Superman renews powers
Howard enjoys new role built on high energy
Is the NBA watching the return of Superman?
Not quite. Dwight Howard cannot fly to reach the top of the backboard. He cannot dominate nightly on course for the Most Valuable Player Award. He cannot cast the biggest shadow over a league conquered by playing small.
But Howard, the big man previously mopey, maligned and misunderstood in three seasons with the Rockets, appears at 32 to be rejuvenated with the Hornets.
He’s averaging 16 points and 12 rebounds, his highest since his first season with the Rockets in 2013.
His peak abilities — a rare combination of 6-11 size and speed that made him the heir to Shaquille O’Neal — are diminished, but he has restored his chance to make the All-Star team for the first time since 2014.
Embracing role
The Hornets acquired Howard last summer from the Atlanta Hawks, his hometown team, which had signed him to a threeyear, $70.5 million deal only to trade him a year later for backups Miles Plumlee and Marco Belinelli.
Playing for his fifth team in seven seasons, Howard has embraced a role other than that of a superstar. Hornets coach Steve Clifford was an assistant with the Orlando Magic during Howard’s prime and the Lakers for Howard’s drama-filled season there under Mike D’Antoni. Clifford also has worked with talented bigs Marcus Camby and Yao Ming.
The Hornets are giving Howard what the Rockets had reduced: he has a 25.8 percent usage rate this season, his highest since starring for the Magic.
He is adapting just enough to keep up with a game that is dislodging traditional centers. He has increased his drives, midrange shots and fieldgoal attempts. He shed weight, stretched more and swore off sugar to move quicker.
Against the Raptors in November, Howard crossed up Jakob Poeltl before rising for a twohanded slam over elite shot-blocker Serge Ibaka.
Howard has scored 21 or more points in four consecutive games, getting 26 against the Rockets on Wednesday. He also had 18 rebounds.
“He’s comfortable here,” said Stephen Silas, Hornets interim coach while Clifford is away from the team indefinitely for unspecified healthrelated reasons. “We have a group that accepts him and is willing to give him the ball down there in the post.”
Howard is getting more than 10 touches per game. He had averaged only seven per game last season with the Hawks and six per game in three seasons with the Rockets.
After a peak season in 2010-2011 with the Magic, when Howard posted career highs in points and shooting percentages, he became entrenched near the basket. He went from taking 12.6 percent of his shots from midrange down to 3.6 during the lockoutshortened season. That rate reached a career-low 1.9 percent with the Rockets in 2014-2015, when an injured right knee cost him half the season.
Getting creative
The Hornets have been more creative with Howard. He has crept up to shooting 11 percent from midrange. He also is driving to the basket on a career-high 9 percent of his scoring attempts.
Twice this season, Howard has compiled at least 25 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks. At age 30 or older, only three other players — Patrick Ewing, Elvin Hayes and Shaquille O’Neal — have posted that line at a minimum in multiple games“
When you know you’re a big part of what’s going on, you feel better about your game,” Silas said.
“It makes you do things that maybe he hadn’t been doing in the past. We’re letting him catch it a little bit off the block so he can use his quickness and won’t have to bang against people all the time.”