Atlanta Hawks: Dwight Howard On Pace To Be An All-Star?
Dwight Howard has played very well for the Atlanta Hawks. He’s currently averaging a double-double. Will he be an All-Star?
Did you have any worries that it would take some time for Dwight Howard to play at a high level during his first season for the Atlanta Hawks? You would have not been alone if you had the expectation that Howard would need more time to fit in with his newest team. Although he has flown under the radar in the team’s first 28 games, he has been incredibly effective as the starting center.
Just how good has the 6-foot-11, 265 lb. presence on the low block really been for the Hawks? He has scored 14.2 points per game on 63.2 percent shooting in 29.2 minutes of action on the court.
The field goal percentage of 63.2 percent places him as the fourth most accurate finisher in the league. He has even improved slightly as a free-throw shooter, converting on 52.4 percent of them this season, as opposed to the 48.9 percent he made last year.
Nov 5, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) dunks against the Houston Rockets in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
His rebounding skills have not diminished one bit. He is ranked third in the NBA in rebounds per game with 13, as he has continues to clean the glass at an elite level. His average of 4.7 offensive boards per contest earns him the number one ranking in that particular category.
He has had 18 games this season in which he has recorded a double-double, only three behind the league leader, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Howard has been very solid as a defender as well. He is 17th in blocks per game with 1.5 and 18th in block percentage rate at 4 percent. He can turn the other team over too, as he has averages 1 steal per game and has a 1.6 percent steal percentage. There is room for improvement in the area of rim protection however.
More from Soaring Down South
For the three-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner, 1.5 blocks per game is actually a little disappointing. To see that he is only 17th best at rejecting shots should provide him motivation to work on climbing higher up that list.
It’s hard to really complain though, as his overall performance has been as strong as many fans could have hoped for. One statistic that I find to be curious is that he is averaging just 8.9 field goal attempts per game.
That is only up slightly from the 8 per game he attempted last year. A season in which he played with an extremely ball-dominant guard in James Harden.
Atlanta should make a conscious effort to get him additional shots at the basket, and more involved offensively.
As long as Dwight Howard is able to remain healthy, he should have no problem being named to his 9th All Star team. Hopefully his great play will start to translate into more wins, sooner rather than later. In a season that has seen the Hawks have several players struggle with consistency issues, Dwight has provided the team a steady force at the center position.
