Howard receives pain-relief injection, reportedly for minor buttocks injury

The Washington Wizards will have to wait a little longer before seeing their new starting center in action.

Dwight Howard needed another pain-relieving injection in his lower back after he experienced soreness during a light workout over the weekend, Wizards coach Scott Brooks told Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. Howard is said to be dealing with a minor injury to a muscle in his buttocks, the piriformis, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Howard saw a specialist Monday and will be rested for the remaining two games of the Wizards' preseason slate. The injury was initially expected to be minor, but Howard has yet to take the floor with his new teammates since training camp opened two weeks ago.

The 32-year-old veteran underwent back surgery in 2012 to repair a herniated disk, and his performance has steadily declined thereafter through stops in Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, and Charlotte.

Howard signed a two-year, $11-million deal to join the Wizards as their starting center. Brooks will likely turn to Ian Mahinmi in Howard's absence.