Dwight Howard Must Continue Hot Streak to Ensure L.A. Lakers’ Playoff Berth

Dwight Howard has been red-hot during the Los Angeles Lakers' four-game winning streak and he needs to keep it up if the team is to stay the course and make the playoffs.

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 16.5 points, a league-best 12.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, but has put up eye-popping numbers in his last four games. Over that stretch, he is averaging 24.8 points, 16.3 rebounds and four blocks per game, not to mention shooting 57 percent from the field.

It's great to see Howard putting up those kinds of numbers for two reasons.

First, the Lakers are finally getting the explosive center they thought they acquired in the blockbuster trade they executed last August.

Second, it's clear that Howard has shown a new commitment to performing well in Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo offense, in which he has struggled all season long and was apparently unhappy (per ESPN) in at one point. Instead of phoning in his pick-and-roll game and dominating the low post every so often, the man appears to have finally found the balance and is working to improve his game in the former area.



With only a few weeks remaining in the regular season, the Lakers need Howard to continue doing what he's been doing without hesitation. Consistency has been an issue all year long for him and now is not the time for him to get cocky over a hot streak and start coasting.

Look at it this way: Howard has averaged 11.2 field-goal attempts per game for his career and 10.4 for this season.

In games during which he takes fewer than 10 attempts from the field (not counting games he has missed due to injury), Los Angeles has gone 8-18. Without him demanding the ball, the team is far weaker and a lot less explosive.

Take those games away from the 34-31 Lakers and the record is a much more respectable 26-13—34-13 if the wins are added back. Thus, it's clear how important Howard is t...

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