prepare well for both.

Engin joined the senior Turkish team in November 2020 after competing for Turkey in the 2022 EuroBasket Qualifiers. He averaged 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks throughout the four games he played in the qualifiers. He made 53.3 percent of his shots from the field overall, 51.9 percent of his efforts at 2-point field goals, 66.7 percent at 3-point field goals, and 50.0 percent at free throws.

Did You Know?

Following his “dominant” season in the Turkish League, NBA analysts and scouts regarded him as one of the most “talented” and “productive” big men entering the 2021 NBA draft.

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