Is Dwight Howard Worth the Risk?

Dwight Howard doesn’t have the best track record as a teammate, but could he help the Celtics?

Dwight Howard is one of the most scrutinized players in the NBA. After leaving the Orlando Magic, he didn’t fit well with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. His production decreased a little and he became known as a diva.

Then Howard left Los Angeles and signed with the Houston Rockets, however, he’s still facing problems in the locker room. Him and James Harden have reportedly clashed multiple times during their days as teammates and after going to the Conference Finals a year ago, they barely made the playoffs this season.

Howard is now expected to opt-out of his contract this summer and seek a max deal. It’s easy to forget how great of a player he once was as all anyone can focus on are his off-the-court struggles over the past couple of seasons.

Despite what anyone might say about Dwight Howard being a prima donna, a cancer in the locker room or not being the same player he once was, he continues to be productive. He’s not as injury prone as people want to believe as he played in 71 games two of the past three seasons. In fact, Howard has played in at least 70 games 10 of his 12 seasons.

Maybe a lot of teams don’t want to give a max contract to Howard, however, there’s a reason he’ll get one this off-season. Despite averaging the least amount of points per game since his rookie season (13.7) and averaging less than 12 boards a game for only the third time in his career and second year in a row (11.8), Howard still can be very dominating.

The days of Dwight Howard being Superman are over. The 30-year-old has 12 NBA seasons under his belt and just isn’t the type of athlete he once was when coming out of high school. That doesn’t mean he’s not a great player anymore because he’s still one of the best centers in the NBA.

There seems to be a belief that Howard will end up in Orlando next season, back where he started his NBA career. However, what if the Boston Celtics jumped into the race?

Mar 11, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) dribbles as Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (right) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

The Celtics have a very close locker room and a stable front office with a very good coach. There was chaos from day one this season with the Houston Rockets. It didn’t get better once they pre-maturely fired Kevin McHale – one of the best coaches in the NBA.

The problems with the Lakers stemmed from Howard supposedly not working hard enough in practice. Howard is now three-years older and he knows his time as an elite player is nearing and his window to win a championship is quickly closing. He’s been to the NBA Finals once as a young player in Orlando, however, he should be more focused on winning than anything else now that he’s getting older.

Besides, Howard was still an All-Star during his one-year in Los Angeles and led the league in rebounds per game, so it wasn’t as bad as people think.

Signing Dwight Howard, as you can see, is a high-risk, high-reward option. If Boston is able to get the most out of him, and channel his Magic days, then he could return to the discussion of the best center in the NBA. If not, the Celtics would be stuck with a massive contract for a player who doesn’t have a team-first attitude and could become riddled with injuries later in his career.

It’s a risk that could be worth taking though as Brad Stevens has not had any major problems in his locker room during his tenure. Howard would also fill nearly every problem in the Celtics front court.

Despite averaging under two blocks per game (1.6) for the third straight seasons, players still fear him in the paint. Howard is still extremely athletic for a seven-foot center and there’s not many players who have the defensive presence he presents down low. Don’t forget he led the league in blocks per game two years in a row at one point.

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He also averaged three rebounds per game more than Jared Sullinger did last season, and pulled in 3.4 offensive rebounds per game. Howard is still an elite scorer down low who can bully his way inside but he was given a smaller offensive role this season. He only averaged 8.5 shots per game, so it makes sense his scoring went down.

The reality is the Celtics need a big man who can be a rim protector, has playoff experience and can score down low – Dwight Howard fits all three. In the right system I still think Howard can average around 18 points, 12 rebound and two blocks per game – Houston just wasn’t the right fit for him.

If Boston was able to reach him and revitalize his career then he would easily be a better signing than Al Horford. It is a lot of money for a player who hasn’t looked the same in a couple of seasons, however, don’t forget he was an All-Star three seasons ago and led the league in rebounds per game four seasons ago.

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The ability is still there and I believe Dwight Howard wants to compete for a title again. He would fit perfectly into Boston’s system and make them a competitor right away. Don’t sleep on the 30-year-old center.

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