Sixers' Doc Rivers Impressed With Dwight Howard's Transition

From the star to coming off the bench, Dwight Howard has made life easy for NBA coaches during his transition.

This season, Dwight Howard will play backup center for Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid. Years ago, the thought of having Howard coming off the bench for somebody else seemed absurd. These days, though, Howard happily plays his limited role.

It's typically difficult for NBA stars to accept where they're at in certain points of their careers. We see it often when former stars who are simply out of their primes fail to accept that they are not the same player they once were. And when asked to come off the bench -- things tend to go south.

Dwight Howard knows what it feels like to be a team's superstar. He also knows what it feels like to go from superstar to being asked to come off the bench. While he might not have always accepted the new reality for himself, Howard is much more focused on winning than personal stats these days. 

"Winning the championship was everything," Howard said late last month as he joined the Sixers. "It made me realize I could have the best stats in the world, and it don't mean nothing, because here it was, I won a championship, and there was games where I didn't score a bucket, or get a field goal, or get minutes in a game. What really matters is just holding up that trophy."

Howard has only practiced a few times for the Sixers so far this offseason, but the veteran big man has already made an impact in the gym towards the younger players around him. And 76ers head coach Doc Rivers recently discussed just how impressed he is with Howard's attitude as he goes from a star to a role player.

"Dwight has grown [into getting over himself as a star]," Rivers stated on Tuesday. "The thing I've been so impressed with Dwight, it's rare that a guy can go from the guy, superstar MVP. In the MVP category every year to being a role player. Wanting to help everybody else, and that's what he's doing so, really impressive to see him do that.

Although it's only been a few days, Howard has already garnered praise from several teammates as he's using his leadership and expertise from past seasons to help guide a young 76ers team in the right direction. It's hard to rely on superstars to take a backseat in the lineup but continue to lead -- but Dwight Howard has made it known he's up for the task.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_