Atlanta Hawks: 2016-17 Season Outlook

Three Key Storylines: 1. D-12 In The ATL

Although Dwight Howard agreed to a deal before the Al Horford situation had been sorted out, he was basically brought in with the understanding that Atlanta’s nine-year veteran was pretty much out the door. The question is, how does switching from Horford to Howard change things on both ends of the floor?

On the offensive end, Horford was a terrific passer and his fledgling three-point shot (34.4 percent on a career-high 3.1 attempts per game) helped spread the floor for Bud’s wide open offense. Howard brings neither of those things to the table.

Though he’s been working on his jump shot over the summer, D-12 can hardly be expected to consistently spread the floor in the midrange, let alone from three-point territory. Howard is more of a plodding, back-to-the-basket big who will demand touches on the low block, though it’s worth mentioning that his pick-and-roll chemistry with Schroder looks promising already:

With the Hawks downgrading from Teague (40 percent from downtown last year) to Schroder (32.2 percent) on the perimeter, Atlanta’s highly vaunted three-point attack has already been dealt not one, but two significant blows.

On the defensive end, Howard will definitely help upgrade Atlanta’s rebounding — one of the weaker areas of Horford’s game. D-12 averaged 11.8 rebounds per game last season, which should improve a Hawks team that ranked 24th in rebounds, 30th in offensive rebounds and 28th in rebounding percentage last year.

However, for someone with the reputation of a shot-blocker, Howard is not the positional defender that Horford was. His game relies on waning athleticism, and his lack of versatility will eventually put a damper on Budenholzer’s aggressive defensive schemes.

With Horford and Millsap capable of trapping ball handlers out of pick-and-rolls 25 feet from the basket, Atlanta boasted the NBA’s second best defense last year. Howard is not a bad defender by any means, but he’s more of a traditional rim protector, which will force Bud to adjust his team’s new personnel.

Dwight Howard seems motivated to play for his hometown team, and perhaps playing for such a smart head coach will help him tap into a late-career resurgence. But his arrival will force adjustments on both ends of the floor, and it remains to be seen how his skill set will mesh with a style of play that’s helped Atlanta find so much success over the last few years.

Next: Storyline 2: Schroder Running The Show