Who will be the Atlanta Hawks’ team leaders in 2016-17?

Rebounds Per Game

Leader: Dwight Howard- 12.3 rebounds per game.

This is Dwight’s thing. Ultra athletic, ultra strong, ultra Dwight. A career average of 12.7 rebounds per game says it all and Howard is a proven glass-eater, if not glass-devourer. He was once the NBA’s most dominant big man and, until recently, was hailed as the league’s best center, leading all players in rebounds in five seasons between 2007 and 2013. Howard might not be that player anymore but that doesn’t mean his talents have disappeared.

In recent years, his numbers on the boards have dropped but have never dipped below double-digits and, with a fresh start, Howard should be able to climb back towards the illustrious numbers of his superstar past. This is an area of his game which should not require any kind of adjustment and he will become the dominant force on the boards that the Hawks have lacked in recent year. As a result, his numbers will improve slightly from the 11.8 rebounds per game he put up last year and hit the heights he failed to hit since joining the Houston Rockets. Without doubt, he is the rebounder Atlanta needed and this will be his domain.

Runner-up: Paul Millsap- 7.5 rebounds per game.

Millsap’s strength should keep him among the Hawks’ top rebounders. He was an absolute machine on the boards in college and, although there are more dominant bigs in the NBA, Millsap certainly boasts rebounding as a part of his complete arsenal. He led the Hawks in this category last year, but playing alongside Howard will be completely different to doing so with Al Horford and his numbers could well fall to his lowest in with a Hawk upon his jersey. Still, he is a very capable big man and his numbers should reflect that.

Next: Assists Per Game