Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is confident in Dwight Howard for the upcoming season
The Los Angeles Lakers shook up the end of their roster at the end of August. Needing to find a replacement for DeMarcus Cousins, who tore his ACL working out and will likely miss the 2019-20 season, the Lakers held some meetings and workouts.
Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah and Marreese Speights were all brought in to meet with the team and workout. Ultimately, to the surprise of some, Howard was given a contract and the final spot on the roster. However, it comes with some caveats.
There were some concerns on the Lakers side about bringing Howard in. He does not have a great reputation in the locker room and the Lakers stressed that they did not want him disrupting theirs.
One way they got around that was giving Howard a non-guaranteed deal. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Howard is being given a chance to show that the changes he claims to have made are true.
Dwight Howard's deal with the Lakers will be non-guaranteed, league source tells ESPN. Howard had several meetings with Lakers officials, and they'll give him a chance to show he's made changes in how he conducts himself. Lakers players were involved in process.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 23, 2019
That meeting that Howard had with the Lakers was imperative to him landing a spot on the roster and he did well. He came into the meeting in great shape, showing that he was over the back injury that ended his 2017-18 season.
Wojnarowski also reported that Howard had hit rock bottom and been humbled by the past few seasons. The Lakers have heard it, but they want to see Howard actually put it together on the court.
Los Angeles isn’t going to be asking for much out of Howard. The heavy lifting will be done by LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma. Instead, Howard will be asked to do what he does best; protect the rim and rebound.
Head coach Frank Vogel is excited for Howard to fill that role. It is essentially the role that Tyson Chandler filled last season. Chandler provided a boost for the team, but Howard is in a totally different class from Chandler as long as he buys in.
Vogel is confident that Howard will buy-in. During a recent interview with Spectrum SportsNet, Vogel said they liked where Howard was at as a person. He added that it will be a different role for Howard than he is used to, but he understands that.
If Howard is truly all in with the Lakers, they are getting quite an upgrade at the center position. He isn’t the offensive player or playmaker that Cousins would have been, but he will provide solid defense in the sense of a big body that can bang down low.
It is understandable why Vogel is confident in Howard. As a defensive head coach, Howard will be an important part of his rotation. If Howard is truly a changed player, the Lakers will have shored up their shaky center position.