How much better does Dwight Howard make the Wizards?

Dwight Howard has the talent to help the Wizards on the court, but there are serious questions about how his antics will play in the Washington locker room.

Based on talent alone, Dwight Howard was one of the best centers to hit the free agent market this summer. Of course, contributing to a winning situation in the NBA is about more than just physical ability. It also requires a player to be a positive influence in the locker room. That’s where Howard can be a big negative.

Despite Howard’s reputation as a serious problem in the locker room, the Wizards are going to take the gamble of giving him a two-year, $11 million contract. The team plan for him to take over for Marcin Gortat in the starting lineup. He may not be the young, athletic big man John Wall asked for this summer, but he should provide the Wizards an upgrade in terms of defense and rebounding.

His production on the floor last year with the Hornets was surprisingly good. He gave Charlotte more than16 points and 12 rebounds per game. That’s a meaningful improvement over the roughly eight points and seven boards Gortat gave them last year. Again, on the court, this is a clear upgrade for the Wizards.

Howard also managed to play in 81 regular season games. The question is whether he can replicate that availability in 2018/19. He has a long injury history over the course of his career. Gortat, for all of his faults, played over 75 games in each of his seasons with Washington. Howard will be hard-pressed to match that durability over the course of his two-year contract.

Even if he can enjoy good physical health, he’s going to negatively impact the mental health of his teammates. Zach Lowe reported on his Lowe Post podcast that the Golden State Warriors team flatly refused to have Howard join their squad.

In sharp contrast, they were willing to gamble on DeMarcus Cousins’ recovery from a torn Achilles. That, combined with the obvious fact that both Charlotte and the Nets have chosen to give Howard away over the past month proves there’s something wrong with him off the floor.

If Howard were joining a more stable locker room, this might be a gamble worth taking for the Wizards. Instead, adding Howard to a team that already ebbs and flows with John Wall’s moods may be a recipe for disaster. It’s going to be a massive challenge for Scott Brooks to keep everyone’s ego in check.

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The Wizards are obviously doing everything they can to take advantage of the power vacuum in the Eastern Conference. Expect Howard’s addition to give the team a short-term boost on the floor, but his act will start to wear teammates out pretty quickly.

At best, he can help the Wizards make a playoff run before bowing out to the Celtics or Sixers this year. At worst, he could burn the team’s chemistry to the ground before Christmas.