Stephen A. Smith surprised fans with an interesting comparison on First Take, yesterday. This comparison was a bit of a stretch, however, some certainly agreed with the principle. Essentially, Smith likened Paul George's career trajectory to that of Dwight Howard's. As Smith explained, George was a superstar in Indiana, just like Howard was in Orlando. However, as soon as both players left their original teams, they became journeyman role players.
Many were quick to poke holes in this hot take, considering Howard won three-straight defensive player of the year honors, while PG was an MVP finalist last year. Even Howard's Lakers teammate Kyle Kuzma had something to say about it all, responding to Smith on Twitter. As Kuzma said, Howard has accomplished too much to be comparing him to a player like George.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1306792723760979969
"He went to the finals. And 3peated defense player of the year nobody just doing that anymore lol," Kuzma wrote matter of factly.
As far as Howard is concerned, any such comparisons are simply outside noise, especially as he gears up to take on the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. Howard will be coming off the bench and his experience as a big man will certainly pay dividends against a big team like Denver.
That series begins tonight at 9 PM EST.
