Dwight Howard's Leadership is Standing out to Sixers' Ben Simmons
Having a veteran leader on and off the court is crucial for the Philadelphia 76ers, who have championship aspirations for this upcoming season. While everybody knows the team belongs to the young stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, they can't lead the troops alone. And they could use a seasoned veteran to come in and help out.
A few weeks ago, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey took advantage of the Los Angeles Lakers' unwillingness to re-sign Dwight Howard. As Los Angeles lost communication with the veteran center, the 76ers swooped in at the start of free agency and convinced Howard to come to Philly on a one-year deal.
Howard, who is a superstar himself, has been in the NBA since 2004. He knows what it's like to be praised, scrutinized, to make the All-Star team, and finally, win a championship. While Howard will come off the bench for the 76ers in 2020-2021, the veteran big man's leadership will still play a critical part in the Sixers' success.
So far, the 76ers have only participated in two team-wide practices on Sunday and Monday. But in such a short time, Howard's value as a leader has already stood out to Sixers star guard Ben Simmons.
"I think for me, the one person that sticks out is Dwight," Simmons said following practice on Monday. "That's more, so just him being vocal and being a leader. You know, he's a vet and has been in this league for a while, and he's had different experiences. He's gonna be huge for us."
Soon, the Sixers will also employ former Lakers guard Danny Green. While discussing Howard's leadership value, Simmons also mentioned how much Green could help as a vocal leader. "Danny hasn't hit the court yet," Simmons mentioned. "But I think he's going to be great for us in terms of leadership and putting us in the right mindset going into games and being one of those leaders."
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
