Today is Howard's 34th birthday. Before he knew it, this 2004 No. 1 pick has become a thirty-year-old man. There are really few players in the league who have played for longer than Howard. And he also gradually degenerated from a superstar to a pure blue-collar player.
This is caused by Howard's style of playing basketball. When he was young, he could easily get 20+ points with his personal talent. However, when the physical fitness declines and there is no sufficient offensive skills to support it, it has become difficult for Howard to score. He has to rely on his teammates to feed the ball or grab offensive rebounds. The scoring area is very small, almost all of them are in the penalty area. Compared to scoring, protecting rebounds is Howard's strength. In the Lakers this season, although Howard played less than 20 minutes, he still had 7.1 rebounds per game. At his peak, rebounding 20+ was a common occurrence. So far in his career, Howard has 13,347 rebounds, ranking 14th in history. What level is this? Comparing the top insiders since the 21st century, Duncan , Yao Ming and O'Neal, you will know.
Yao Ming was the No. 1 pick in 2002, and he is even more advanced than Howard's league. He can also be called Howard's nemesis. Howard couldn't stand Yao Ming, and his height was one head lower than Yao Ming, so in front of Yao Ming, Howard could not defend himself or get points. "Eat, sleep and hit , Warcraft ", that's true. However, Yao Ming has only 4,494 rebounds, and some netizens also said: The gap with Howard is too big, right? The main reason for this is that Yao Ming's career is too short, and he has only played for less than 8 years. In fact, Yao Ming can average 9.2 rebounds per game, which is already a very top-notch level. You should know that he still often blocks the position, blocks the opponent's inside line, and allows his teammates to grab rebounds.
O's No. 1 pick in 1992 and is also an inside player with a strong dominance. Howard's nickname is Superman. O'Neal also had the nickname of Superman. In addition, they were all selected by Magic, and the two have been compared. However, in terms of achievements, Howard is still much worse than O'Neal. Not only does he have no championship, he has never won the MVP. However, Howard is still stronger in rebounding. O'Neal only had 13,099 rebounds in his career, and has been surpassed by Howard.
Duncan was the No. 1 pick in 1997. He is an inside player with both offense and defense, especially on the defensive end. The 15 best defensive teams are unique in history. He is also very strong in rebounding, scoring 15,091 rebounds. Duncan is tall, has excellent wingspan and strength, so even in the late stages of his career, the 40-year-old Duncan averages 7.3 rebounds per game.
At present, Howard's rebounds are still very good, and he also has the hope of surpassing Duncan in total in the future, and even has the hope of entering the top 5 in history.
