It’s no secret that the Hawks struggled offensively this past season. They ranked 22nd in the league in points per game at 103, 18th in field goal percentage (45 percent), and 23rd in three-point shooting (34.1 percent). For a playoff team, that’s not exactly what you would call ideal.
They pride themselves on being an efficient defensive team, but their struggles on the other side of the court are certainly noticeable.
Prized off-season addition Dwight Howard, who inked a three-year deal worth $70.5 million with the Hawks in free agency, recently expressed his frustrations on the team’s struggles and his role during the season. His role was drastically reduced in the series against Washington because Mike Budenholzer believed the offense was more fluid with him off the court, and its safe to say he isn’t happy about it.
Following from Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Dwight Howard is not happy. The day after the Hawks were drop-kicked into the offseason by Washington, he used the word “pissed” three times to describe his feelings about the way both his and the team’s season ended.
“It was very difficult,” Howard said Saturday. “I want to play. I want to be out on the floor. I want to make a difference. I want to make an impact, and I can’t do that on the bench.”
He denied suggestions that matchups should have anything to do with his reduced time. He denied season-long suspicions that he struggles in the Hawks’ ball-movement, pick-and-roll offense. Physically, he said he feels “amazing.” Mentally, that’s another story.
After sometimes avoiding speaking to the media following games this season, Howard responded to every question Saturday, even if not always going into great detail. He made it clear he was upset and didn’t deny that his dramatically reduced role was not in the blueprint presented to him before he signed as a free agent.
So yes, player and coach will need to have a conversation.
“That’s something that we have to talk about,” he said. “I can’t give you details here.”
The Hawks will likely keep Dwight Howard heading into next season, but looked into trading each of their veterans — including Howard — around this season’s deadline, which means nothing is guaranteed.
Atlanta must figure out how to effectively use Howard if they wish to make the postseason again next year. Part of that mission must be deciding whether or not to re-sign Paul Millsap, Howard’s frontcourt running mate, in free agency.
“It hurts,” Howard said. “I’m sure if you wrote the best stories in the world and nobody read your stories and they told you to stop writing and you saw somebody else’s story that wasn’t as good as yours, I’m pretty sure you’d be pissed, too. That’s how it is in basketball.”
