Los Angeles Lakers: Dwight Howard is fitting in nicely

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Dwight Howard for center depth over the summer and should be pleased with the results thus far.

Dwight Howard has been fitting in nicely with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his play in the preseason game against the Golden State Warriors last night continued this trend.

In 22 minutes, Howard posted a stat line of twelve points, thirteen rebounds, and six assists. Perhaps even more impressive, he went 8/10 from the free-throw line and tracked down four steals.

However, Howard’s impressive game went beyond the numbers.

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Howard’s style of play on the floor will have the ability to translate seamlessly when he is on the court with the Lakers’ full squad, including with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Even in a preseason game with much less talent on the floor, Howard let his game flow naturally.

He did not need the ball fed to him, and let Coach Frank Vogel’s offense dictate his game. Howard was constantly setting screens, rolling hard off picks, and looking for easy baskets off dump passes.

Another great site from Howard was his mentality. One question mark throughout Howard’s career has been his heart and effort. Yes, Howard was a freak talent, but many attributed his lack of success to failing to combine this talent with hard work.

Well, last night, Howard showed once again that he has changed. While he may no longer be the physical talent, he has shown that he is willing to put in the work. One main nod to this was Howard running the floor hard.

He would crash the glass (on either end) and immediately sprint down to the opposing end. As a big man, this can be very effective to elevate an average player, and has had similar effects for JaVale McGee.

In addition to running the floor, Howard showed great activity on the defensive end. Not only did it show up in the stat column with four assists, but he also had great positioning and help defense that contributed to the team’s success.

Howard did a great job of sticking within his role last night, and executing that role to perfection. The Los Angeles Lakers will not ask, and not need, Dwight Howard to go get his own. While he may have been playing against a Warriors team without a majority of its best players, Howard was also playing without his best players.

Not that he will be playing against the same caliber opponents, but having LeBron and AD draw all the attention of opposing teams will leave him plenty of opportunities.

Howard has stuck to his word thus far, remaining a non-distraction off the court and doing everything in his power to contribute to the success of the team (rather than the individual). If this trend continues, Howard will be an essential component for the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship aspiration.