Khadrice Rollins
krollins@ajc.com
As Dwight Howard shook hands and dabbed his way through the Hawks bench before tip-off Thursday, there was a noticeable pep in his step.
“I can’t allow nothing to steal my joy,” Howard said. “In years past I’ve allowed certain things to happen, but I’m with a great team, a great organization, the guys have been great, every single one of my teammates I’m very grateful for, and I’m going to give them all of me. It’s the only thing I can do.”
When he took the court, that energy remained and the 6’11” center showcased the offensive intensity and defensive prowess that made him one of the NBA’s best big men.
Going up against former coach Stan Van Gundy, Howard brought a lively presence to both ends of the floor, similar to when he and Van Gundy were together in Orlando.
“As much as Dwight scored and rebounded, the thing when I had him in Orlando that I thought made us as good as we were, was he was three years in a row the Defensive Player of the Year,” Van Gundy said. “And very deserving. I don’t think there was anybody close that affected as many plays in a game as he did.”
Thursday Howard showed glimpses of how he can protect the rim in a way few others in the league can. Not only by blocking shots, but also disrupting countless attempts and forcing opponents to make moves quickly and rush shot attempts.
On offense, he was involved in just about everything that happened. When he wasn’t posting up, demanding attention, and getting free for putbacks and quick dump offs, he was setting screens and running a pick-and-roll that not only created opportunities for him and the ball handler at the rim, but also left shooters open for three-pointers.
Both Howard and point guard Dennis Schroder said there is room for improvement in their pick-and-roll aspect of the Hawks’ offense, but they see it getting better.
“We got to get better for sure,” Schroder said. “We got to get used to it, but I think it’s been great the last couple of games and practice.”
But the biggest place where Howard will need to leave his mark going forward this year is on the glass. He pulled down a game-high nine rebounds in 28 minutes of work to go along with 15 points and three blocks.
For a Hawks team that was sixth in points allowed last season, but only 24th in rebounding efficiency, this is where Howard can make the biggest difference.
“Dwight is going to help us immensely on the boards and help our physicality,” coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Howard said it’s important the entire team makes a concerted effort to be more aggressive on the boards, but he added that he is looking to lead by example to make sure Atlanta is ready to compete on the glass with anybody come playoff time.
“I know it’s my job to be the anchor on defense, rebound, block shots, stuff like that, but all of us got to get in there and battle,” he said.
