Magic coach Stan Van Gundy praised the defensive skills of center Dwight Howard on Monday.

He's coached excellent interior defenders like P.J. Brown and Alonzo Mourning, but Van Gundy says that Howard is in a world of his own.

"He's a better pick-and-roll defender, probably, than Alonzo was and a better shot-blocker than P.J. was," the coach said. "There's just not much he can't do defensively. I think as a big guy he's as good as anybody I've been around."

Howard, the NBA's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, has 23 blocks in Orlando's last five games.