Dwight Howard is back making NBA headlines. The former perennial All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year has been a bit of an afterthought over the past few seasons, but he’s set to return to the limelight now that he’s on his way back to one of his old teams: the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Howard bombshell is the biggest NBA 2019 news over the past few days, although perhaps the biggest basketball news was Team USA’s stunning defeat against Australia in a FIBA World Cup tune-up match.
And in slightly less ground-breaking news, James Harden is apparently cooking up a brand new move that could be the next to take the league by storm.
Here’s SBOBET’s quick breakdown of these three top news stories from the past few days.
Dwight Howard set to return to Lakers
Dwight Howard is coming back to LA. The 33-year-old big man has completed his buyout from the Memphis Grizzlies and is set to sign with the Lakers.
The Lakers had been in need of another big man after DeMarcus Cousins suffered a torn ACL a few weeks ago. And after impressing in his workout, Howard will now join JaVale McGee and Anthony Davis in the Lakers’ frontcourt rotation.
Howard infamously spent one disappointing season in Los Angeles back in 2012-13. He arrived in a blockbuster trade, but the “Big Three” of him, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash failed to live up to the hype.
Howard left in free agency the following offseason and spent the next three seasons with the Houston Rockets. But his career hasn’t been the same since leaving Houston for Atlanta in 2016. He’s been with five teams over the past three years and played just nine games for the Washington Wizards last season.
Aside from injuries, Howard’s grating personality has also been a big factor for his inability to find a new home. But he’s apparently hit “rock bottom” and is ready to do whatever it takes to make it work with the Lakers, who could certainly use another big body who can protect the rim and grab rebounds.
If he can get anywhere close to being the double-double machine and dominant defensive force that he once was, the Lakers’ NBA 2019 odds to make the postseason should improve significantly.
Team USA’s 12-man FIBA World Cup roster set
For the first time in 13 years and 78 matches, Team USA have been defeated. The Americans lost the second of their two warm-up matches against Australia, 98-94, in Melbourne.
The Boomers’ NBA contingent of Patty Mills (30 points), Andrew Bogut (16 points, nine rebounds), and Joe Ingles (15 points) led the way to victory.
Not long after that defeat, Team USA’s 12-man World Cup roster was finalised after Kyle Kuzma pulled out due to an ankle injury.
The 12 members of the team are guards (and captains) Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, and Donovan Mitchell, as well as Harrison Barnes, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Joe Harris, Khris Middleton, Derrick White, and big men Brook Lopez, Mason Plumlee, and Myles Turner.
Due to a notable lack of star power, this team is quite clearly the weakest Team USA in recent memory. And while it was just a warm-up match, their defeat to Australia was an eye-opener that the Americans are no longer the invincible superpower they were in the past and that perhaps one of the other top contenders like Greece or Serbia can actually have a legitimate shot of winning the World Cup.
James Harden working on a new step-back move
James Harden is not preparing for the World Cup with Team USA after being one of the many superstar players to beg off the squad. Instead, he’s apparently working on a new move this summer to add to his arsenal: a one-legged step-back 3-pointer.
Harden popularised and patented the step-back 3-pointer last season, to the point where he was successfully skirting the line between step-back and travel. But he’s not satisfied with mastering that skill and is still eager to add more to his game.
“I’m always trying to be creative,” Harden told ESPN. “I’m always trying to get better — at basketball, life, businesswise. I’m always trying to find ways to be impactful. With basketball, you have to be creative. This is my 11th year, and every single year I want to get better. I don’t want to stay the same. You’ve got to find ways to keep growing.”
Harden, who is heading into his 11th season in the NBA, has improved his scoring in every single year. Although, it will be quite a tough task for him to top last year’s career mark of 36.1 points per game. The presence of one Russell Westbrook also likely means fewer points and shots for Harden this season.
But Harden seems fully focused on getting better as a basketball player, which likely means he will continue to master one-legged step-back 3-pointers and other elaborate skills.
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