Hakeem Olajuwon believes Dwight Howard is set for MVP-caliber season
With Kevin Durant expected to miss about a quarter of the season, MVP candidates like LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose and Chris Paul, among others, should see their chances of claiming the award bolstered.
Hakeem Olajuwon believes Dwight Howard's name belongs on that list.
“He’s healthy. He’s strong. He’s ready,” Olajuwon told NBA.com about Howard. "Now it’s about having the attitude to go out every night and dominate.”
“I played at a time when were so many players that could win the MVP each year," Olajuwon said.
"Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone. It meant you weren’t going to win the MVP every year. But you had to play like an MVP and have your name in the conversation. I believe that’s where Dwight is now. He is healthy. He is physically fit. He is strong. He wants to win."
Howard averaged 18.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 assists with the Rockets last season, earning his eighth All-Star nod and eighth All-NBA selection in his first season with Houston.
But since back surgery in 2012, Howard has never quite looked his dominant self.
Olajuwon, who has worked with a long list of NBA big men, has also spent plenty of time helping Howard since he joined the Rockets last summer. And he believes Howard is healthier and better now than he was when they worked together last year.
“I could see last year when I worked with him in camp that there were some things that he could not do. Or they were things that he did not think he could do," Olajuwon said.
"The difference now is that he is fit and those doubts are gone. This is the player who can go back to being the best center in the league and the kind of player that can lead his team to a championship. I think he should be dominant at both ends of the floor.”
If Howard truly is ready to return to peak form, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year can definitely re-enter MVP discussions.
Howard finished second in MVP voting to Derrick Rose in 2010-11.