Dwight Howard makes a pitch to OKC Thunder after Chet Holmgren's injury: 'Your boy is ready'

Despite improving to 10-2 after their latest win against the Phoenix Suns, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in a tough spot. Chet Holmgren will be out at least 8-10 weeks after suffering a right iliac wing fracture (hip) against the Golden State Warriors, and Isaiah Hartenstein is yet to make his debut with a hand fracture. That leaves the Thunder with only a few options in the frontcourt. 

They could recall somebody from the G-League or opt for a veteran who would know his role. Unsurprisingly, Dwight Howard thinks he could be the latter. Appearing on "KG Certified" with Kevin Garnett, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year pleaded his case for an NBA return, with the Thunder being his preferred destination.

"OKC, your boy is ready. What's happenin?'" said the eight-time All-Star. "Y'all need a big. Y'all need a vet. Y'all need somebody who's gonna bring the energy… Me and AC together, Alex Caruso, championship! I'm just saying we done did it before. Y'all just got a superstar. Y'all just need somebody who know how to play defense… Y'all need somebody that's certified. OKC, what is y'all doing? I'll stay at the hotel where the ghosts at. I ain't afraid of no ghost."

Does D12 to OKC make sense?

Despite being outrebounded 58-31 against the New Orleans Pelicans and 47-29 against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Thunder came out victorious in both contests. They even beat Phoenix last night in the rebounding department (53-50) which helped them secure a 99-83 win. That said, OKC will undoubtedly need size to match up against the best teams in the NBA.

Next up are the Dallas Mavericks, who, despite being a perimeter-oriented team, do have solid lob threats in Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively. OKC will then face Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs before closing November with games against the Sacramento Kings, who have Domantas Sabonis, and the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Anthony Davis and LeBron James, who are both dominant inside.

Leaving Jalen Williams and Lu Dort, who are guards, to battle against legit big men is an injury risk and could take a toll in the long run. That's why Dwight might not be a bad option for Mark Daigneault's squad. After all, his experience and defensive acumen could come in handy.

The case against signing Dwight

As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Despite their injury woes, things are so great in Oklahoma that some, including Gilbert Arenas, say this squad is better than the one led by Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Sam Presti not signing Dwight—which will probably be the case—or any big man for that matter, will probably be because he's wary of messing up the good thing they got going. After all, the Association is not about physicality anymore; most teams play out of the perimeter anyway. So even though two of their key players are out with injuries, the Thunder should manage.