3 goals for the Washington Wizards’ first road trip
By Evan O'Neill
2. Get Dwight Howard back on the court
Dwight Howard has been dealing with a nagging butt injury (no, seriously) that’s kept him sidelined for the start of the regular season. NBC Sports‘ Chris Miller reported that Howard did not make the trip with the Wizards and is listed as out for their game against the Trail Blazers.
It’s imperative that the Wizards get Dwight back on the court sooner than later. Obviously, it’s not wise to rush Howard back this early in the season, especially with nagging injuries related to the big man’s back (butt). But they need him on the court to start seeing how well he fits into the offense and what kind of lineups Scott Brooks will have at his disposal.
Dwight will help immensely on the boards, which has plagued the Wizards for years. If he can establish a pick-and-roll game with John Wall and Bradley Beal that even comes close to that of Marcin Gortat‘s, then Washington will be hard to defend with plenty of options to kick it out to for open 3s.
It would be great to see Dwight out there at some point during this road trip, but if not, it will be a good opportunity for the ‘Zards to keep trying their small-ball lineups and forcing the others to pick up the rebounding slack to learn not to rely on D-12 alone.