Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard contributed in a major way off the bench to help beat the Sacramento Kings.
DeAndre Jordan started as usual at center, but head coach Frank Vogel pulled him after four minutes of struggling on both ends of the floor. Jordan did not return to the game.
Vogel instead went with Howard, who played a season-high 35 minutes and logged 12 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Howard revealed postgame that Vogel initially told him he wouldn’t be playing, which was also the case against the Detroit Pistons. Howard was a healthy scratch in that game because the Lakers have been experimenting with lineups that slot James at center, so Howard was removed from the equation.
After beating the Kings, Howard discussed how he stayed ready to play.
“I was pretty down when I got the news I wasn’t going to play, but I just told myself to stay ready,” Howard said. “You never know what can happen in a game, and instead of allowing that news to alter my energy and effort, I just tried to pick it up. If I got a chance to play tonight, I told myself I was just going to do whatever it takes to be able to stay on the floor.”
Howard credited Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy and Rajon Rondo for helping him with these types of situations.
“Coach Phil Handy taught me about that before the game. (Rajon) Rondo is always in my ear; they call him the Dwight Whisperer,” Howard said.
It’ll be interesting to see what the plan is for Jordan moving forward. With James out due to health and safety protocols, the Lakers have to pause his minutes at center until he’s healthy again.
Kent Bazemore, who opened the season as the starter, was pulled from the rotation after struggling, and Jordan’s play puts him on a similar trajectory. The key difference is the Lakers have the depth to replace Bazemore, but the roster lacks depth in the frontcourt.
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