Dwight Howard Knicks Missing Piece?

Dwight Howard is itching to get back to the NBA. Should the New York Knicks sign him?

Jeremy Brener | Sep 3, 2024

Apr 7, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks have been actively looking for ways to improve the center position on their roster, and they may need to come up with an unorthodox way to figure it out.

It's been 20 years since Dwight Howard was chosen by the Orlando Magic with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, and he is far from the player he once was coming into the league.

When he was at his peak, Howard was the best center and possibly the best defender in the game. While he doesn't have the same athleticism now as he did back then, those instincts would be welcomed for the Knicks current roster.

The Knicks are looking for a solution to replace Isaiah Hartenstein, who was their best rim protector last season and helped make New York a top-tier defense. Howard isn't needed for his offense, but rather just spurts where he can protect the rim and help give the Knicks a little bit of size.

Howard, 38, hasn't played in the NBA since the 2021-22 campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he has been itching to get back into the league. Since leaving the NBA, Howard has played professionally in Taiwan.

Howard has made millions upon millions in his NBA career, and he is very likely going to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame someday. He doesn't need to play more, but he does because he wants to.

If he was persuaded by a team in the NBA who could carve out a small but decent role in the league, he would come back in a heartbeat. Perhaps the Knicks could be that team that could bring Howard back to the league for one last run in his storybook career.

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Published Sep 3, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.