In Focus: Dwight Howard comes of age

Dwight Howard at 2004 Rookie Photo Shoot. (Jennifer Pottheiser/Getty Images) By Andy Gray Dwight Howard made his Lakers debut on Sunday, recording 19 points

Dwight Howard at 2004 Rookie Photo Shoot. (Jennifer Pottheiser/Getty Images)

By Andy Gray

Dwight Howard made his Lakers debut on Sunday, recording 19 points and 12 rebounds in a preseason loss to the Kings. According to SI.com's Ben Golliver, Howard looked sharp on both ends of the floor and just needs to work on his conditioning to become the dominant player he was in Orlando.  Whether Howard leads the Lakers to title No. 17 remains to be seen, but few can argue that Los Angeles is much improved over last season. Here's a look at Howard's journey from high school to the NBA.

Howard, a senior at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, is a man among boys during a February 2004 game against Lincoln High School. (Delane B. Rouse/Icon SMI)

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Howard leaves fives defenders in the dust during a 2009 Magic-Suns game. (Greg Nelson/SI)

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Howard dunks on Kobe Bryant, one of his new teammates, during a 2009 Magic-Lakers game. (Bob Rosato/SI)

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Kobe gets his revenge on Howard. The new-look Lakers tip off their season a week from Tuesday against the Mavericks. (Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Need more? Find classic photos of Dwight Howard here.

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