Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said center Dwight Howard is meeting with a nerve specialist in Los Angeles, per Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Howard has been dealing with a lingering piriformis injury (gluteus), which has rendered him unable to play for the team's last four games after exiting a Nov. 18 game against the Portland Trail Blazers after seven minutes of action.
“We’ll know more information in the next couple of days,” said Brooks. “[The injury] hasn’t gotten much better in the last couple of days.”
Brooks maintained that Thomas Bryant is “definitely” staying in the Wizards' starting lineup while Howard is out seeking a specialist's opinion.
The free-agent signing has been a mixed bag of results since arriving injured into training camp, averaging 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. The injury is believed to have been a major factor in his performance, as the 6-foot-11 shot blocker only has four blocks through nine games played this season after racking up 131 rejections last season with the Charlotte Hornets.
Howard is coming off his best season since his lone stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was still a dominant presence on the glass and a feared shot blocker — a trait that seems to have disappeared over the years.
Thomas Bryant has been the defensive presence Howard hasn't been during his short stint with the Wizards, racking up at least one block in each of his starts in place of the eight-time All-Star.
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