Who’s the Better NBA Franchise Centerpiece, Blake Griffin or Dwight Howard?

Blake Griffin is known for his highlight-reel ravaging of rims.

Dwight Howard is known for his under-performance and dramatic losses.

At least that’s the portrayal of the two Los Angeles superstar big men from this past season.

Griffin is the marketable young Clippers dunk artist, a 24-year-old who is seeing team success but is stagnant in production after just three seasons.

Howard’s reputation has turned, but he's still arguably the game’s best center despite being seen as a distraction to team chemistry and impaired as a winner.

With that, sources tell Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN that the Clippers may offer a sign-and-trade with the Lakers in exchange for Howard.

So it brings forth a compelling debate: Which superstar makes for a better centerpiece for a franchise?

 

Just by the Numbers



There's no clear edge in statistical averages between Howard and Griffin.

Here are their career numbers:

  Seasons Points FG%
Rebounds
Assists
Blocks Dwight Howard 9 18.3 57.7% 12.9 1.5 2.2 Blake Griffin 3 20.4 52.9% 10.4 3.6 0.6  

 

Also of note is that Howard played his first season in the NBA at 19 years old while Griffin played his at 21 after missing a full season with a knee injury.

Howard never averaged more than 20 points until his fourth season in 2007-08, when he scored 20.7 points per game. Griffin averaged 22.5 points in his 2010-11 Rookie of the Year season.

However, it's not clear that Griffin's production will continue to climb in the same way Howard's game did following his third season. Since his rookie year, Griffin's averages in points and rebounds have decreased in back-to-back seasons.

Despite stronger positivity surrounding Griffin than Howard this past season, Griffin's numbers were actually simil...

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