Schuhmann: Dwight Howard Vs. LeBron James

AP Photo/Tony Dejak

John Schuhmann of NBA.com took a look at LeBron James’ numbers against the Magic when Dwight Howard is on and off the court.

When Howard is on the bench, James simply destroys the Magic. Note that the numbers above are per-36 minutes, but James has averaged 42.3 minutes in the 16 games. So his no-Howard numbers translate to 41.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.7 assists per contest.

When Howard’s on the floor, James’ numbers are still strong, but there is a clear drop-off, especially in the scoring department. James’ shooting percentage isn’t down much, but he’s getting fewer shots and making much fewer trips to the line.

And when we look at the distance of the shots James is taking, we see that he’s just not getting into the paint.

Considering that Howard is the biggest and best defensive presence in basketball, this shouldn’t come as any surprise but it’s interesting nonetheless.

You can check out all of the numbers here. It’s a very good read so go check it out.

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com had good things to say about Dwight Howard.

Nobody is saying that Howard = Chamberlain, or even that Howard = Shaq. But it’s time to stop dismissing the most physically overwhelming talent in the NBA as a mere freak. Howard is a freak who has his team playing the best basketball in the league.

When it comes to doubting Howard’s killer instinct, offensive fundamentals and meanness, I’m guilty as charged. I’ve questioned Howard’s desire to be the alpha male from time to time. But I’m ready to put that aside and just enjoy him for what he is and what he will be — the most dominant big man in the NBA for the next decade or so.

Last season, Howard became only the fifth player in NBA history to lead the league in blocks and rebounds in the same season. Neither Chamberlain nor Shaq is on that list, which includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Ben Wallace. (In fairness, the NBA didn’t count blocks as an official statistic until the 1973-74 season.) Howard currently leads the league in both categories again, and if he repeats the feat, he’ll stand alone as the only player ever to do it twice.

More importantly, Howard’s team is winning. The Magic are 13-4 since Jan. 20, and no other team has as many wins during that stretch.

You can find his story here.

Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie had some interesting things to say about Jameer Nelson:

Jameer Nelson(notes) (the underrated x-factor that nobody talks about in this league; to me he’s clearly the most important non-star in the NBA) made three of five three-pointers…

When Nelson is playing like he did last night (17 points, 9 assists, 1 turnover), Orlando’s offense is on another level and the Magic are going to need Nelson to play at this level if they are going to win a championship.

(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and a contributor at NFL Mocks Subscribe to his RSS feed, add him on Twitter to follow him daily and you can get the HTD app here).