Hawks’ Howard looks to expand his game

Dwight Howard has been working on his shot. His 3-point shot, that is.

The Hawks center appeared on ESPN’s “The Jump” on Tuesday and said he has been working this offseason with his shooting coach in Atlanta to expand his game.

“I’ve been working on my 3’s, really trying to add some range to my game,” Howard said. “Which is going to be weird for people to see, I guess. They are used to seeing me in the paint battling. But in order for me to play longer, I have to expand my game. The game is not just back to the basket, get the ball in the post and go to work. It’s more stepping away from the basket, setting screens, popping, shooting 3’s and stuff like that. People haven’t seen me do that. It’s going to be an adjustment for me, but also the fans. I think it’s going to be fun.”

Howard noted that he and the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan likely are the only remaining traditional centers in the NBA. The league is now focused on spreading the court and shooting 3-pointers — even the power forwards and centers.

Howard took two 3-point shots last season and missed both. For his 13-year career, Howard is 5-of-56 from 3-point range.

There were many games last season, including in the playoffs, when Howard was not on the floor in the fourth quarter as the Hawks looked for more floor spacing to generate 3-point shots. It was an issue and one Howard was not pleased with during his exit interview following the Hawks’ first-round playoff series loss to the Wizards.

Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk said last week he believes there is still a place for Howard with the team.