1. Dwight Howard:
2013-14 Stat Line: 71 games, 33.7 MPG, 18.3 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.8 APG, .591/.286/.547 shooting, 21.4 PER
Shield your eyes, Los Angeles Lakers fans. Because even though most NBA fans don’t have a high opinion of Dwight Howard for his immaturity, the way he left the Orlando Magic or his lack of leadership, Howard will be the best center in the league next year. He’s not the passer or leader that Joakim Noah is, but he’s a much better scorer, a slightly superior rebounder and one of the best rim protectors in the league.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the Orlando Magic Dwight Howard who was a legitimate MVP candidate and dominated his opponents night in and night out on both ends of the floor. D-12 has regressed a little bit with each passing season, but we can’t fault him too much defensively since he had to constantly make up for James Harden and Chandler Parsons’ mistakes on that end.
With Trevor Ariza on the perimeter, Howard won’t have to constantly rotate over and try to stop someone driving to the basket from the perimeter. D-12 carried a weak defense to the league’s 13th best defensive rating and though he’s not as versatile or inspirational as Noah, Howard should reclaim his place atop the throne next season. He definitely needs to improve his free throw shooting and a little leadership would be a nice change of pace for a Houston Rockets team that can’t rely on Harden isolations come playoff time, but Howard will be the best center in the NBA next year.