5. He’s a great rebounder
Howard has been among the association’s elite rebounders for most of his 15-year career. He has a lifetime average of 12.6 boards per game, which is second among active players, and he’s first among all active players with 13.184 rebounds for his career (14th overall in NBA history).
He especially shines on the defensive boards, where he’s third among both active players and all players in NBA history with a 29.6 defensive rebound percentage, and second among active players with 9,513 defensive rebounds in his career (7th overall in NBA history).
When neither Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee aren’t on the court, whether because they’re resting or because one (or both) of them are injured, the Lakers will badly need rebounding. Howard can provide that.
Yes, he’s about to turn 34, but he’s still a lean, mean rebounding machine. This past season he averaged 9.2 rebounds a game in 25.6 minutes for the Washington Wizards, which translates to 13.0 rebounds per 36 minutes, which is only a shade below his per 36 career average of 13.2 rebounds.
Now, it’s true that Howard had an injury-riddled 2018-19 season that caused him to miss all but nine games due to surgery. But assuming he’s healthy now and that his surgery won’t limit his mobility much, if at all, he should be good for 15-20 minutes a game of devouring the backboard and creating fast breaks and offensive opportunities for the Lakers.