Dwight Howard referred to his last several NBA seasons as a “mess” several times in a recent interview.
That includes last year playing for his hometown Hawks.
Howard was traded to the Hornets earlier this summer. In praise of a reunion with Hornets coach Steve Clifford, who was an assistant with the Magic when Howard entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick and had his best seasons, Howard said he expects to get pushed by his coach and be used properly.
“Cliff's going to push me, but he’s not going to ever be one of those guys who I would say would break my spirit,” Howard told ESPN in an article posted Friday. “He really believes in me. Throughout all the mess that has happened the last couple of years, this is a great opportunity for me to prove to myself that I know exactly who I am - to just shut people’s mouths.”
Later in the interview, Howard spoke of his motivation after five seasons with the Lakers, Rockets and Hawks following his first eight seasons with the Magic.
“Throughout all the mess that has happened the last couple of years, this is a great opportunity for me to prove myself that I know exactly who I am – to just shut people’s mouths”
The Hawks signed Howard to a three-year, $70.5 million contract to return home. He was to be a major inside option for the team in addition to his defense and rebounding. However by the end of the season, Howard was not on the floor in the fourth quarter of several games – including two of the Hawks’ first-round playoff series loss to the Wizards.
New Hawks general manger Travis Schlenk, in his first move, traded Howard to the Hornets for Miles Plumlee and Marco Belinelli. The teams also swapped 2017 second-round draft picks.
“The other places I was, the coaches didn’t really know who I am,” Howard told ESPN. “I think that they had perception of me and ran with it. Cliff knows my game. He knows all the things that I can do. I’m very determined to get back to the top. It’s a great feeling when somebody believes in you. They aren’t saying it; they believe it. It really just pushed me to the limit in workouts: running, training, everything. I want to do more.
“In Orlando, I was getting 13-15 shots a game. Last season, in Atlanta, it was six shot attempts. It looks like I’m not involved in the game. And if I miss a shot, it sticks out because I am not getting very many of them. But I think it’s all opportunity, the system. I haven’t had a system where I can be who I am since I was in Orlando.”
There was plenty of hope when Howard joined the Hawks last summer. He was tearful when discussing what it meant to return home with a chance to resurrect his career. Howard did have a solid season statistically. He played in 74 games, not affected by a back injury that nagged him in previous seasons. He averaged 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game.
Howard was clearly not happy with his role following the Hawks' playoff loss. He measured his words when discussing his disappointment about not playing late in games, including the entire fourth quarter of the series-clinching loss.
Howard reflected more on his role and the way he was used with the Hawks in the interview with ESPN.
“Teams wanted me to do different things than they promised me when I went to choose them,” Howard told ESPN. “In Atlanta, I was going to be involved in the offense. Then, toward the end of the season, it turned into, ‘Hey, we just got you for defense and rebounds.’ …
“It stung me how I started the season, getting a lot of shot attempts, getting the ball – and by the end of the season, in the fourth I was sitting on the bench. It pissed me off. I knew that I had more to give the game, give myself and the team.”
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