While the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t want to lose DeMarcus Cousins to an ACL tear because Boogie is a gifted post player who can score 20 points in his sleep, LA struck gold by signing Dwight Howard to a non-guaranteed deal, something superstar LeBron James is very thankful for.

James says Howard is “thriving” in his role with the Lakers and the franchise is “lucky” to have him on the squad:

“He’s thriving. He’s thriving,” James said, via silverscreenandroll.com. “He’s gonna have more years in his career and he’s gonna add an ingredient to our team’s success because of the role that he’s accepting. He’s just making the most of it every single night. Defending at a high level, rebounding, blocking shots, catching lobs and with zero ego.

“When his number is called he goes out there, and when he’s subbed out he cheers on his teammates every single night. We were lucky to be able to snatch him up late in the summer like that, and we’re happy to have him.”

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The Lakers are 22-3 on the season. Howard has appeared in every game and is averaging 6.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 72.0 percent from the field and 50.7 percent from the free-throw line.

All signs point toward Howard playing a big role for the Lakers once the playoffs start.