Dwight Howard has so much damn talent. Most of it has been wasted over the years. Howard’s lone accomplishment was carrying the awful Magic to an NBA Finals by himself. Since then, it’s been a lot of yuck. After finding himself out of the league and out of chances, Dwight Howard finally decided to stop being a fuck up. If there has been one surprise during this NBA season it’s that Dwight Howard is officially back and he cares now. Howard is proving to be quite the steal for the LA Lakers.
Remember the Steve Nash Laker days? Yikes. What about the Howard and James Harden duo when the 8 seed was common place? Atlanta couldn’t wait to get rid of the former home town kid. The Hornets didn’t even want Dwight. During the 2018-19 season, Howard played just 9 games with the Wizards. The end of the road looked here. It turns out Dwight Howard hit rock bottom and actually started to take shit seriously again.
Howard, 34, would be out of the league if it weren’t for the DeMarcus Cousins knee injury. What looked like a nightmare at the time turned into a golden opportunity for Dwight. It truly was sink or swim time. Howard signed a non-guaranteed contract with LA. The first sight of nonsense and he was out of there. Fortunately for the Lakers, they got A+ Dwight. It just so happened that it was 7 years later than they thought it was going to be.
Superman is back. Howard has been on a total tear with the Lakers to start the season. In 6 games (yes short sample size) Howard is playing about 21 minutes a night and putting together a line of 6.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per night. While it doesn’t look crazy, that’s all the Lakers need. 20 minutes of high production a night so Anthony Davis doesn’t have to pout about playing center. Here’s the best part. Dwight Howard is cashing in on all of his opportunities. He’s currently converting 79 percent from the floor!
Dwight is doing his part to contribute. The Lakers are 5-1 and Howard has been an important piece. The Lakers big man is protecting the rim, blocking shots, crashing boards, catching lobs, and roaming as an effective screener. He just looks like a totally different human. Where the hell has this version of Dwight been? Howard has remade his body and most importantly, looks like he cares. This is the most important development for the Lakers this year. It looks like the Lakers have another player they can count on this year which is scary for the rest of the league.
