Los Angeles Lakers: Dwight Howard is fufilling his promise

Dwight Haoward has done a lot in the NBA, including two stints with the Los Angeles Lakers.

in 2013, Dwight Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and promised Laker fans that they were going to get the best version of him. Everyone knows how that season ended with Kobe tearing his Achilles before the last game of the season and the Lakers stumbling into the postseason just to get swept by San Antonio Spurs.

Afterward, in his end of season interview, Dwight told Laker fans that he would make it up to them — then he signed with the Rockets. Most Laker fans forgot about Dwight once he left and eventually moved on. When DeMarcus Cousins went down with an injury and was out for the season, many experts believed the Lakers lost their best big.

Rob Pelinka and Kurt Rambis took a chance on Dwight Howard with a non-guaranteed contract — the deal brought split opinions across the NBA twitter landscape. A lot believed that Dwight’s days as an effective player were finished and that the Lakers could’ve signed more professional veterans who wouldn’t cause unnecessary distractions.

Boy, was everybody wrong with Dwight making an instant impact from the moment he put on the Lakers jersey, culminating in 7 points and 7 rebounds in 18 minutes per game in the regular season.

If the Lakers needed an extra boost Dwight was there to provide with a powerful slam or emphatic block. Dwight even showed the ability to still slide his feet with guards on switches, which was lacking before this very season.

The rap on Dwight’s career has always been a talented individual who doesn’t take anything seriously and is a distraction. Dwight has managed to flip that narrative on its head so far this season.

With stories coming out about how Dwight has been mentoring Kyle Kuzma on how to play better defense to Dwight being the team’s cheerleader in the bubble. So many players have complained about the bubble and how no fans bring no juice to the game. Dwight and JaVale McGee have taken upon themselves to bring the energy for their teammates, which speaks volumes to the type of approach both have towards winning.

The biggest change was during the Rockets series when Frank Vogel realized that playing Dwight was not only hurting the Lakers but giving the Rockets an advantage.

Dwight was benched from game one and didn’t see another second of action all series long. Normally, fans would expect stories from the media about Dwight pouting on how little minutes he’s played but instead the opposite happened. Dwight was the first person to cheer when LeBron scores or AD slams it home, Dwight also the first teammate to dap his teammates up after a timeout.

Dwight showed incredible professionalism all series versus the Rockets and his sacrifice ultimately lead to the Lakers dispatching the Rockets in five. The best part of the situation was how Dwight stayed ready regardless of his minutes tally and showed up game one against Denver, ready to make an impact.

And Dwight did with 13 points 3 rebounds 2 steals and 1 block in just 16 minutes of play.

All those moments have shown how committed Dwight Howard is to winning and there’s nothing more you want as a fan. Dwight said he would make it up to Laker fans and so far he’s backing it up.