Dwight Howard believes he won’t need surgery on his right shoulder

The moment Dwight Howard sat on a padded cushion, the Lakers center let out a huge sigh.

He then conceded the aggravated right shoulder feels “pretty sore.” Howard has vowed he won’t let the pain inhibit his aggressiveness even if it causes additional pain.

But could he suffer so much damage that he’d ultimately need surgery in his shoulder this offseason?

“As of right now, no,” Howard said. “Hopefully it doesn’t get bad enough to where I have to have surgery. I don’t want to think about that right now.”

Should Howard have surgery, he could be sidelined for at least six months. After having surgery on his back last April, Howard went through six months of rehab before seeing the court. To this day, Howard still looks limited with his explosiveness and conditioning.

Howard had missed three games three weeks ago because the labrum in his right shoulder remained intact but torn away from the bone. He then had a minor scare in the Lakers loss last week against Memphis after his shoulder felt additional pain after fighting through a screen. With his examination a day later he suffered no additional damage, Howard vowed he won’t let the injury inhibit his aggressiveness.

Instead, he’s treated the shoulder with around-the-clock icing and electronic stimulation. Meanwhile in the Lakers past two games, Howard has taken a larger defensive presence.

“My body was sore,” Howard said. “I was doing a lot of wrestling last night in the game.”

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Dwight Howard believes he won’t need surgery on his right shoulder