Dwight Howard has been off to a rousing start to his 2019-20 season, one that has been deemed a “redemption” season after returning to the Los Angeles Lakers after a failed one-year stint with a Kobe Bryant-led team in 2012-13.
Though his averages have been a humble 6.7 points and 7.9 rebounds on the season, he's had sprinkles of very encouraging outings, drawing the praise of teammates, including The Lion King himself — LeBron James.
So has he done enough through seven games to garner a starting spot over JaVale McGee?
One could argue that the double-double monster Howard had been known to be never really left. Skip the recent 2018-19 season, one in which he only played only nine games after dealing with a slew of setbacks. “Superman” was coming off a season where he averaged 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game — all while playing in 81 games for the Charlotte Hornets.
Those imposing numbers were clouded by his reputation as a locker room problem, ones that were dispelled by former Hornets star Kemba Walker and many other former teammates.
Yet the label of locker room “cancer” was still slapped on him, now going to his fourth team in four years after agreeing to sign with the Wizards.
Wiping 2018-19 from our memory bank would show that Howard has been a perennial double-double threat for his entire career, managing double figures in scoring and rebounding in each of his 14 campaigns prior to last season.
Besides perception and a recent injury history, there is no reason to think he can't do the same if given minutes.
Howard has feasted on teams' second units thus far, already with a 16-point, 10-rebound performance in a perfect 8-of-8 shooting night, and a 14-point, 13-rebound outing last week against the San Antonio Spurs on 7-of-7 from the floor.
The 6-foot-11 big man is more than a glorified garbage man, even at this point of his career — but an impact player that has shown he has bought into the role the coaching staff has carved for him.
At 33 years old, Howard has shown he is still able to score and rebound efficiently while challenging shots at the rim and taking smart fouls for the team. Putting him in the starting lineup brings a completely different layer of complexity, however, as he will now have to share the floor with two high-usage behemoths in James and Anthony Davis, who will rack up most of the possessions.
While Howard can find himself just fighting for offensive rebounds and finding James or Davis rather than dumping putbacks into the opponents' basket, he could also find himself as the beneficiary of lobs and shovel passes with the dynamic duo drawing most of the defensive attention.
Howard has looked much better than JaVale McGee and he's playing more because of it, but it's tough to know if starting would benefit the Lakers or just give them another mouth to feed on the offensive end.
Starter or not, Howard would benefit from more minutes, perhaps ranging in the mid-20s, considering his shot-blocking and the second-chance opportunities he can muster for the West-leading Lakers.
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