Moments before handing out backpacks stuffed with school supplies to the student body of the M.R. Hollis Innovation Academy in Atlanta’s Westside, Paul Millsap took a few moments to consider the Hawks' offseason, most notably the team's addition of eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard.
"Offensively we have a consistent roll guy, a guy who can put pressure on the basket every time you set a pick-and-roll," Millsap said of Howard.
Millsap wasn't the only member of the Hawks to use a variation of the phrase "pressure at the rim" in recent weeks. A number of Atlanta coaches and players have hit on that theme recently when describing how Howard will impact the Hawks' offense.
Guard Dennis Schröder, on NBA.com's Hang Time Podcast: "I didn't talk to Coach (Mike Budenholzer) yet, but I'm thinking it is going to be a lot of pick-and-roll with me and Dwight. We've got Jarrett Jack. We've got Malcolm Delaney, so we've got good point guards who can find the open man after the pick-and-roll with Dwight when he puts some pressure on the rim."
General Manager Wes Wilcox, on The Vertical Podcast with Chris Mannix: "We're ready to embrace (Howard). We think he can be great in our stuff. We haven't had that presence at the rim on either end of the court."
Budenholzer: "The way that Dwight can fit with us offensively, I think (it's) having a guy that can put pressure on the rim as a big. The way we run motion, the 4 (power forward) and 5 (center) are interchangeable. It's great to have somebody that is going to roll and put pressure on the rim and have shooting around him.
Budenholzer also suggested that having Howard in the offense might take him full circle back to the types of offense he saw as an assistant coach in San Antonio.
"In a lot of ways we've adjusted to who we've had the first three years," Budenholzer said, "and in some ways it will be going back to what I know, and maybe even better and maybe even more comfortable with: having someone who can put that kind of pressure on the rim."
The numbers support that notion. Howard finished second in the NBA in both field goal percentage (62.0 percent) and dunks (177). He also ranked sixth in the NBA in field goals per game within 5 feet of the rim (4.6 per game) where he converted 69.6 percent of his attempts.
Part of the reason for Howard's success is that he isn't just making plays at the rim; he's also making plays from above the rim.
Howard scored on 93 alley oops last season. The Hawks scored on just 56. That number should go way up this season.
Defensive rebounding
With all the talk about putting pressure on the rim, it's easy to overlook that the Hawks added a historically-great defensive rebounder. The NBA started keeping track of defensive rebounds at the start of the 1973-74 season. In the 43 seasons since then, the only player who has averaged more career defensive rebounds per game than Howard (9.2 defensive rebounds per game) is Dave Cowens (9.8).
According to Basketball Reference, Howard also ranks second in career defensive rebound percentage (29.13 percent) behind only Dennis Rodman (29.57 percent).
For a team like the Hawks, having Howard in the paint to clean up the glass will be a huge boost. Atlanta's defensive schemes have typically put a big emphasis on contesting shots and closing out on shooters, but even if Howard moves around the court a bit more on defense, he will still corral his fair share of rebounds and then some.
And if you think that at 30-year-old's best rebounding days are behind him, keep in mind one other stat: his defensive rebound percentages have actually gone up in each of the past three seasons.
Passing
Howard has hoovered in opposing NBA defenses with his rim rolls for over a decade.
Millsap thinks the benefits of those plays go far beyond the pick-and-roll twosome. As he said recently of Howard's presence, "We're hoping – and I think that everybody sees the vision of the court opening up – for a lot more open shots."
It's not hard to wonder why Millsap would say such a thing. Below is a play that shows how this idea might work. Klay Thompson guards James Harden and Andrew Bogut defends Howard. Howard sets the screen and slips it before making contact with Thompson, and he gets a large enough head start to render the first two defenders virtually useless once he has the ball. At this point, Howard is scoring easily unless a third defender slides in to help.
As it turns out, the third defender arrives, but Howard scores easily anyway.
The best shot the Hawks can manufacture with Howard in the pick and roll is a Howard dunk. But the second-most effective shot they will generate is a Kyle Korver three-point attempt from the corner. Re-watch the play and check out Corey Brewer in the bottom-right corner. He is very, very open. With Howard dancing to the rim, defenses will have some hard choices to make.
It will be up to the Hawks to move the ball in a way that attacks those defenses from their softest spots.
One of the theoretical strengths of the Schröder-Howard pick-and-roll combo is that it should be big, fast and athletic. In theory, the Hawks should be able to create more situations where teams have to commit three full defenders to stopping a pick-and-roll. At the same time, one question remains. Jeff Teague and Al Horford mastered the art of moving the ball to the open teammate. Will Schröder and Howard be able to take advantage when opponents overplay the pick-and-roll? Even if it takes a few months to foster the appropriate amount of chemistry in new roles, a big portion of the long-term success of the Hawks' offense may depend on this development.
Early post ups
Another overlap between the strengths of Howard and the Hawks is the use of post-up plays early in the shot clock. Even in a setting like July's Las Vegas Summer League, one thing the Hawks did a lot was send Edy Tavares sprinting to a spot under the basket while other players scattered to corners of the floor.
Howard scored in a similar manner for the Rockets last season. He's fast enough to beat his man down court and strong enough to lock a position once he gets there.
By attacking the post early in the shot clock, the Hawks should be able to get high-percentage attempts from close range before opposing defenses arrange themselves in a way that their help schemes are ready.
Another prime post-up opportunity, in addition to those early chances, are the ones that arise against switching defenses. Trying to guard Howard down low with a big wing will end badly for the other team.
Defensive rebounding and passing, revisited
Howard throws a mean outlet pass.
The Houston Rockets finished third in the NBA in fast break points per game last season, a fact which depended on a lot of factors. One thing that certainly helped was Howard's strong rebounding combined with his ability to find teammates at mid-court. Howard routinely snagged a rebound, turned and scanned the court like Matt Ryan looking for a tight end.
Howard was helped by willing flankers like Brewer and Trevor Ariza, but surely he'll feel just as good about Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha as they streak down the floor.
Passing, of the oop kind
It may seem like a simple thing, but in all seriousness, the Hawks probably need to get better at throwing alley-oop passes. The words used to describe a lob pass – 'throw it up at the rim' – downplay the skill needed to throw such passes. Timing, dexterity, accuracy, finding an angle to thread the pass; these are all things required of a good lob pass.
Schröder developed a nice chemistry throwing lobs to 7-foot-3 Tibor Pleiss while playing for Germany in international play last summer. He and the other Hawks will need to continue to hone their skills to take advantage here.
Shooting
Howard only made two field goals from a distance of 10 feet or more last season. Both were turnaround hook shots from the side of the lane. In essence, Howard didn't make a single jump shot last season, nor did he try a bunch. He also made just 48.9 percent of his free throws.
That drought could change soon though.
Howard and his shooting coach have posted near-daily updates on his progress in summer shooting sessions, and the early returns look good. His form is solid and repeatable, his footwork looks really good, and most importantly, he is working every day to develop this new skill. If he has a bit of early-season success that builds up his confidence, Howard might be able to translate his work in the practice gym into game-speed plays.
For this reason, and for the other reasons mentioned above, October's preseason games will be very interesting, as they should yield a glimpse into how the new-look Hawks will function offensively.
And it's only eight weeks away.
Story by KL ChouinardTwitter: @KLChouinard