These NBA 2K23 centers are masters of defense & rebounds, which are crucial to winning a basketball match.

Fans recently got their hands on NBA 2K23 in anticipation of the upcoming NBA season. From the new rookies to free agents landing on different teams, each year sees dozens of exciting storylines fans can follow and connect with.

RELATED: NBA 2K23: Best Finishing Badges

Despite the modern NBA shifting to a place in which the traditional center skillset is no longer desired, it's becoming harder and harder for guys who play great defense and rebound to stay on the court if they don't happen to have some scoring ability as well. Anyone hopping into the newest entry in the NBA 2K series will want to know which centers reign supreme.

The NBA is chalked full of interesting careers, and for Clint Capela, his has been rather strange. Hailing from Switzerland, he landed on the Houston Rockets in 2014 and played for them for six seasons. As the defensive stalwart was entering the prime of his career, the team felt he didn't fit the three-point-focused offensive roster they wanted around James Harden.

Two seasons later with the Atlanta Hawks, Clint Capela finds himself as a Top 10 center in the league and a defensive centerpiece for a contending Eastern Conference team. It's weird how his time in Houston came to an end, but Capela seems to be enjoying his time in Atlanta next to Trae Young. As such he's been given an 84 overall in this year's version of the NBA 2K series, NBA 2K23.

Robert Williams III has a few more years of consistent defensive play needed before he emerges as a household name. His 85 overall in NBA 2K23 is a result of his impressive play during the 2021-22 NBA season which saw the Boston Celtics make it to the NBA Finals.

Williams III was never one hundred percent healthy during the run, but gritted it out and provided a paint presence that helped alter opposing offensive gameplans thanks to his rim protection and rebounding abilities. He's clearly talented, but he adds a relentless motor and competitive spirit that have molded him into one of the NBA's most promising defensive big men.

A walking double-double may not sound like much when referencing a giant center in the NBA, but just because someone is tall doesn't mean they'll be an effective rebounder in the association. Jarrett Allen is a part of an emerging Cleveland Cavaliers roster that recently acquired superstar shooting guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz.

RELATED: NBA 2K23: Best Point Guard Build

If Allen can continue to provide the team with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and nearly 2 blocks a game, they could shock some people in the NBA Eastern Conference. Add in that Allen will also be mentoring the emerging star power forward Evan Mobley, and a team in Cleveland has the most promise it's had since a man from Akron, Ohio departed to Los Angeles.

Bam Adebayo is often regarded as one of the best centers in the NBA, despite the New Jersey native standing at 6' 9", which is on the shorter end for his position. The 87 overall can sometimes get overpowered by larger opponents, but he often holds his own as a respectable two-way player.

If the Miami Heat truly wants to contend in the NBA Eastern Conference they'll need him to take another statistical leap in order to provide superstar Jimmy Butler with enough help. It's unclear if they'll ever hoist the NBA Finals trophy, but anyone using the Heat in NBA 2K23 has as good a chance as any to do it.

It's hard to find a player in the modern era of the NBA more hated than Rudy Gobert. For years he served as the defensive anchor of very competitive Utah Jazz teams, which resulted in him taking home the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award three times.

The casual hate of the French center is due to opponents exposing the Jazz's defensive deficiencies in the NBA Playoffs, which wasn't solely on Gobert. The 88 overall will look to showcase his talents to a new Minnesota Timberwolves fanbase, and pairing him with an offensively skilled big man in Karl-Anthony Towns, feels like a duo that'd be fun to play with in NBA 2K23.

Going into the 2022 NBA season, Minnesota Timberwolves fans will have to get used to big Karl-Anthony Towns lining up at power forward. This is due to the team's recent acquisition of All-Star center and perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert.

RELATED: NBA 2K23: Best Shooting Guard Build

The Timberwolves felt they were a piece away from contending and Gobert's presence will help Towns in a number of ways. First, the 89 overall in NBA 2K23 won't need to be a defensive anchor, and on offense, he can spread the floor and use his tremendous shooting ability as a big to create mismatches from deep range.

The reigning back-to-back MVP, Nikola Jokic comes in tied as the highest-rated center in NBA 2K23 with a rating of 96. Over the last few years, his tremendous efforts in a Denver Nuggets jersey have gone wasted thanks in large part to a lack of support around him. I

njuries hit the Nuggets like a tidal wave, which in some ways has helped showcase Jokic's tremendous talents, but also limited the potential success of the team in the NBA Playoffs. NBA fans around the globe hope that his prime isn't wasted, whether that means the Nuggets shuffling their roster or a potential blockbuster trade that pairs Jokic with another star somewhere.

Regardless of what he manages to accomplish on an annual basis, it seems like Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid just can't catch a break. Hailing from Cameroon, the true seven-footer has managed to be absolutely dominant when he's on the court.

The early parts of his career were riddled with injuries, and in the last few seasons, Embiid has dealt with remarkably lucky buzzer beaters and an orbital bone fracture. The 76ers have failed to retain talent around the 96 overall in NBA 2K23, with the 76ers most recently acquiring a talented James Harden who is clearly past his playing prime.

NBA 2K23 is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and PC.

MORE: NBA 2K23: Best Teams To Play For As A Center

Jerrad Wyche is a writer, designer, and producer hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico. His favorite video games include Mass Effect 2, Inside, Pokémon Soul Silver, Spelunky, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. He hosts his own weekly video game podcast at Controlled Interests and is a dedicated writer for TheGamer.