* Tonight on NBA League Pass:Hornets vs. Timberwolves (8 ET)

Dwight Howard's value to the Charlotte Hornets has been on full display during the early stage of this season. It makes all of the eye-rolling from around the basketball world when the Hornets traded for him over the summer seem a bit premature. Howard's made an impact for a Hornets team that is clearly improved and one of the better outfits in the Eastern Conference heading into tonight's road showdown against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Time will tell if Howard can sustain his current level of production. Those closest to the Hornets don't necessarily need to wait to start assessing whether or not Howard is the franchise's best acquisition ... ever. That's tall grass that Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer is happy to wade through in his examination of Howard's fit in Charlotte: