Dwight Howard spent the summer working on his outside shooting, and says he wants to be known as more than merely a post player.
The big fella, who inked a $70.5 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks, will be launching from all over the court this season.
Dwight Howard wants to improve his outside shooting. https://t.co/vVFuXXtsNQ
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) October 3, 2016
Howard, 30, shot a career-high 62 percent from the field with the Houston Rockets in 2015-16 (with most attempts coming from near the basket):
“It’s all about being able to grow and just having confidence,” Howard recently told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Coach (Mike Budenholzer) has total confidence in me shooting the basketball. So, that’s not an issue. I think in the past I’ve started to shoot and then I’ve stopped. I can’t allow missing or anything like that to affect how I play on the floor.”
Don’t expect Howard to stretch his game to the 3-point line as a regular basis. However, he said his new on-court attitude will be important as he works to expand his game.
“It’s the mentality,” Howard said. “In my younger years, when I shot those shots I laughed and joked. I don’t think people took it serious when I did that even if I made it. If people see that I’m taking that part of my game seriously, then they’ll get used to it. I think it’s something that they’ve never really seen, especially since I’ve been playing in the NBA. It’s all about how I do it.”
