Dwight Howard’s return to the Los Angeles Lakers revives a whole lot of interesting storylines that started in the 2012-13 season.
Howard spent one year with the Lakers, a season plagued by injuries and clashes with teammates including Kobe Bryant. That year saw the Lakers underachieve relative to expectations with a 45-37 record, and they were swept in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs, the eventual Western Conference champions.
After the final game of that sweep, Howard thanked Laker fans, and posted a tweet that is suddenly relevant again over six years later.
I hope I get the chance to make it up to you!” Thank u la.
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) April 29, 2013
Times have changed since that tweet was sent. Howard is now 33 and has a reputation as a poor teammate, and the NBA has changed and become more of a shooter’s game. That has left old-fashioned centers like Howard to play catch-up. The Lakers have essentially brought him in because they believe he’s been humbled, and he looks likely to have a rather short leash if he intends to keep his roster spot.
