Dwight Howard had previously made a bold statement to complete self-salvation in the Lakers. Obviously, for the moment, he seems to be doing well. Although 2.4 blocks per game seem a bit mediocre, with a usage rate of only 10.1%, he can send an assist rate of 7.7%, and can limit his opponent's score to 89 points per 100 rounds, ranking second in the league. The average blocking rate per 100 rounds is as high as 9.9%, ranking second in the league. If you should say it, this performance is indeed a bit like Chamberlain . When talking about this, some people may not understand why I mentioned the ancient beast Chamberlain. The answer is this. Previously, Howard said in an interview with the media that he wanted to make "sacrifices" like Wilt Chamberlain.
What is sacrifice? Wilt Chamberlain is invincible, never missed the scoring title in the first seven years of his personal career, and averaged 39.5 points and 24.9 rebounds per game. But to be honest, his true shooting percentage and shooting efficiency have never exceeded 55%. In addition, a lot of ball rights are in his hands, so the team has not made substantial progress.
1966-67 season, the 76ers head coach finally said his heart, asking Wilt Chamberlain to increase his passes and increase his aggressiveness on the defensive end. Obviously, Chamberlain was a sensible person, so he accepted the coach's advice. Chamberlain's average shooting average dropped to the lowest in his career this year, with only 14.2 per game and the lowest score (the first time he missed the title of scoring leader), but his average of 7.8 assists per game ranked third in the league, and his real shooting percentage rose to 63.7%, and his shooting efficiency was as high as 68.2%. Most importantly, Chamberlain won the first championship trophy of his career in 1967.
Later in the game Chamberlain said in an interview: Now, although my score in the last seven years of my career has greatly reduced compared to the first seven years, the score has become lower because I have reduced my desire to score. The coach wants me to focus more on rebounding and defense, and I’m very grateful that I did.
Is the real shooting rate and shooting efficiency? Howard's two figures ended this season, are 67.2% and 70.6% respectively, both of which are the highest values in their personal careers. There is no doubt that he did it too. Then what? Defense and rebounds? Yes, these two things Howard is doing now. He averages 12.1 rebounds per 36 minutes, including 3.7 rebounds in the frontcourt and 28.4 rebounds in the backcourt, and can also contribute 1.7 steals and 4.0 blocks. It's hard to imagine how terrifying his defense is. I believe that fans who often watch Lakers games recently are also shouting "It's so good". The fans were shocked by Howard's finger shaking after the big hat, and were incredible by Howard's desire to win the frontcourt rebounds. What is redemption? Yes, Howard perfectly interprets this.
But do you know why Howard chose the No. 39 jersey?
Howard was asked about the story of the No. 39 jersey in an interview. Howard said: Everyone is consulting me for this question, but it has a special meaning to me, so I want to keep this secret and hide this matter in my heart. He doesn't look very good, but this number means a lot to me and is very special, that's why I chose this number.
Although Howard doesn't want to say it, after careful consideration, I seem to have found the answer.
January 13, 2012, in the Magic's 117-109 away game against Warriors , Howard played for 44 minutes, made 12 of 21 shots, hitting a shooting percentage of 57.1%, scoring 45 points and 13 rebounds (7 frontcourts, 16 backcourts), 3 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks, top data. It is worth noting that 45 points are Dwight Howard's personal career highest value in his regular season, and in this game Howard scored a total of 39 free throws, which is also the highest value in his personal career. Don't worry, I haven't finished speaking yet.
2012 Dwight Howard joined the Lakers. However, in the game where the Lakers beat the Magic 106-97 away game on March 13, 2013, Dwight Howard played a total of 38 minutes, but in fact he has been infinitely close to 39 minutes, with 7 shots of 13 shots, a shooting percentage of 53.8%, and a peak data of 39 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks. Not only that, Howard scored a total of 39 free throws in this game, tying his personal career record. And 39 points are also Dwight Howard's highest score since the 2012-13 season. At the same time, this game is also the first time Howard has returned to Amway Stadium as an opponent.
When I talk about this, I think you should know why Howard chose the No. 39 jersey. Of course, this is just my guess.
