Houston Rockets’ Dwight Howard wants to take it to another level

Houston Rockets' center Dwight Howard wants to play at a high level all season Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Houston Rockets' center Dwight Howard wants to play at a high level all season Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston Rockets’ center Dwight Howard wants to play at a high level all season

Houston Rockets’ center Dwight Howard has not been out of the first round since 2010. In order to help correct that problem, Dwight Howard believes he needs to play at a high-level throughout the season.

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“It’s something that I’ve been thinking about all summer: Playing at that level every single night,” Howard told Yahoo Sports. “Not just waiting for the playoffs. This is my 11th year. There’s a thought, ‘The regular season is great, but when it’s time for playoffs, this is when it gets real serious.’ I want it to be where it’s serious from Game 1 to end of season, and then take it to another level in the playoffs. That’s something that me and Hakeem have talked about.

“I have to do it for 82 games, and physically, I’m in a better place to do it. There were spurts last season, spurts in Los Angeles, where I felt like I was doing a lot. The back injury took a lot out of me, but I’m in a better place now mentally and physically to carry a team.”

If Dwight Howard does play at that type of level throughout the season and playoffs, he can still be one of the league’s elite players and the Rockets have the talent to be one of the elite teams.

Dwight  Howard averaged 18.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.8 assists and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 59.1% from the field and 54.7% from the free throw line last season. He’s averaged 18.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 57.9% from the floor and 57.4% from the charity stripe in his career.

Be sure to check FanSided’s official NBA page to keep up to date on the latest news and rumors from around the league as we close in on the regular season.

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