Part of Dwight Howard's resurgence during the 2019-20 season was seeing how the veteran center and former star — a one-time member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the ill-fated 2012-13 team — could finally help the franchise in pursuit of another title.
Howard, 34, has been dismayed by the NBA suspending the season in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Per Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, via Silver Screen & Roll:
“The season started and I was like, man, this is a really good feeling. We’re winning. We had different obstacles come up like the stuff that was happening in China, and then obviously the Kobe situation, and then with the coronavirus. It’s kind of like man, it seemed like this is it. All of the things that I had talked about and worked on in myself, I was seeing it come to fruition. It kind of hurt to see everything stop.”
At the time of the coronavirus-borne hiatus more than two months ago, the Lakers were atop the Western Conference standings with the last stretch of the regular season in sight and Staples Center rival Clippers nearby in second place.
Howard, along with star forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis, were in a great position to make a run for the 2020 NBA Finals and break the playoff drought for L.A., which last saw the purple and gold franchise reach the postseason in Howard's single-season tenure (a first-round sweep and exit).
Howard had been averaging 7.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in 62 appearances, primarily coming off the bench for starting center JaVale McGee on a very stingy and tall Lakers defense.
Recently, there has been optimism for the NBA's return, with states permitting professional athletics to reopen and resume. The Lakers are among teams to practice this past week, just with public health guidelines in play.
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