Among the players who had a big night for the Los Angeles Lakers to help LeBron James and Anthony Davis notch the team’s second win was perhaps the most controversial signing of the offseason: second-time Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, who is famously trying this time with a different number.
Howard was dominant on Sunday against his former Charlotte Hornets team, the team he played for when he was last healthy in 2017-18 and was nearly an All-Star, scoring a double-double 16 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks off the bench. Although JaVale McGee remains the team’s starting center, Howard played more minutes than McGee for the second straight game.
It’s safe to say that Howard has exceeded expectations that many had for him after coming back from injuries last season in Washington and LeBron James says the team’s belief in Howard is being rewarded.
LeBron has found Howard a few times this season for easy baskets and Anthony Davis has also worked well in tandem with Howard with bench lineups. While it’s still very early, lineups with LeBron and Howard have outscored teams by 21 points over the first three games while lineups with Davis and Howard have outscored their opponents by 28 points, according to NBA.com.
