Howard near center of early surge for 76ers
Three days after the last draft, just about when everybody stopped staring, the Sixers quietly signed Dwight Howard for the NBA veteran minimum. The celebration never threatened to skid out of control.
Dwight Howard?
OK.
The same Dwight Howard who’d last played in an All-Star Game seven years ago?
The Dwight Howard who’d hadn’t earned an MVP vote in eight years?
Dwight Howard, whose last Defensive Player of the Year plaque just celebrated its 10th birthday?
The 35-year-old Dwight Howard? Who used to make $23 million a year but had been working in recent years at about a $20 million discount? With the reputation as a player who could be a little grumpy around a clubhouse?
Him?
“I like adding a big,” Daryl
Morey had said, “just so Doc (Rivers) has all the tools.”
OK.
With The Process having been over for a while, the Sixers had begun to assemble a more complete toolbox in recent years. But the addition of Howard, his legend secure, his strength unquestioned, was a different kind of move. Sure, the Sixers could have continued to rely on Norvel Pelle, or another pretty good but limited center at that level, to back-up Joel Embiid. But they didn’t recruit Rivers to wait to win a championship; they want to win one soon, if not immediately.
Kyle O’Quinn, in other words, wasn’t going to get it done.
Howard, though? Interesting.
If right, and there was some honest conversation to be had about that, he would be the perfect addition at the perfect time. Because of modern NBA physical science and Embiid’s certified inability to go too long without complaining of some kind of injury, Rivers would need to be protected on those 20-ish nights when his best player was unavailable. But if truly satisfied to be an understudy to MVP-ready Embiid, as he largely was last season when contributing to the Lakers’ championship, Howard could provide Rivers with the every-night luxury of a center with Hall of Fame talent.
How is it working out? So far, so flawless. “You know, I didn’t know,” Rivers said, of his expectations. “This is not the Dwight Howard of 10 years ago, obviously. This is the Dwight of now. And it says a lot about him that he can be the one that he is now, that he can come off the bench and not be a problem, that he can be a role player for your team, and it’s not an issue. So it speaks highly of Dwight.
“I think his experience last year with the Lakers taught him a lot about winning, and what it takes, and what each guy has to do.”
Even if the Sixers did enter a game in Detroit Monday with the best record in the Eastern Conference, it had been a few minutes since their last championship. But for several reasons, they are becoming well placed to win one this year. Embiid is playing like the best player in the world. Tobias Harris is playing his best. There are more shooters, thus reducing the pressure on Ben Simmons to score.
Beyond all of that, though, is the way Rivers has designed a second shift that provides meaningful minutes, not just rest for the starters. With the way he scores, Shake Milton can be in the Sixth Man of the Year mix. Tyrese Maxey is an early All-Rookie candidate. Matisse Thybulle has AllDefense instincts.
Then there is Howard, who has not played anything like a late-career hanger-on, but rather is showing the instincts and aggression that has made him one of the best rebounders in history. He has not lost a stride while running the floor, rarely makes a mistake, protects the rim and, most of all, has stayed out of the way of Embiid’s growth.
It’s Embiid’s team, his job, his call when to take a breather. That makes it Howard’s job to play 18 minutes a night, to average around seven points, and to help guide Embiid into the company of the game’s most legendary centers.
It’s working. “Three years ago, I saw something special in Joel,” said Howard, who started Monday as Embiid rested a sore back. “I had been watching him play and I was really impressed. Then I saw him in person, and I found myself looking up at him. I said, ‘I’m a pretty tall guy, but he is bigger than me. And he’s shooting threes. And he’s doing Euro-steps. And he’s doing fadeaways.’
“That’s when I said, ‘You know what? This guy has the potential to be one of the greatest to play the game.’”
If so, that gives the Sixers two such centers, each snugly tailored for his role.
“It’s a blessing to play in this league,” Howard said, after a morning shootaround. “I’d love to play in this league as long as I’m able to play. As long as I can continue to do what I’m doing and continuing to help this team out, I would love to play for many more years.”
Howard is in his 17th season, an inflated figure as he charged into pro ball out of high school. He is in splendid shape. He can lead. He can teach. He can communicate. He contributes at both ends.
He is only signed for one year with the Sixers. It’s a year that well may end in celebration.