Dwight Howard is still not expected to make his preseason debut with the Los Angeles Lakers.

But Howard remains scheduled to play for the Lakers in their regular season opener against the Mavericks.

"Dwight's exceeded my expectations in terms of what he can do in training camp," Mitch Kupchak said. "I thought it would be a much slower progression, but he's come along a lot quicker than I thought."

Howard's 11-12 season ended with back surgery.