Dwight Howard Can Become the Greatest Hawks Center Ever
With the cards stacked against him, Dwight Howard will look to become a dominant force once again. Can he be the best center in Hawks history?
Why has the signing of Dwight Howard by the Atlanta Hawks garnered such an underwhelming response from the mainstream media and generated very little excitement from fans? Is it because he already has 13 years of NBA mileage on him? Are there too many concerns about his maturity and ability to lead? Perhaps the reason is that he occasionally misses games because of injury, I really don’t know.
Since it’s entirely probable that nobody has relayed this news to you in a manner that expresses how big of an acquisition this was for the Hawks, I will. Bringing Dwight Howard in this summer (he was just officially introduced as an Atlanta Hawk on Wednesday), is humongous for this franchise. No, wait! Before you fall out of your seat laughing hysterically let me explain. He could very well one day be referred to as the greatest Hawks center of all time.
Back in 2014 Phil Watson made an awesome post for Hoops Habit that lists the greatest Hawks players in franchise history by position which you can read here. In the article, he has Dikembe Mutombo ranked as the top Hawks center. He was named an all star 4 times, won the DPOY award twice and posted averages of 11.9 PPG, 12.6 RPG, and 3.2 BPG while with the Hawks. He led the league in total blocks on three occasions. He also holds the NBA record for longest name; Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo. They just couldn’t fit all that on his jersey.
While at the height of his defensive powers, Howard could rival Mutombo’s production. He won the DPOY honor three seasons in a row, from 2009-2011. At this point of his career though, it would be totally irrational to expect him to reach that level again for the Hawks. But just last year he put up 13.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 1.8 BPG. The modest scoring numbers are largely the result of only attempting 8 shots on goal per contest. If this was hockey, that would be sufficient for one of your star players. But it isn’t. Most of those shots Howard created on his own from offensive rebounds and put backs.
Really for the last four years Dwight has been blatantly ignored on offense. During the stint in Houston, he joined the other three players as ball watchers observing James Harden rack up a higher usage rate than LeBron James. Prior to that three year stint with Houston, he played for a coach in Mike D’Antoni, who’s system was designed to not pass into the post. Not to mention the Kobe Bryant factor.
It’s true that Dwight does deserve some of the blame here, but his drop in scoring specifically has been a product of circumstances beyond his control. It’s all lined up for him to do well, served up on a silver platter, in a healthy situation with the Hawks. We already know that it’s extremely difficult for Dwight Howard to make a jumper of any variety. He is however elite as a scorer close to the rim. Last year his 63.2 field goal percentage ranked third in the league. The Hawks of late have proved that they are effective when it comes to improving talent beyond even the players wildest expectations of themselves. Since coach Bud and his staff could transform Millsap into an All-star, Carroll into a hot commodity and Bazemore into a valuable asset, then imagine what they can do with Howard.
The Hawks will employ the pick and roll with Howard (he sets solid, excellent screens) from multiple places and angles quite frequently. Since Dwight will have the luxury of working from home as well as being more motivated and involved, you should expect his numbers to take a jump. I for one will be disappointed if he is unable to give the Hawks at least 18 ppg, 12 rpg, 2bpg and make a couple of All-star teams. If he can merely make that happen in addition to leading the Hawks in deep playoff runs, then he’d be on pace to leapfrog Mutombo as greatest center in franchise history. Are you a true believer?