Just want people's opinions on rather or not Howards second season in which he played 37 mpg and averaged 16 points and 13 rebounds per game should count as his prime. His fg% and ppg jumped and leveled off the next year and his blocks went up.
I consider a prime season, a season in which a player is healthy and in his physical prime and playing a significant role (relative to his career norm) for his team.
Re: Has Dwight Howard had five or six Prime seasons?
I have a different definition of prime which I judge more by their level of play relative to other years, whether it be skills, athleticism or whatever makes the player more effective.
Howard was way too raw for me to consider his first 3 years near his prime. Ultimately, I think he may be just starting his prime, but that depends on what we see from him in the next few years.
Re: Has Dwight Howard had five or six Prime seasons?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaqAttack3234
I have a different definition of prime which I judge more by their level of play relative to other years, whether it be skills, athleticism or whatever makes the player more effective.
Howard was way too raw for me to consider his first 3 years near his prime. Ultimately, I think he may be just starting his prime, but that depends on what we see from him in the next few years.
This.
He DEFINITELY is in it now. You can see it by how he started playing he took his game to another level this season.
Re: Has Dwight Howard had five or six Prime seasons?
Hard to know until his play starts dropping off. If he average 28/15 for the next 5 seasons then his prime just started. If he averages 20/13 for the next 5 seasons then I'd say it started in his 2nd or third year.
Re: Has Dwight Howard had five or six Prime seasons?
Quote:
Originally Posted by G-train
Hard to know until his play starts dropping off. If he average 28/15 for the next 5 seasons then his prime just started. If he averages 20/13 for the next 5 seasons then I'd say it started in his 2nd or third year.
I think there is a good chance that he is just entering his prime as you said.
Especially if he will team up with Deron or CP3 next summer.
Those guys can make you look better, if you are a big who can finish.
Re: Has Dwight Howard had five or six Prime seasons?
I always wondered why people bother to debate about this. People learn more and improve as they get older and wiser. Until they get too old and their body breaks down. His prime is the oldest age he is without his athletic ability declining.
Re: Has Dwight Howard had five or six Prime seasons?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinkhearts
I always wondered why people bother to debate about this. People learn more and improve as they get older and wiser. Until they get too old and their body breaks down. His prime is the oldest age he is without his athletic ability declining.
No, I think you are talking about his peak.
Prime is a longer period
Re: Has Dwight Howard had five or six Prime seasons?
He was way too raw his first three years, which was mostly due to his in-experience and lack of technical post moves coming straight from high school.
The problem here is that for a 2-3 year period from the end of the 2006/2007 season to the end of the 2009/2010 season, he really didn't improve much on the offensive end at all. He might have added a move here or there, and showed glimpses of improvement, but on a consistent level he never developed that offensive go to skill set that Shaq, Hakeem, Kareem had during there careers. Therefore, the start of his prime to me is when he really solidified himself as the obvious best defensive player in the league. This would be by the 2008-2009 season which was his 5th year in the league.
Last year he really improved dramatically in the offensive end from the games that I saw. So theoretically that prime bubble started with his dominance of the defensive end and solid offensive stats in 2008-2009, and I can see it continuing, with a new level added last year, for at least five more years.
If you look at most super stars in this league, it is by the 5th year that they really start polishing there efficencies to super-star levels, while keeping or increasing there base stats. I expect a career year from Dwight next season (whenever it is). I also expect that to be the beginning of his peak prime, with about 3 years of that, and then he will start his twilight prime years for another 3-4 years before his stats start to decline dramatically.
That's what I think, so to answer your question : He has been in his prime bubble for three years now.
Re: Has Dwight Howard had five or six Prime seasons?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaqAttack3234
I have a different definition of prime which I judge more by their level of play relative to other years, whether it be skills, athleticism or whatever makes the player more effective.
Howard was way too raw for me to consider his first 3 years near his prime. Ultimately, I think he may be just starting his prime, but that depends on what we see from him in the next few years.
This.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinkhearts
I always wondered why people bother to debate about this. People learn more and improve as they get older and wiser. Until they get too old and their body breaks down. His prime is the oldest age he is without his athletic ability declining.
Has Dwight Howard had five or six Prime seasons?
