Hakeem Olajuwon wants more from Dwight Howard – NBA Update
Hakeem Olajuwon has urged Dwight Howard to trust himself in the game and take more shots with more variety. Olajuwon, who mentored Howard for the second year running this offseason, believes the player has the range and ability
required to do so.
Hakeem Olajuwon is considered by many as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, centres to ever play the game of basketball. Michael Jordan certainly thinks so and if one takes a look at Olajuwon in his prime, they would be
inclined to agree.
Olajuwon led his beloved Houston Rockets to two NBA World Championships and for quite a long stretch of time dazzled the league with his array of moves and his signature “Dream Shake”. Hakeem came up against a number all-time great
NBA centres and dominated more often than not.
Dwight Howard is currently the best centre walking the planet and one of the most sought after commodities in NBA basketball. The player has chosen Olajuwon as a mentor and trained with him previously as well.
Before joining Olajuwon this time around, Dwight revealed that he would be looking to just shoot the ball and improve himself offensively. Now after spending some time with the legendary centre, Howard says it went well and has
revealed the advice he received.
“He just said I want you to do them in the game, and tell your coach you got a lot of skills and he needs to let you use all your skills,” Howard said on Tuesday
“For me, it’s all about confidence,” Howard said. “All of the stuff that we worked on is stuff I’ve been doing my whole life.”
Dwight started out as a player who depended on his tremendous strength and athleticism to get the job done on the offensive end. However last year he showed an impressive array of moves in and around the paint, as well as a soft
touch on his shot.
According to Olajuwon, and many analysts agree, Howard now has the tools required to be an unstoppable offensive force. His strength and athletic ability alone set him apart but the centre has added a lot to his game that make
him a truly multi-dimensional player and therefore all the harder o defend.
Hakeem insists that the Orlando Magic should use Howard more, and in situations they currently do not employ him as much. For example, a majority of Howard’s shots come from post-up situations and the player does a good job of
converting them. Still he has an even higher conversion rate from pick and roll opportunities but the Magic do not use him in that situation as often.
If Howard’s team can get in line and let him play with more freedom, he could become and even more dangerous player than he currently is.
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