Charlotte Hornets: 2017-18 player grades for Dwight Howard

Strengths

As has been the case for the length of his career, Howard was a rebounding machine that excelled at defending the rim and finishing around the basket. He averaged 16.6 points per game this year, which marked the first time Howard averaged more than 15 points since the 2014-15 season with the Houston Rockets.

Of course, Howard did most of his dirty work inside the restricted area, as he shot 69 percent at the rim. He also averaged 12.5 rebounds per game, which ranked third in the NBA. It was also the first time Howard averaged 12 or more boards per game in consecutive seasons since 2012-14 (his lone season with the Los Angeles Lakers and his first year in Houston).

On the other end, Howard was still somewhat effective. Among Charlotte players that had at least 1,500 minutes, Howard has the lowest defensive rating. Howard also finished 11th in defensive win shares. Even if he can’t leap the way he used to, Howard is still big and athletic enough to make opponents think twice about driving to the tin.

Basically, Howard provided the Hornets with the same type of production that he gave the Magic, Rockets, Hawks and Lakers: All-Star level statistics.