Dwight Howard was on the court Tuesday, participating in his second straight contact-drill filled practice. These are the first few on-court tests since Howard went down to an injured back, requiring surgery.
Though he participated in essentially all drills-including offensive and defensive skeleton sets-Howard was held out of the night session 5-5 scrimmage. There are precautions to be taken here as the nature of a back injury-much like most injuries-requires a cautious approach. Nonetheless, head coach Mike Brown feels positive about what he’s seen:
“As much as he’s practicing, to me he’s back…Just waiting for the doctors (and) trainers to clear him. When that happens, he’ll go full tilt. But he looks good out there.”
Via NBA.com’s Basketblog.
Howard’s hope is that he can continue to show good signs and be cleared to play a few preseason games. The fact that he’s practicing in contact drill sets is great news for Howard, but the Lakers could certainly use an early return to full action from the all-star center. With the Lakers planning a change in offensive philosophy, any extra time Howard can get to further acclimate himself would be welcome.
Though he’s regaining his in-game fitness, running up and down the court more, Howard still seems to have a little ways to go. Considering that LA is taking all precautions, there is continued hope that Howard is back to 100% sooner rather than later.
He’s an all-star, a defensive juggernaut, and widely considered the best center in the NBA. But, Howard’s transition to the Princeton system of offense is going to be key to LA’s success (a mobile big being a requirement of the system). Once he is cleared to play in the 5-on-5 scrimmages-and work more with assistant coach Eddie Jordan-we should get a better idea of Howard’s role in LA’s new scheme.
Mohamed Abdihakim is a journalism student at Florida Atlantic University. He is a Phoenix Suns fan, who is not prepared for the possibility of Nash winning a title in a Lakers jersey. Mohamed is also a contributor at “Les Snobs”. Interests include International basketball, Mad Men, and blues music. Nearly all stats are credited to Hoopdata or Basketball-Reference.
Twitter handle: @Abdi_hakim
