Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers is experiencing something of a resurgence in 2019-20 after bouncing between myriad teams over the course of the past few seasons. In limited minutes this year, Howard is providing excellent two-way play as a backup big man, and he is not carping about post touches and post-ups.
Instead, Howard is thriving as an energetic big man off the bench behind the All-Star talents of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, and he seems happy to be doing so.
According to his former coach in Orlando, Stan Van Gundy, Howard is not only one of the most athletic players in the NBA (still), he is also one of the most intelligent:
🗣 Hear why Stan Van Gundy believes his old player Dwight Howard is a valuable piece for the Lakers this season. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/3eiJ5242Xm
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) November 4, 2019
So far this season, Howard is only playing 21.3 minutes a night (a career-low), but he is leading the entire NBA in field-goal percentage at a whopping 79.2 percent. The 15-year NBA veteran is producing 6.8 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, 1.3 assists per game and an impressive 2.3 blocks per game, which is his highest mark in that category since the 2012-13 season when he, coincidentally, also played for the Lakers.
Of course, Howard’s most inspiring successes occurred as a member of Van Gundy’s Orlando Magic teams, which made the NBA Finals before being soundly defeated by Kobe Bryant’s Lakers.
Howard’s peak years in Orlando remain statistically staggering. In eight seasons he averaged 18.4 points per game, 13.0 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists per game, 2.2 blocks per game and 1.0 steals per game in 36.2 minutes a contest.
Smart and a workhorse, Howard’s Magic years remain the stuff of legend.
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