Dwight Howard has been working on his 3-point shot, but he’ll have to work really hard to get to use it in a game with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers star LeBron James told Howard he can take one 3-pointer per game for every two blocks. The Lakers` big man disclosed their conversation on the
“LeBron said if I get two blocks, I can get a 3-pointer,” Howard said. “I’m finna try to get nine blocks every day.”
James clarified in the comments of the post, saying the deal is that Howard needs to get two blocks per half to take a 3-pointer.
“Two blocks per half and he gets his trey ball off,” James responded.
Dwight Howard (today on IG Live) said that LeBron told he can attempt one three pointer a game if he blocks two shots prior 😂
While big men around the league have been adding a 3-point shot to their game, Howard is more likely to stick to his bread and butter — dominating the paint and giving the Lakers a solid lob option around the rim.
Howard Says He’s Capable of Shooting From Deep
Howard took 20 3-pointers last season with the Philadelphia 76ers, which makes up nearly 25 percent of his career attempts from deep. His previous high for a season was seven. Howard hit 3-of-5 of his 3-point attempts while with the Lakers during the 2019-20 season. Howard was asked about his 3-point shooting on Saturday.
“It’s not like I can’t do it, I’ve just been asked to do other things,” he told reporters on Saturday. “So I understand that’s what the team needs, so that’s what I do. But that don’t mean you don’t work on your craft.”
Howard followed that up with a more on-brand response.
“I know people might think ‘that’s Dwight, oh he made a three.’ But I know how to shoot the ball and I’m not afraid to shoot. But the Masked Singer helped me out. The Octopus got it out of me.”
What exactly that means, we’ll have to find out.
DeAndre Jordan Playing With Starters Early On
Howard has started just eight games over the last two seasons and will likely come off the bench for the Lakers. Frank Vogel is still trying to figure out what is starting lineup will look like, but at least for the first game of the preseason, DeAndre Jordan will be in the starting unit. The Lakers could ultimately start Anthony Davis at the 5 — which sounds like the plan — but Jordan could be used in the starting unit for certain matchups.
“That’s gonna be a tough call,” Vogel said. “We’ve got a lot of great choices there. I’m not necessarily going to pin it on whoever the best defender is or whoever the best floor spacer is. It’s whoever’s going to complement that group the best and, obviously, we want as many two-way players on the floor as we can and I would say wherever we getting the most out of both the shooting and the perimeter defense, I think those minutes will go to guys like that.”
The Lakers face the Nets on Sunday but will be without LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Trevor Ariza and Carmelo Anthony.
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Lakers Star LeBron James Sets 3-Point Expectation for Dwight Howard