5 Best defensive seasons of Dwight Howard's NBA career in terms of Defensive Rating

#3 Dwight Howard's 2008-09 NBA season

Dwight Howard as stunning during the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

On his way to the first of three consecutive NBA DPOY awards, Dwight Howard had a brilliant 2008-09 NBA season with the Orlando Magic, again leading the team to the NBA Playoffs and doing so due to his displays on both ends of the court.

Howard averaged 20.6 points per game, while leading the league in rebounds per game (13.8) and blocks per game (2.9). That was arguably his greatest season, including his postseason prowess and how he carried the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals, eliminating the Boston Celtics and LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers on the process.

In terms of Defensive Rating, Dwight Howard had the third-best of his career that year, putting up a league-leading 94.6, while leading the NBA in Defensive Win Shares to earn his first NBA DPOY.

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#2 Dwight Howard's 2009-10 NBA season

Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic looks on against the Boston Celtics in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at Amway Arena on May 16, 2010 in Orlando, Florida.

After taking the Orlando Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals, Dwight Howard followed it up with another dominant regular season, averaging 18.3 points, 13.2 rebounds (league's best) and an NBA-best 2.8 blocks per night.

He then led the Magic to the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals, but fell to the Boston Celtics. Defensively, Howard led the league in Defensive Rating for the second consecutive season with a 95.4.

He went on to win the DPOY for the second time in his career and finished fourth in the NBA MVP voting.

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#1 Dwight Howard's 2010-11 NBA season

Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic against the Atlanta Hawks during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on April 22, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia.

To cap off his streak of consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard had a brilliant 2010-11 NBA regular season. He added a career-high 22.9 points per game, with 14.1 rebounds per game and 2.4 blocked shots on a nightly basis.

Those numbers helped him finish second in the MVP vote, behind Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose. Howard won his third straight NBA DPOY award convincingly after putting up a career-best and NBA-leading 94.2 Defensive Rating, as well as leading the league in Defensive Win Shares and finishing second in Player Efficiency Rating.

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