“We gonna be ready by the time the playoffs start and everything, that’s when we start dominating” – Dwight Howard not concerned by the LA Lakers’ struggles this season

The LA Lakers, without Dwight Howard and a few others who are in the NBA’s virus protocols, were badly beaten by the Phoenix Suns in their last meeting. After a quick start out of the gates, the Lakers, with the exception of LeBron James, just couldn’t match the Suns’ intensity and execution.

Despite another lopsided loss to one of the best teams in the NBA, Dwight Howard is urging fans of the LA Lakers not to lose hope. In an interview before their matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on the road, the former Defensive Player of the Year was upbeat regarding their title hopes.

Here are his encouraging words for Lakers Nation (via TMZ):

“We good, man. It’s early. We gonna be ready by the time the playoffs start. That’s when we start dominating.”

The 36-year old former All-Star has a valid point as the LA Lakers have been dealing with injuries and virus protocols since the season started. Dwight Howard himself just recently exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Dwight Howard also stressed the point that significant roster changes involving the Russell Westbrook trade and free-agent acquisitions require an adjustment period.

“This is a brand-new team than it was in 2020," Howard said. "All of us are really trying to learn how to play together and get our games going. It’s not about how you start. It’s how you finish!”

Getting the system and chemistry right will largely depend on how healthy the LA Lakers are. They need to have their best players on the floor for the team to play as a cohesive unit. Currently, no other team in the NBA has used more different starting units than the Purple and Gold team.

Over the course of the season, LeBron James has been in and out of the lineup. Also, Anthony Davis is now sidelined for at least a month due to an MCL injury. The new normal is yet another adversity Dwight Howard and the LA Lakers will have to contend with.

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Can the LA Lakers really turn it around in the playoffs when healthy?

Dwight Howard and the other veterans have to be healthy for the LA Lakers to maximize LeBron James' championship window. [Photo: Star Tribune]

The question is the biggest elephant in the room. Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka constructed a veteran unit that still has plenty of tread on the tires.

Even without the uncertainties that go along with COVID-19, the LA Lakers were already betting hard on their veteran-laden team to play the most important games. The oldest team in the league this season will need so many things to go right just for them to have healthy bodies.

Granted, even if they are healthy, the spacing and fit issues are very real. They still have not figured out how to really incorporate Russell Westbrook in the lineup without LeBron James giving up point guard duties. The game against the Phoenix Suns was a perfect example of how Westbrook struggles to fit in the lineup.

The LA Lakers’ penchant for committing turnovers is another thing they have to drastically address. They are second only to the young Houston Rockets for the league's worst turnover average with 16.1 per game. The Lakers had 15 turnovers against the Suns, seven of which were on Westbrook.

Phoenix turned those turnovers into 22 points, which was huge as the LA Lakers lost by 18 points. Getting healthy is already a major concern. To dominate, Dwight Howard and the Lakers will have to improve dramatically.

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