While most of this NBA summer was spent marveling at the role an indestructible class of over-35 played in free agency, the other, major storyline was tracking the injuries of a 23-year-old Derrick Rose and 26-year-old Dwight Howard. The juxtaposition couldn’t have been more clear, but our conclusions and speculation couldn’t have been more murky. Howard wasn’t talking much as he hobbled around rehab in Los Angeles, and Rose let his recovery filter through in glossy videos. Today the Lakers released a video that helps see how Howard is progressing.
The 27-second clip shows Lakers assistant Darvin Ham working with Howard on the low block in individual workouts as the rest of the team scrimmages. He’s shooting with Ham giving a more than token effort on the contest, with a forearm pressing in Howard’s recovering back.
It’s just 27 seconds of a larger workout, of course, a tiny edit that leaves out how he felt after the El Segundo session. It’s a good sign for Howard because he looks, to be quite honest, loose and limber and jumping — and if you’ve ever hurt your back, those smallest things are the biggest to build on. After a summer of seeing sightings of suddenly geriatric Howard puttering around Los Angeles during rehab, this is a big step as taken on face value. Could he be ready by the season opener? He’s constantly downplayed expectations to do so, but maybe it’s OK to hold out hope.
How quickly will Howard play for the Lakers?
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