Since the second half of the season began, the Lakers have truly begun to redeem themselves from all the dysfunction that had been taking place before the All-Star break. Now, when you think of LA's sudden momentum boost, you must ask yourself—who gets the credit?
It's easy to default to Kobe Bryant, the team's perennial iron man, who took the initiative to embrace his role as the team's facilitator and only make the big-game plays when absolutely necessary. You might even think of Earl Clark, the young upstart who seized the opportunity to shine in the absence of an injured Pau Gasol.
However, the guy who's made the most contributions to the Lakers' success but has not had enough recognition has got to be the big man himself, Dwight Howard.
At the start of the 2012-13 campaign, Howard immediately had a chip on his shoulder that was big enough to give the 6'11" powerhouse a run for his money. When Howard first came to the Lakers, all eyes immediately fell on him. Needless to say, these same eyes began to roll once he actually began to play in a Lakers uniform.
Defensively, Dwight's performance was dismal, to say the least. He began to show weakness in the key, and he was not aggressive in obtaining the turnover.
The lack of aggression translated on the offensive side, as well. Howard failed to drive to the boards and demonstrate his power and strength at moving past defenders, and his free-throw shooting was so bad, the term "hack-a-Dwight" immediately became a term worthy of a trending topic on Twitter.
However, that was then, this is now. The All-Star break wa...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
