Phoenix Suns star Kelly Oubre is vouching for Dwight Howard -- telling TMZ Sports the guy was a good teammate during their time in Washington ... despite being a "little distant."
23-year-old Oubre kept it 100 when we spoke with him at LAX -- describing Howard as a "psychological dude" who was "very down to earth" ... and NEVER a distraction.
As for being "distant," Oubre notes Howard was dealing with an injury -- so he understood why Dwight wasn't 100% engaged with the team.
There have been reports over the years that Dwight rubbed previous teammates the wrong way -- and people are concerned about how he'll do with the Lakers, but Kelly doesn't seem worried at all.