Dwight Howard had the Los Angeles Lakers fans checking the calendars to see if it’s still 2019.
Dwight Howard may have been worried about how the Lakers fans would receive him at the beginning of the game. Would there be a grudge? Would there be boos cascading from the rafters? Would he be welcomed back into Laker Nation?
Well if he continues to play like he did in this game, Dwight Howard will be just fine. He played his best game since changing uniform numbers from 12 to 39. Howard played an outstanding all around game scoring 12 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and 4 steals. Would you believe he had more assists than Stephen Curry with 6 assists?
🎥 @DwightHoward packs the box score with 12 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. pic.twitter.com/PAUI0ygtqz
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 15, 2019
This is the game that Howard and the Lakers need to build on. Dwight looked comfortable and active for the first time all preseason. Up until this point, he looked really stiff and potentially unsure about how his body would hold up after season ending back surgery last year.
Howard put up solid rebounding numbers throughout the three preseason games, but struggled at times doing the other things on the floor. He looked relaxed and confident. How confident was he?
When was the last time anyone remembers Dwight Howard knocking down his free throws? He shot 8-10 from the charity stripe.
His instincts in this game was strong, illustrated by this play here.
Dwight out here doing it all by himself with the steal and slam!
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 15, 2019
(📺: @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/1ITPt4IwED
When the Warriors tried to run the high pick and roll on the left-wing, Howard stepped up strong and showed hard defensively. When the pass was delivered, he jumped the passing lane and showed his increasing athleticism flying down the court for the slam dunk. This was a major improvement from his previous games in China, where he would get caught in no-man’s land playing the pick and roll.
This is the type of performance that will keep Dwight Howard in a Lakers uniform all year-long. He did exactly what is required of him in all aspects in this game. He rebounded, protected the rim (He blocked a Steph Curry shot into photographers row!) and ran the floor hard.