Does Dwight Howard deserve the MVP award?
In a word, no, but he deserves to be in the discussion. The reason why Dwight Howard warrants consideration for the honor is due, more so, to his contributions on the defensive side of the ball for the Orlando Magic. Howard, at this point, isn’t going to put up obscene numbers offensively (as pointed out by my colleague, Ben). His repertoire is still expanding and head coach Stan Van Gundy values a balanced attack on offense. For instance, if you look at the usage rate of Howard, it’s only 26.1%, which is less than the rates of the other MVP candidates. However, where Howard makes his presence felt is on defense. It’s no secret that the Magic have become an elite defensive team (2nd in efficiency) and Howard is the main reason why this is the case. Howard has been able to do a plethora of things – clean up the mistakes of his teammates, guard the paint, intimidate opponents from penetrating into the lane with his shot-blocking ability, etc. Howard’s continued growth on defense can’t be
