After joining the Wizards this summer, Dwight Howard will be wearing his fourth different jersey in as many seasons. He is hoping to avoid a short stint in Washington following quick departures from Atlanta and Washington in 2017 and 2018.
Part of that effort is transforming his game and adapting to the NBA's new pace-and-space style. One of Howard's trainers, Justin Zormelo, told The Washington Post's Candace Buckner exactly what that means ahead of the big man's 15th season.
"We added ballhandling, we added shooting. Just a completely different mind-set than he’s used to playing [with]," Zormelo says. "I was able to figure out how to add different skills to Dwight and he adapts pretty quickly."
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"He wants to evolve into Anthony Davis, into Kevin Durant," Zormelo says, "but his own version of that."
MORE: Wall's pitch helped Wizards sign Howard
So, the next logical question is... seriously, what does that mean? Clearly Howard doesn't expect to actually become a Davis- or Durant-type player, so what does his version look like?
Howard has performed this offseason song-and-dance routine before. Just last year, he was talking about adding a 3-point shot to his repertoire.
Hawks center Dwight Howard says he's "working hard" on his 3-point game to extend career. He's 5-of-56 from 3-point range in his career. pic.twitter.com/FzJx9BOcsJ
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) June 6, 2017
Those words didn't mean much — Howard shot 1-of-7 from 3-point range as a Hornet, and he has shot 6-of-63 from beyond the arc for his career.
It's a nice idea in theory, turning Howard into an all-around threat capable of stretching a defense. But at this point, it's probably best for Howard to focus on anchoring the Wizards' defense and becoming a consistent pick-and-roll threat with John Wall and Bradley Beal, especially if the 32-year-old wants to finish his NBA career in Washington.
As Buckner notes, Howard is down to 265 pounds and 3.3 percent body fat, which should help him avoid injuries and prevent him from being run off the floor against smaller lineups. It's fair to give him credit for putting in the work on his physique, but it's also hard to believe Howard will suddenly transition into a respectable perimeter threat. We're talking about a guy who had the third-most post-up possessions in the league in 2017-18 behind LaMarcus Aldridge and Joel Embiid.
Then again, anything is possible in the NBA. He still made that one 3-pointer last season!
