Dwight Howard is happy to once again be playing for the Lakers. In fact, in conference call with members of the Los Angeles media, the former No. 1 overall pick noted to our Ryan Ward that it's “a blessing” to be back with his former team.

Howard, now entering his 16th season of service in the NBA, officially rejoined the Lakers on August 26. The eight-time All-Star appeared in nine games with the Washington Wizards last season, racking up averages of 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds in 25.6 minutes.

While there are some who opposed it, most Lakers fans are open to the idea of Howard returning. At this point, though, it's not clear how his services will be utilized. In the end, he could prove to be a solid addition to the team's frontcourt rotation.

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Howard put up fantastic stats in his lone season with the Lakers (2012-23), posting 17.1 points and a league-best 12.4 rebounds per game. He may not be able to achieve those numbers in his second stint, but he'll likely be looking to help his team in any way he can. After all, he is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and led the NBA in rebounds five times (2007-10, '11-13). And as of right now, he's leading all active players in career rebounds (13,184) and blocks (2,051).

The Lakers were in playoff contention through the early stages of the 2018-19 regular season campaign. However, LeBron James went down with a groin injury near the midway point of the season, which forced him to miss a substantial amount of time. As a result, Los Angeles fell out of the hunt.

Hopefully, with an offseason to prepare and an influx of new talent, the Lakers will find their way back into the mix.