Dwight Howard Should Get More Chances Offensively

When the Hawks are struggling to knock down perimeter shots, they should turn to Dwight Howard.

For a team that has their difficulties shooting the basketball like the Atlanta Hawks do, it’s interesting that they rarely run any post-up sets on offense designed for center Dwight Howard.

While they have helped their own cause in that regard by adding Mike Dunleavy Jr., Ersan Ilyasova, and most recently Jose Calderon, they’re still dreadful.

Atlanta currently ranks 26th in the league in three-point shooting with a success rate of 34.1. They also attempt the 18th most shots from out there, with 26 per game according to teamrankings.com. The loss of starter Kyle Korver, one of the best in history, hasn’t stopped them from firing away.

More from Hawks News

• Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
• Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
• When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
• Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
• Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic makes special dedication after FIBA win

I never liked throwing entry passes to post players down on the block, for any number of reasons. For starters, there is always two defenders, occasionally three, clogging up the passing lane. Then on top of that, more often than not, those passes have to be telegraphed, which increases the likelihood of a turnover even further. If the average number of field goal attempts that Howard gets per game is any indication, coach Budenholzer must feel the same way.

Using ESPN as a reference, Howard is actually getting fewer attempts this year with the Hawks (8.0), than he did last season with the Rockets (8.5). When you consider that James Harden isn’t his teammate any longer, that pair of statistics is staggering. I was expecting Howard’s attempts and points per game to increase upon joining the Hawks, but I’ve been wrong.

The Hawks don’t have anybody even in the same stratosphere as Harden, in terms of either flopping or more relative to my original point, ball hogging.

Harden had a usage rate higher than LeBron James did as Howard’s teammate last year if you can imagine that. His involvement offensively was higher than all players not named Stephen Curry (#2), and Demarcus Cousins (#1). He also led the league in the following categories; field goal attempts, field goals missed, free throws made, free throw attempts, turnovers and points.

Then how in the world has Howard gotten fewer opportunities with the Hawks? I get that his game has always been based on his strength and athleticism, which isn’t what it once was, but he can score in the paint. With a field goal percentage ranked 4th leaguewide, of 64.0, for him to account for just eight of the team’s 85 attempts per game, is unacceptable. Take a look below at what is likely his most productive game offensively this season, a 31 point performance at the Los Angeles Lakers.

It’s easy to see why he doesn’t miss much, it’s all dunks and layups. He does show he’s capable of scoring down low from a post up, but after that one particular play early in the game, they never went back to it again. The Hawks are good at creating ally-oops for him but those are a little too far and between though if that’s his first look in the half court.

It’s especially late in his career to expect or ask him to add a mid-range jumper to his game. It’s obvious that it would increase his opportunities and effectiveness within the offense, that isn’t an area that he will provide the team with any value, however. Right now the majority of his points are coming from the ally-oops or put-back tip-ins.

He does crash the boards incredibly well, partly because he can be seen exclusively anticipating when his teammates are going to put up a shot, and where it will be coming from.

Instead of jockeying for the appropriate space and right angle to collect another of his league leading offensive rebounds, he could establish deep position in the post and call for the ball. It would give the rest of coach Bud’s group fewer excuses for not passing him the ball, that’s for sure.

Howard seems to be content on running the pick-and-roll and dominating games by cleaning the glass. It would be nice for the Hawks to be able to utilize Dwight in post-up isolations, ideally when the outside shots aren’t falling. No one would confuse him with Tim Duncan or Hakeem Olajuwon, but he is good at the up and under, hook shots, and spin moves to create high percentage shots. The Hawks proceed to furiously move and zip passes around, to chuck up perimeter shots instead, no matter the situation.