About midway through the 2019-20 NBA season, it looks like the Dwight Howard experiment is paying off for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Until very recently, he was considered something of a social pariah whose departure from past teams was actually celebrated.
After L.A.’s 128-99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, Howard praised the culture of his new team.
“It’s more accepted,” Howard said when asked if he’s having more fun than he did in the past. “I think a lot of times in the past, it wasn’t accepted for guys to have fun like this on the court. But I think what it’s showing is that it’s just pure joy. For me, this is like my sanctuary. For an artist, when they want to show how thankful they are, they make music. For a basketball player, it’s on the court.”
On his past teams, something was amiss about team chemistry. During Howard’s first stint with the Lakers in 2012-13, Kobe Bryant expected his teammates to be consummate professionals.
That squad was expected to be a title contender. However, a massive rash of injuries devoured any chance it had of making noise in the playoffs, not to mention any goodwill it could muster.
Howard also reportedly had a rift with James Harden while playing for the Houston Rockets over the next three seasons.
This year’s Lakers team appears to have outstanding chemistry, and Howard has been one of the main reasons why. Beyond his play on the court and his acceptance of a drastically reduced role, he has infused the team with positive energy night in and night out.
