The NBA GM survey results were released, and as always there is some controversy, notably when discussing the best center in the NBA. The general managers across the association tabbed Nikola Jokic as the far-and-away top center in the game today.

However, Paul Pierce doesn’t see as large of a gap, particularly when it comes to comparing Jokic with Joel Embiid. While both are great players, Embiid provides more on the defensive end than Jokic, which makes for an interesting debate.

“(Jokic) put up some crazy stats, and even in the first round, he was dominant,” Pierce said. “But you can’t take anything away from Embiid. He is dominant on both ends of the court, and that’s where I think you can’t separate them that far because they need an Embiid on defense for Denver.”