by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
UPDATE: It’s official — Dwight Howard will make his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers tonight against the Sacramento Kings. Not only that, but Howard won’t have any minute restrictions (according to head coach Mike Brown), and the big fella is expected to suit up for the next two preseason games as well.
The timetable for Dwight Howard’s Laker debut keeps getting moved up.
Initially, Howard was expected to suit up on opening night (October 30), but he could be on the court much sooner than that.
According to published reports, the Los Angeles Lakers are planning for Dwight Howard to play this Sunday against the Sacramento Kings.
Per Yahoo! Sports:
Barring any complications with Howard’s back over the next couple days, the Lakers are optimistic the All-Star center will make their first appearance for them on Sunday. “He is making progress,” one Lakers source said. “There is a good chance he can play Sunday.”
Howard has been sidelined since having surgery in April to repair a herniated disk. He’s not expected to play against the Kings on Friday in Las Vegas. The Lakers would like Howard to play in two of their three remaining preseason games after Friday, sources said. But they’re hesitant to play him in both games of a back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday. Howard hasn’t had any setbacks in practices since training camp began. If he has another strong workout on Saturday, team doctors are expected to clear him to play Sunday.
This shouldn’t come as a big surprise, as all reports have been positive regarding Dwight Howard’s recovery from back surgery.
It looks like the world could finally be getting its first glimpse of the revamped Lakers.
