Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: The best starting lineup

Center

Ryan Doyle: Dwight Howard. Yes, Shaquille O’Neal was phenomenal with the Magic. However, Howard was in Orlando longer and was also the centerpiece around a team that reached the Finals. Howard holds numerous franchise records and although it was a close call, I tend to lean towards Howard.

David Iwanowski: Dwight Howard. This was obviously an extremely close call. Shaquille O’Neal at his peak of the Magic years was such a dominant offensive player, and also played strong defense down low. However, the nod goes to Howard because of the overall effect he had. He did help the offense in many ways, and his defense was phenomenal. He anchored the Magic defense and was the main reason they were toward the top of the league for many years, despite not having any elite perimeter defenders. His overall effect, helped by the fact that he played five more seasons in Orlando, gives him the nod over Shaq.

Zach Palmer: Get over the bitterness guys, because Dwight Howard is not only the best center in Magic history but also the best player in Orlando history. Howard was the most dominant defensive big I have seen in the new space-and-pace NBA and have yet to see somebody as dominant as him again. He was an absolute terror on the glass, every game he grabbed a couple offensive rebounds and dunked it back in and set the tone for a game. Yes, Shaq was more dominant offensively. But Howard sustained his excellence for a lot longer and defensively I do not think Shaq was nearly as impactful as Howard was when you consider he was surrounded by a bunch of poor defenders.

Philip Rossman-Reich: It is still extremely controversial. My mentions got multiple tweets about us naming Dwight Howard the best player in Magic history. It was near unanimous on our staff. And it is unanimous here again. Dwight Howard is the pick at center. His longevity, his anchoring the best run in Magic history and his defensive prowess all make him the most impactful player and the best center in Magic history. Shaquille O’Neal put the Magic on the map and took them to unprecedented marketing heights. He is by far the better overall player. Howard though did more with less and was transformative defensively. When O’Neal was in Orlando he was among the great centers in the league, throwing up crazy point totals. But his defense was nowhere near as good as Howard’s. And Howard would have killed to have Anfernee Hardaway on his team to help with the perimeter scoring. It is up for debate for sure, but Howard is worthy of the title of best player in Magic history and best center in team history too.

Next: Top 10 3-point shooters in Orlando Magic history

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