When Dwight Howard was 23, he looked to many like the future of the NBA. He had just carried the Magic to the NBA Finals, upsetting a 66-win Cleveland Cavaliers team in the process. He was the only All-Star on Orlando’s roster; as the team’s offensive and defensive centerpiece, he averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds a game in the playoffs. Needless to say, not too much has gone right for Howard since, and six drama-filled years later, he has inexplicably become somewhat of a forgotten man.

The story of “Superman’s” demise is well known. After their run to the Finals in 2008-’09, the Magic never reached those heights again and Howard eventually demanded a trade, forcing his way out in a protracted year-long process that destroyed his reputation. Adding insult to injury, he concurrently suffered a major back injury — which required surgery in the spring of 2012 — that temporarily robbed him of his athleticism and turned him into a shell of himself.

Howard’s defensive presence helps cover for young and/or indifferent defenders at other positions in Houston. (AP)

The list of knocks on Howard is a mile long. At various points in the last few years, he has been widely criticized for his indecisiveness, immaturity and selfishness. In the five seasons since he made the NBA Finals, his free throw shooting has never improved, his post moves still don’t look very natural and he still acts like an overgrown kid when he is on the court. And, while he has made in incremental improvements to his game over the years, those have been obscured by injuries and a failure to meet expectations. To wit: Howard has played on three different teams over the last three seasons, but hasn’t gotten out of the first round of the playoffs since the 2009-’10 campaign.

Given all that has transpired — for Dwight in general and for Houston this summer — there isn’t that much enthusiasm surrounding the Rockets as they come into this season. They won 54 games with Howard and James Harden playing alongside one another for the first time, but that solid regular-season performance was overshadowed by a six-game loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. After losing Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik in free agency — while striking out in their critical pursuit of Chris Bosh —some actually have the Rockets finishing out of the playoffs entirely.