Greg Oden's Rookie Progression

In looking at the Greg Oden/Brook Lopez matchup in last nights Blazers/Nets tilt, there is one more comparison to the player that most material respects is closest to Greg Oden. That player is Dwight Howard. Dwight is the only other center in recent history to have many of the same physical tools as Greg and with those tools become a physical force in the NBA. Centers like Yao Ming and Brook Lopez are very different because they are rely more on finesse than on strength. Also of the other potentially great centers, only Howard is alike Greg in their limited college experience (Howard skipped it entirely, Oden play half a season due to a wrist injury).

Here are the rookie year stats for Dwight Howard and Greg Oden per 36 minutes:

Player	FG%	FT%	REB	AST	BLK	PTS	PF
Dwight Howard	.520	.671	11.1	1.0	1.8	13.2	3.1
Greg Oden	.531	.649	11.0	1.1	1.7	12.6	6.0

The two sets of numbers are exceedingly similar. I think that once Oden is able to reduce his foul rate, which should come as he has played about 5 months of organized competitive basketball in the last 2 years, he should provide the inside presence the Blazers were looking for when they drafted him.