Dwight Howard is building much needed chemistry with his teammates

Dwight Howard has been working endlessly to develop chemistry with his new teammates, and he’ll need it if he wants to be effective in Mike Budenholzer’s system.

According to Webster’s dictionary, chemistry is defined as the interaction between people working together. While this is a huge part of what it means to have chemistry, it doesn’t fully illustrate exactly what it is, and why it is important to have it in the NBA. Chemistry is a team’s version of a human soul. You cant see it, but coaches and fans of the game know when a team has it. It’s when a team goes on a 13-3 run, and everyone is synced in with one another, causing the opposing team to call a timeout.

It’s when the bench is going crazy, and the teammates feed off that energy to help them perform better. It’s when everyone knows exactly where the next man is on the court, and they’ve learned their teammates hot spots and tendencies. Chemistry is essential when trying to build a championship caliber team, and Dwight Howard is taking all the big steps to establish it in Atlanta.

All summer long, Dwight has been flooding Instagram and Twitter with videos of him working out and attending events around the Atlanta area with his new team. This is a good sign for Atlanta Hawks fans. Most teammates don’t see each other until media day. Dwight is still one of the best centers in the league, yet so many people are concerned about how he will fit into the culture Coach Bud has built in Atlanta.

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Everyone that has had internet access, read the sports section of a newspaper, or has owned basic cable over the past few years, have heard the rumors about Howard’s inability to get along with his peers and coaches in the locker room. From Kobe Bryant to James Harden, the relationship between Dwight Howard and his fellow superstars have all ended sourly.

Fortunately for Dwight, he won’t have to deal with any more ball dominant shooting guards and crazy egos in Hotlanta. If Howard fails to gel well with this notoriously selfless Atlanta Hawks team, than theres no hope for superman. Howard is finally with a team that’ll feed him in the paint, and players that don’t get upset if they don’t get the ball every possession. Dwight is back home where he feels comfortable.

This is the first time in a long time where Dwight could be considered the leader of a team. The Atlanta Hawks have a fairly new team. They’ll need Dwight to use his experience when times get tough for the 1st year players. They’ll need someone to look up to and learn from.

Not only is Dwight building chemistry with his teammates, but he’s also building a relationship with the city of Atlanta. He’s getting to know the celebrity’s and other athletes around town. He’s been to numerous Atlanta Dream games over the summer to show his support.

He’s starting to build back his good reputation. If he shows he can still play on an elite level, Dwight can get rid of this bad image players and the media have placed upon him. The Atlanta Hawks haven’t had a player with this much magnitude in awhile, and Dwight Howard is already making a huge splash. The hawks were second in assists in the NBA last year. This could make the Hawks deadly now that they have a player with the paint presence of Howard’s. It’ll put a new level of pressure on defenses with the mix of a potent inside game, and willingness to pass the ball to the next person. Will a new system, city, and team, be the key to Dwight Howard changing his perception? With the NBA season starting in a little under a month, we’ll find out pretty soon.

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All stats used were obtained from ESPN.com