Los Angeles Lakers: An early look at the 9-man playoff rotation

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard. A name that had previously caused nothing but pain and anguish for the fans of the purple and gold, has now been replaced with joy and delight at his exploits so far this season.

Here is hoping it continues.

When the announcement that Dwight Howard had signed with the Lakers for a second stint, it was met with universal anger. How could the Lakers bring back a player that left them high and dry?

It seemed as though Dwight had regressed to a point both physically and mentally that made him an extremely risky acquisition. To put it simply Dwight was playing his way out of the league with his behavior and lack of production.

It took future Hall of Famer Dwight Howard to hit rock bottom for him to realize that things needed to change. Hitting rock bottom allowed for Dwight to realize that the game he once loved was going to be taken from him if he didn’t change things.

So Dwight did just that.

Howard was able to shed considerable weight which allowed him to get more bounce in his legs and he was also able to put his ego aside and be a team player and play a role.

In doing so Howard has been nothing short of a revelation for the Los Angeles Lakers.

While Howard doesn’t have the same explosion he used to, he is still a dominant rebounder on both the offensive and defensive glass. He is still an elite rim protector who has given the Lakers great energy off the bench and he is still capable of setting bone-crushing screens and finishing at the rim.

Everyone loves a comeback and if Howard can keep this up, he will completely erase the memory of the Dwightmare from Laker’s fan’s memories.

Dwight has the potential to be a key difference-maker in the playoffs. Having been to the finals himself and arguably was the best player in the Lakers-Magic series, his experience will be valuable to the Laker’s cause.

Winning a championship would be a fairytale comeback for Dwight Howard and I hope he gets his comeback.