A certain level of desperation has set in this offseason for the Lakers.
After this past week’s ACL injury to DeMarcus Cousins which will effectively end Boogie’s 2019-20 season before it even began, the Lakers are now in a search for a big man upfront in an effort to limit Anthony Davis’ minutes at the position.
So what is the team’s solution?
Turning to an old familiar face in Dwight Howard.
Howard possibly being back in a
Still this was sometime ago now and this Lakers team is in a different position than that of the past.
First, they won’t be demanding as much from Dwight Howard who isn’t close to the player he was when he was an eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. However, it isn’t out of the question that Howard could offer the Lakers some quality minutes at the five, especially considering AD doesn’t seem totally comfortable with playing the position on a regular basis. Head coach Frank Vogel also made mention that playing Davis at
“We want a decade of dominance out of him here, right?” Vogel said. “So we got to do what’s best for his body, and having him bang against the biggest centers in the West every night is not what’s best for his body or for our team and the franchise.”
Last season, Howard played in just nine games for the Wizards before his season ended as the veteran underwent surgery to repair a gluteal injury. During his limited time Howard averaged 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game.
The Big Man was eventually traded to Memphis in July in a money saving move for the Grizzlies.
As far as Joakim Noah goes, he averaged 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 42 appearances for the Grizzlies last season. Unlike Howard, any thought of Noah being a starter is a pipe dream as his most effective minutes will be coming off the bench.
