Dwight Howard
Many analysts have started combining Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee’s statistics, basically morphing the Lakers two centers into one being. But, um, they are two different people with diverse skill sets. Both men have played well this season, but almost all the statistics show Dwight has been better.
Dwight Howard’s ranked 16th out of all centers throughout the NBA in ESPN’s defensive real-plus minus, while JaVale McGee comes in at 19th. Dwight’s defensive rating has also been slightly better than JaVale’s. Howard sits in 12th place on the Lakers, and McGee’s comes in at 14th.
Perhaps you think that both player’s rankings are almost the same, so why is Howard the fourth-best player on the Lakers while McGee’s not in these rankings?
JaVale starts the first and second halves next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, two of the best multi-functional defenders in the league this season. LBJ and AD make JaVale’s life on defense much more manageable, and they both help lift his defensive metrics.
Dwight Howard, however, plays most of his minutes with Anthony Davis resting on the bench, so when Dwight’s on the floor, he acts as the Lakers true defensive anchor. He handles the middle for the Purple and Gold without the best help defender in the league (AD), erasing his mistakes. Plus, Frank Vogel has trusted Howard to finish most of LA’s close games while McGee sits on the bench.
The Lakers have the 2nd rated defense in the NBA. Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Alex Caruso have led the Purple and Gold’s suffocating D, but it’s hard to imagine LA playing this well without Dwight Howard protecting the lane for 20 minutes per game.