26-year old Dwight Howard is going to be the next great center in Lakers’ history as long as his back holds out.  Howard played in 54 games (all starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 38.3 minutes, 20.6 points, 14.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.1 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 621 games (620 starts) in his first eight years in the NBA and he is averaging 36.2 minutes, 18.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.2 blocked shots per game.  25-year old Jordan Hill will likely be the top backup at center for the Lakers.  Hill played in 39 games (8 starts) for the Rockets and Lakers last year in which he averaged 14.1 minutes, 5.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Hill has now played in 158 games (19 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 14.6 minutes, 5.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  23-year old Robert Sacre came to the Lakers in the second round of last June’s NBA Draft.  He played in 136 games in college and he averaged 21.7 minutes, 9.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.  He played his college ball at Gonzaga.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2012-13:  A+