Dwight Howard Reveals How He Played Mental Warfare on Rivals During NBA Playoffs

Dwight Howard finally won an NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2019-20 NBA season. Although Howard is not the dominant force that he was once, he still got the job done when it mattered the most.

In the Western Conference Finals, Howard guarded Nikola Jokic effectively. Dwight’s defense was one of the reasons the Lakers contained Jokic and the Nuggets pretty well.

Dwight Howard on the mental battle against Nikola Jokic

Howard recently revealed his thought process in an interview on facing Jokic while staying in the NBA Bubble.

“Well, the crazy part about it is that we were all staying in the same hotel. For me, I just felt like it was mental warfare and I wanted to get in his head in any way possible.

“So, their meal room was actually across the hallway from our meal room. So, we saw them every day and I would go in there and I would speak to everybody.

“And every time I saw the Joker, I would be like, ‘You ready for the game tonight? You ready for tonight?'”

Howard was extremely physical during the entire series. He picked up several fouls, but ultimately it worked out for the best. On being asked about his physical approach, he said,

“Yeah. I was just trying to get in his head because I think he’s a really good player and sometimes the battle is won off the court. That was the biggest thing; I just wanted to get in his head.

“I knew he was a key for them to win the championship and he got them there. So, my thing was to be physical with him. Get in his head and push him around a little bit.”

The Lakers won the series in 5 games and ultimately went on to win their first NBA title in a decade. However, Howard left the Lakers in free agency and joined the Philadelphia 76ers.

What value does Howard add to the Sixers?

Howard to the 76ers was quite a surprising move as he was expected to re-sign with the Lakers. However, that deal failed to come through in time. Next season Howard will be the backup center for the 76ers behind Joel Embiid.

Although the team won’t expect him to put monster numbers, Howard’s defense will be valuable for them. When Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid will take a breather, Howard will be the defensive anchor for them.

Can Howard win another championship in his career? Or will the 2020 NBA title be the only hardware on his resume?