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Paul Millsap Is Excited About Dwight Howard And The Hawks Season

By Colby Giacubeno

Nov 15, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) reacts after his last second shot did not fall against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Philips Arena. The Jazz defeated the Hawks 97-96. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) reacts after his last second shot did not fall against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Philips Arena. The Jazz defeated the Hawks 97-96. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 6, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) is guarded by Portland Trail Blazers forward Meyers Leonard (11) in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) is guarded by Portland Trail Blazers forward Meyers Leonard (11) in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

What Does Howard Bring?

As stated before, Howard is a completely different big man than Horford who brings his own unique strengths and weaknesses to the Hawks.

Millsap had two attributions come to mind.

Physicality is something this team has been missing for some time. Horford, while he is a big presence defensively overall, doesn’t scare players with his size when they are attacking the rim. Even more, Horford is a finesse player when he gets the ball on the block whereas Howard is more of a banger.

Howard can also handle the more physical centers such as DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond in the post throughout a possession while containing them in the rebounding game. With that definitive anchor in the defense, Millsap can now focus solely on guarding power forward whether they are bigger, more post-oriented guys or a team throwing out their small-ball lineup such as Draymond Green.

Adding Howard may not keep the overall rotations from positions 1-5 as versatile as Horford did, but 1-4 can be more active in jumping passing lanes with the peace of mind that Howard is waiting under the basket to swat shots away and be an overall fearing presence on both ends.

Next: Millsap's Goals

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