Charlotte Hornets
In Charlotte, some of the same problems that he had in Atlanta followed him. He was still the same nuisance in the locker room, even though his play had even improved to an impressive 16 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Those numbers did little to change his teammates’ minds in Charlotte about Howard, who struggled to fit in with a younger core group of players. Also, his traditional back to the basket center game was quickly becoming extinct in the new era of the 3-pointer in the NBA.
Just like in Atlanta, there were leaks in the media saying that Howard’s teammates just flat out did not like him. In June of 2018, former Hornet’s player and basketball analyst said on SiriusXM NBA that he heard,
"The (Hornets) locker room did not like Dwight Howard," @bwood_33 says on @SiriusXMNBA "Guys were just sick and tired of his act."
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) June 20, 2018
It is crazy that in a season where Howard played 81 games and averaged a double-double, his teammates still did not want to share the court with him. Maybe it is because the team only ended up winning 36 of those games and missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
The other problem could have been that Howard’s role in the offense was his biggest one since Orlando. His 11.2 field goal attempts and 16.6 points per game, were second on the team behind only Kemba Walker.
It was clear that at this point in his career, Dwight did not deserve the touches he was getting. He was no longer the superstar big man to go alongside an All-Star point guard like Walker. Clearly he thought he should have been an offensive focal point, but his teammates did not.