Hawks Want New Recruit Dwight Howard To Be Versatile; Howard To Take Over Horford In Atlanta

The Atlanta Hawks want versatility from the new center, 6-11,265-pound Dwight Howard, who will take over the chores left by 6-10, 245-pound Al Horford.

While Howard is good in controlling the paint, it is Horford who is able to stretch his game all over the floor. Now, the Hawks want the 30-year-old Howard to be able to run to opposites ends of the floor, post up, quickly attract defenders, stretch the defense, and open the paint for Dennis Schroder to drive, according to USA Today. Schroder, who replaced erstwhile point guard Jeff Teague, will run the same pick-and-roll, passing-based offense.

But Howard wants the Hawks to just let him be himself and not make too many adjustments that may ruin his style of play. The Hawks gave up trying to catch up with the Cleveland Cavaliers by relying on Horford. They also handed the point guard chores to quick and pesky Schroder.

Veteran Hawks forward Paul Millsap said that he is happy with the inside boost that Howard will add although he will not leave all the work in the post to Howard. Millsap added that it is going to be interesting to find out how the Hawks are going to look with the new lineup changes.

Meanwhile, Hawks forward Kyle Korver anticipates that it is going to be really cool as Howard is a different player from what they've got. He is also excited to see how they can evolve and incorporate Howard.

Howard, who is in his 13th season in the NBA , turned down a chance to play for his hometown Atlanta Hawks three years ago. After signing a three-year $70.5 million deal with the Hawks and playing with his new teammates, Howard says that the experience is amazing and that he wants to retire with his home team.

It has been a frustrating ride for Howard over the last four seasons playing for the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Houston Rockets with James Harden, Sportal reported. He had on-court chemistry issues with superstar teammates while dealing with various injuries and a reduced role.