Although there’ll be more questions to come, Dwight Howard passed his first test in the Atlanta Hawks’ season opener.
When the Atlanta Hawks signed Dwight Howard and watched Al Horford walk away in free agency this summer, it offered up more questions than answers.
Since Mike Budenholzer arrived as head coach in Atlanta in 2013, not many teams in the NBA have had as clear an identity as the Hawks. Although the primary focus has switched from offense to defense at times, the fundamentals of what Hawks basketball looked like remained the same.
Coach Bud’s team would be unselfish, almost to a fault. They’d move and share the ball for the best possible shot, they’d knock down triples, and they’d be on a string defensively, always moving backwards as a unit.
When Atlanta rolled off 60 wins in a season, it was notable that their entire starting five shared the league’s Player of the Month award for a spectacular January. That’s what has epitomized recent Atlanta teams: a culture of fitting in and individual sacrifice.
Considering that track record, adding a star name and an ego like Dwight Howard into the mix understandably raised a few eyebrows. How can the ball move if it has to stick in the post to make the most of a big money addition?
The fact was that there was always going to have to be compromise, and at least on opening night, both the Hawks and Howard did what was needed of them.
To an extent, Howard was allowed to do his thing. Part of the reason why the Hawks picked up the eight-time All-Star was to remedy the chronic rebounding deficiencies that have plagued them in recent postseason exits. If he does nothing else, Howard made it clear from the opening tip that he’ll at least hold up his end of the bargain in that regard.
Howard finished his regular season debut with 19 rebounds for his new team, making him the first Hawk to grab that many boards in a single game since Al Horford had 22 in February 2013.
The 30-year-old was afforded touches in the post, as you’d expect, but they were kept to a minimum. Howard took advantage of those chances when they fell his way, faking out Marcin Gortat, his former deputy in Orlando, for his most memorable move down low on the night.
Howard’s night, and the Hawks’ for that matter, wasn’t defined by what everyone already knew Howard could do, though. It was everything else.
Dwight ran the floor willingly, moved the ball, alternated seamlessly with Paul Millsap in Dennis Schröder run pick-and-roll plays, and generally made the new Hawks look not so different from the old Hawks.
Atlanta fans have grown accustomed over the years to Al Horford’s passing triggering quick fastbreaks after grabbing a rebound, and for Howard’s part, he wanted to prove he could throw an outlet rather than needing to be the man on the end of it too.
It was a night where it never looked as if the Atlanta native was forcing a change too drastic or too sudden, but a game in which he managed to be himself and the player who the Hawks want him to be too.
From the moment Hawks PA Announcer Ryan Cameron announced his name as the final starter and Atlanta’s own, Howard wore a smile on his face. His teammates were smiling too, and from pre-game dancing, to a mosh pit intro and in-game high fives, it appeared as if Howard was more welcome than he’s been anywhere in the NBA for a long time.
Next: 2016-17 NBA Power Rankings: Week 1
That broad, bright smile that was once Howard’s trademark has made less and less appearances in recent years. If Howard’s joy on the court translates to committed, disciplined performances throughout the next 81 games and beyond, Philips Arena will quickly become an arena filled with smiles.