Why Dwight Howard Fits With the Atlanta Hawks

To the surprise of no one, Dwight Howard has opted out of the final year of his contract with the Houston Rockets. With a question mark surrounding the return of their own center, should the Atlanta Hawks target Howard in the upcoming free agency period?

I know, I know. Theoretically, Dwight Howard has a style of play that would fit in horribly with the pass-heavy, perimeter-oriented offense of the Atlanta Hawks. But we shouldn’t judge that book by its cover. As indicated by the year’s NBA Finals, championships are not won on the perimeter. The Golden State Warriors had the Cleveland Cavaliers on the ropes after Game 4, when they took a 3-1 lead in the series. But an injury to smash-mouth center, Andrew Bogut gave Cleveland a way to expose the defending champs. LeBron James and the Cavs relentlessly attacked the paint and broke the will of the Warriors. This comes to show that physical inside play is still a key to victory in today’s NBA and Howard would provide a type of inside presence that the Hawks have not had in a very long time. A presence that could potentially put this team over the top.

Analyzing the Fit

Let’s start with the obvious. The Hawks were one of the worst rebounding teams in the league this past year, when they ranked 28th in the league in rebound rate. Regardless of what you think of Howard’s regression as a player, his remains an elite rebounder and averaged 11.8 rebounds per game this past year. As great as Al Horford has been for Atlanta, he is no bruiser and the Hawks need a bruiser. With Howard in the middle, the Hawks would no longer be getting eaten alive on the boards by Tristan Thompson in the playoffs.

Defensively, I view Howard as a lateral move from Horford. While Howard is the better interior defender and shot blocker, Horford is the more versatile defender and can guard the perimeter more effectively. But Dwight has done a much better job in defending the pick-and-roll in recent years, which is a promising sign to those that criticize his work ethic. Pairing that improvement on the pick-and-roll with his already high-level interior defense, Howard would fit in great on a stellar Hawks defense. Howard’s defensive abilities may have been masked on the horrible turn-style-esque defense played by the rest of the Houston Rockets, but don’t be surprised to see Howard make an All-Defensive 1st Team if he goes to a better team on that side of the ball.

More from Free Agency

Now we shall address the question marks offensively. We all know that Dwight Howard’s shooting range is doesn’t reach much farther than the painted area. Floor-spacing could be an issue with him on the floor due to that. Also, many Dwight critics say that he is an unwilling and poor passer. He has been labeled as a selfish player that hates sharing the ball. But if you watched Howard last season, that is simply not true. Howard didn’t hesitate to delegate to James Harden on the offensive end, and he showed much better court vision and efficiency on that end. Howard is no Olajuwon in the post, but he has definitely improved his post-up game and can still push people around inside. His strength in the paint could allow the Hawks to play physically against teams like Cleveland and Toronto and provide a look that the Hawks just haven’t had. Not to mention pairing his bruising style with Paul Millsap’s dynamic offensive game, that is perhaps a perfect contrast for the Hawks’ offense.

When setting aside his known reputation as a locker-room killer, Howard acted very professionally and unselfishly this past year in the mess that was the Houston Rockets. He had a teammate in Harden that hogged the ball and played no defense, and Dwight kept his head down and accepted the that the team wanted him to have. He was the garbage man down low and the Rockets did not allow Howard to highlight his strengths on defense or on offense. When put in a situation with committed teammates and a real system in place, Howard should be fine in the locker room and Atlanta could very well be the right situation.

How He Will Be Obtained

Jan 12, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard during warmups prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /

The assumption is that Howard can only be brought in if Horford leaves, right? But what if the Hawks could have both of them? As said by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, it is certainly possible. Due to the rising cap and the trade of Jeff Teague, the Hawks may only be a salary-dump trade away (Tiago Splitter, anyone?) from being able to have both Horford and Howard. Imagine a Hawks front-court that would feature a rotation of Howard, Horford, Millsap, and Mike Scott. That would be the most dominant front line in the Eastern Conference. Period. Of course, someone would have to put their pride aside and come off of the bench, but hopefully the reward of doing so would make it worth it for whomever that is.

Having Dwight in Atlanta with a great coaching staff, system, and culture could be what it takes to bring the best out of him. Whoever signs Howard is certainly not going to get the prime version of him, but there is still a good player to be had that posted a very respectable PER of 18.99 this past year. While many of you may despise Dwight, especially after he ignored the Hawks is free agency the first time around, he is still a son of our city. A city that is starving for a championship and Dwight Howard could provide an element that could take us one step closer.