Philadelphia 76ers: Pros and cons of Dwight Howard at center

The Philadelphia 76ers signed Dwight Howard to a veteran minimum contract.

After mixed signals led to a departure from L.A., Dwight Howard signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on a one-year, $2.6 million deal. He is expected to fill the backup center minutes behind Joel Embiid, a role that previously belonged to Al Horford.

First thing’s first: Howard on a veteran’s minimum contract is tremendous value. There’s essentially no risk involved, and he was genuinely impactful for the championship-winning Lakers last season. He’s a capable rim-runner and shot-blocker who has shown he can buy into a specialized role.

Howard will probably get 15 minutes or so per night in the regular season. Given Embiid’s injury history and durability questions, it’s good for Philadelphia to have a competent reserve who can step into the starting lineup in a pinch. Unlike the Sixers’ prior option, Howard doesn’t cost $27 million.

Before the Horford signing last summer, the Sixers had never properly invested in Embiid’s backup. Howard is a massive improvement over the likes of Amir Johnson and Greg Monroe. Even at 35 years old, the Sixers can expect Howard to positively impact the game when he’s on the floor.

That said, there are pros and cons to almost every signing. Howard is far from perfect, and there’s reason to examine both sides of the coin with his arrival in South Philly.