Los Angeles Lakers: Top 3 centers of the 2010s

2. Dwight Howard 2012-13 and 2019

This is a somewhat controversial one as Dwight Howard didn’t have a good first stint in Los Angeles. It consisted of a lot of drama and a lot of diva-like acts. But when looking at the 2010’s there wasn’t a huge bag to pick from, so Dwight lands at number two.

Playing alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol and with a trade for Steve Nash, the Lakers looked like a super team. Plans didn’t play out as such, as Howard only spent one year in Los Angeles. During that year he played in 76 games and his stat line was All-Star worthy. He averaged 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and blocked 2.4 shots per game.

He would play in his seventh All-Star game that year. He was an All-NBA third-team selection and led the NBA in rebounds. But looking at the advanced stats they graded out very average as his offensive rating was 106.3 and his defensive rating was 103.4, only good for a +2.9 net-rating. His eFG% and TS% were both the fourth-lowest of his career and he struggled to fit into the hype.

Fast forward to 2019, the Lakers surprisingly brought Howard back for a second stint. He is playing good basketball for the Lakers as they sit at the top of the Western Conference. He looks healthy and seems to be putting any past drama aside to help the team win.

He’s playing a career-low 19.7 minutes per game but is playing very efficient in those minutes. He is shooting 75.4% from the floor and has an offensive rating of 111.3 and a defensive rating of 105. His eFG% and TS% are both career highs, while the lightened workload has his USG% all the way down to 13%.

It’s a welcome sight for the Lakers as they have a good 1-2 punch at the center spot now with McGee and Howard. It’s a tale of two tapes in Los Angeles for Dwight, but his second stint has the Lakers in a good position. He grabs the number two spot here.