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Washington Wizards: Dwight Howard to miss start of training camp with injury

By Montel Davis

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 23: Dwight Howard #21 of the Washington Wizards speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at the Capital One Arena on July 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 23: Dwight Howard #21 of the Washington Wizards speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at the Capital One Arena on July 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Washington Wizards All-Star center Dwight Howard could miss the start of training camp due to a sore back. Should the Wizards be concern with Howard’s latest injury?

The first official day as a member of the Washington Wizards did not go so well for Dwight Howard.

According to Zach Rosen of WashingtonWizards.com, the eight-time all-star is currently dealing with back a minor back injury and is listed as day-to-day heading into training camp. Although his injury is not too serious, Howard is questionable for Washington’s preseason opener against the New York Knicks on Monday, October 1st at Capital One Arena.

Although the news came with a sigh of relief, it was dishearting to hear that Howard is battling injuries before the start of the 2019 season. And when looking at his previous history of back issues, some are already wondering if his career as a Wizard will be filled with injury concerns for the 32-year old center.

Back problems have plagued Howard throughout the course of his 15-year career and played a tremendous factor in his downfall from NBA stardom.

In April of 2012, Howard’s season and career with the Orlando Magic came to a premature end, after undergoing surgery due to a herniated disc in his back. Following a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers later that summer, Howard never regained the strength and athleticism that made him one of the NBA’s most dominating players.

What was supposed to be a year-long recovery, turned into a six-month process due to the immense amount of pressure from his teammates and fans to return to the court. After rushing his return, Howard never gave his back the proper amount of time to heal and may have caused more lingering problems than before.

During the 2014-15 season with the Houston Rockets, Howard experienced the worst injury-prone year of his career. He missed a career-high 41 games due to several ailments which included back and knee problems.

However, despite the history of his injuries, there is good news for the Wizards and their fans heading into the new season.

With the exception of a few minor injuries, Howard has been fairly healthy over the past two seasons. While averaging 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, Howard had his healthiest season since 2010, appearing in 81 games as a member of the Charlotte Hornets.

According to head coach Scott Brooks per ESPN, the Wizards are not going to rush Howard’s return, and there is still a great amount of time to build an on-court chemistry with Wizards point guard, John Wall.

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Regardless of the seriousness of his back injury, hopefully, this is just a minor bump in the road for Howard to his return to Superman status.

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