Howard is a top 10, maybe top 5, player on his defense and rebounding. That should tell you how good his defense and rebounding are. It's funny when people keep telling SVG to get Howard the ball more. Howard's post ups just aren't very good. He shoots a high percentage because of offensive rebounds.
I don't think this offensive comparison is really right. Yes they both throw down thunderous dunks, but Shaq has a proper jump hook and even a short turnaround jumper, and he has great footwork, which means he can score easily at 10-12 feet on the post up, while if Howard catches the ball in that range he's really out of his comfort zone and has to throw up a running hook which is not a good shot for him. Shaq can score if he catches the ball outside the paint, Howard has trouble doing so.
Howard did learn some spin move arround the basket. Anyways, game or two that I've seen, White Chocolate also comes in mind for shooting quick transition threes..
Turkey wasn't a chucker though. Well, sometimes. Regardless, he was more of a point forward than anything. He probably helped get Howard a lot of shots, more so than Carter does. It's pretty obvious Vince Carter is eating into Dwight Howard's offensive production.
He did that last sesaon, regardless when Dwight makes any type of move and shoots any type of hook, I always expect him to miss it horribly unless he has a clear cut size advantage or athletic advantage that or it has to be within 3 feet. Uh ok? How long has Dwight been in the league compared to a guy like Tim Duncan and Hakeem at the age of 24? Like you said, just been drafted. I don't know why people keep bringing up age in the discussion. Are some of you guys telling me that people improve their games by age? And not by length in the League or by practice? Nope, that's an insult to Deke by the way. Deke was capable of shutting down big men. Dwight is an average post defender at best. I remember JVG said in the NBA Finals last season that Marcin Gortat is the better individual defender than Dwight. Either he's praising Gortat or telling us that Howard isn't that good at individual defense. I've seen Dwight get scored at many times, Big Baby, Yao, Perkins and Gasol being the prime examples.
Actually single-covering Howard WAS dumb because nobody on their roster was able to guard him one-on-one. The only other options were Ben Wallace (who, at the time, was playing like he was 50 years-old) and Anderson Varejao. Howard would destroy either one of those guys. Teams with decent post defenders can get away with it, but at some point you have to admit failure and try something else. Even with Mo Williams playing like he was, the Cavs should have beat the Magic in the playoffs. I think their coaching was very poor.
He can still improve. However, he hasn't improved his range from his rookie season at all. When his offense is limited to being under the basket, it is harder for him to get open for shots. He might not be able to get Duncan or Garnett range. If he can expand his range to beyond 1 ft, it would help alot.
Turkoglu was their best offensive player last season. Carter simply doesn't bring the same things to the table for this team, although he can certainly score, he's no play-maker for others. You also have to give the guy credit since he has a completely powerless forward playing alongside him. If Howard wasn't such a beast, there's no way that the Magic would even be able to have that many shooters out there. I agree that he has likely peaked out, but that doesn't mean that he can't change that, and it also doesn't mean that he's not the best center in the league. Although Brook Lopez is a more polished offensive player, I and most others would take Howard over Lopez and others of his ilk in a heartbeat.
That's actually bang on. Hakeem was like what, 30 or 31 when he fully developed his offensive arsenal? He came in the same way that Howard did, as a defensive player. It sure would be nice if they could get a veteran alongside him like Hakeem had Moses Malone though. I think that getting a veteran center there that knows how to play would do wonders for him, just like it probably did for Olajuwon and Duncan. If that team focuses more on helping Howard develop, he will get better.
Yep, which is the complete reason why they got Shaq. And earlier this season he looked fairly capable of guarding him in single coverage. Well, he's a beast on the defensive end. I cannot say the same for the offensive side. There's a reason why he's still not the focal point of the offense. Because he's not reliable enough nor does he have the polish in his game to do so. The Magic are attempting to copy the style of play we played with in 95' with Dream playing with 4 shooters, problem is Dwight isn't even in the same breath as Hakeem yet.
Tough to increase scoring when all you do is dunk. If he would actually get a semblance of a post game, he would be completely unstoppable. The only thing holding Dwight back is Dwight
How many of you even watch Howard play more than a handful of games a year? Apparently very few of you by the remarks in this thread. Only scores on dunks? Average post defender? No post moves? Glorified Mutumbo? And apparently he has plateaued?
I admit I only watch nationally televised magic games (which does include every playoff game last season). Please tell me what post moves Dwight has other than dunks...I vaguely recall a couple of inconsistent jump hooks, and that was it. Also, can't say I have ever seen him make a jump shot...so his range is another issue. And no, he has not plateaued...he has TONS of room for improvement. If he had a series of post moves, like Yao for example, he could average 30 a game because he is already too strong to stop.
Average post defender is inaccurate. He's a good post defender and a great help defender. I don't think he's a great post defender though. If you think he has good post moves, then you're lying to yourself. His only shot if he catches the ball outside the paint is a running hook shot that is not reliable at all. This is year 6 for Howard in the league, and in the last 3, he's shown little improvement especially on offense. I think he's plateaued, he's been in the league too long and has stopped improving. Hakeem already had the Dream shake and the fadeaway jumper even early in his career.
All those things you mentioned require decent post position, which is what I said about Dwight earlier when I compared him to Shaq. They both need good post position to be effective, and can they shoot a 15-18 foot jump shot? No.
