Los Angeles Lakers: Dwight Howard and his second act

Dwight Howard excelling in his second act with the Los Angeles Lakers

As the NBA continues to wait on a potential restart to the 2019-20 season, there are many stories to look back upon in the meantime. One of the best feelgood stories before the hiatus involved Dwight Howard and his second act with the Los Angeles Lakers.

This time around, it was nothing like his first stint. When Dwight was traded to the Lakers in 2012, there was a ton of pressure. He was supposed to help deliver Los Angeles another championship. As history remembers, his one season with the Lakers in 2012 ended in disaster.

He would eventually sign with the Houston Rockets in free agency the following offseason.

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This time around, the expectations are not the same. And instead of being the primary anchor of the team, he’s more of a complementary piece. Before the hiatus, Dwight was thriving in the role he was asked to play.

Averaging just 19 minutes per game, eight points and seven rebounds per game on 73 percent shooting from the field. As an example of how much of an impact he provided on any given night for the Lakers, Dwight scored 16 points, brought down 10 rebounds, and blocked four shots in just 24 minutes of play against the Charlotte Hornets.

He also had another instance in which he posted 21 points and 15 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers in January. Incredible numbers for a guy that is coming off the bench. Whatever happens, if the season is resumed or not, the bottom line is that it appears that Dwight Howard is having fun.

As far as optics are concerned, it appears that he’s enjoying his second act in Los Angeles. He’s getting an opportunity to rewrite all the things that went wrong for him the last time he was with the Lakers.

The only way that this season can end a big more perfectly for Dwight is if the Los Angeles Lakers are able to win an NBA Championship. What a second act that would be for both Dwight and the Lakers.