Los Angeles Lakers: 3 standout players from win vs. Utah Jazz

1. Dwight Howard

When the Los Angeles Lakers needed to find a replacement for DeMarcus Cousins, many people were skeptical of their choice. Dwight Howard was who they signed, and to say it was a risky move would be an understatement.

Howard has had a rough couple of seasons. He has worn out his welcome, rather quickly, with the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards. He didn’t even get on the court with the Brooklyn Nets or Memphis Grizzlies, who waived him prior to playing in a game. He wasn’t in great standing with the Lakers, either, after his first go-round was a mitigated disaster and he left as a free agent to join the Houston Rockets.

As they say, time heals all wounds and that applied here. Despite what happened in the past, the Lakers gave Howard another chance, but with a caveat. Howard was given a non-guaranteed deal with the ultimatum that if he didn’t buy-in, he would be sent packing.

Tonight was exactly what the Lakers were hoping for. Howard did all of the dirty work on the interior and made his presence felt in the paint. He scored only two points but had arguably the biggest impact on the game outside of LeBron.

Howard pulled down seven rebounds and added two assists, two steals and two blocks. He was physical in the paint and this performance couldn’t have come at a better time as JaVale McGee didn’t play in the second half and logged only 12 minutes.

Howard lands at No.1 on this list because he fully bought into the role the Lakers were hoping for him to and he stepped up in the second half with McGee ailing.