The NBA is nearing a resumption of its 2019-20 season, yet Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley are unsure if they want to participate.
Danny Green told Caron Butler that the Los Angeles Lakers need both Howard and Bradley to play in order to have a real shot at the NBA title.
“I think it’s just important that we’re together,” said Bradley. “Obviously we’re going to need Avery Bradley, we’re going to need Dwight Howard to be playing for us to have a chance. But I think it’s important that we stay healthy, and not just our team but the league. Everybody that’s in the league has to have a unified front on what we’re going to do and speak with one voice. But for our team individually, as a group, Lakers, we need to be together, we need to be on the same page, we’ve got to stay healthy. I think we have some professional guys that are on top of it and actually staying in shape during this time, so I think we’ll be a little ahead of the curve with that.”
Howard and Bradley have played important roles in making the Lakers one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.
Bradley has given the team the ability to pressure the other team’s ball-handler as he brings the ball up court. Meanwhile, Howard has been L.A.’s backup center and has given it a valuable presence defensively and on the boards.
Howard, who has been criticized for being a prima donna over the years, has been a positive influence on the bench this season by giving his teammates positive energy.
If Howard decides not to play in order to bring attention to institutional racism, as he’s suggested, the Lakers could be in some trouble. The only other true center on their roster, Javale McGee, has asthma, which puts him in a high-risk category if he were to contract the novel coronavirus.
Players will have until Wednesday to notify the NBA if they plan on sitting out the resumption of the season.
