Report: Dwight Howard making 'slow but steady' progress with knee rehab

Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard is making "slow but steady" progress in his rehabilitation from right knee edema, but has not yet participated in on-court drills.

Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard is making "slow but steady" progress in his rehabilitation from right knee edema, but has not yet participated in on-court drills, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

Howard had a bone marrow aspirate injection into his right knee earlier this month and was ruled out for six to eight weeks. The Rockets said the MRI showed no signs of structural damage to the knee, and that Howard would be re-evaluated after four weeks, which would mark this Wednesday.

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[daily_cut.NBA] Howard has been running on a weight-controlled treadmill in addition to weight training and swimming, but has not yet ramped up his rehab to include on-court drills. The 29-year-old, eight-time All-Star has been able to "steadily increase" the percentage of his body weight on the treadmill, reports the Chronicle.

Howard will undergo MRI exams this week to determine the next steps in his rehab. He last played eight minutes on Jan. 23 against the Phoenix Suns. In the 14 games since, the Rockets are 10-4 and now stand third in the Western Conference at 40-18.

In 32 games before the injury, Howard averaged 16.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

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- Mike Fiammetta