Dwight Howard lands at No. 35 in SLAM Top 50 NBA Players

SLAM’s annual countdown of the Top 50 players in the NBA is underway and Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard checks in at No. 35. Much has been made of Howard’s journey from a standout in Orlando to finally landing in Atlanta. The concerns are well-chronicled but something that has been lost is just how productive Howard has been over the course of his career.

Statistically speaking (to this point in his career), Howard ranks among Hall-of-Famers Patrick Ewing, Moses Malone and Wes Unseld. In Howard’s most recent seasons with the Rockets (considered lackluster by the eight-time All-Star’s standards), “Superman” still averaged a double-double and 1.6 blocks per game. Say what you will of his off-court drama and injury history, but Dwight Howard has remained a consistent on-court producer.

So far, Howard has said and done everything right since joining the Hawks. As checkered as his tenure in Los Angeles and Houston was, Atlanta provides him with an opportunity to resurrect his career in a lot of ways. Its up to him to make that happen.