Dwight Howard has had a busy offseason. First, he was traded by the Charlotte Hornets and subsequently bought out by the Brooklyn Nets, only to wind up with the Washington Wizards on a two-year deal.
Funnily enough, Howard fits the exact mold of center that John Wall asked the front office for in the offseason.
The Wizards paved the way for this move by trading away center Marcin Gortat to the L.A. Clippers for Austin Rivers, giving Wall and Bradley Beal some reenforcement off the bench while clearing the path for an “athletic” big man to fit into the starting lineup.
Wall had Howard in mind — and inevitably, he got his corresponding shout-out during his Monday afternoon introductory press conference.
“Shout out to John for reaching out to me …and asking me to join this team,” said Howard only seconds upon grabbing the microphone, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post.
“He just said ‘do you want to come to D.C.?' It wasn't too much to be said. After he said that, I was like ‘bro, I'm with it.' That conversation was like a confirmation for me,” Howard said. “Him reaching out, I've never had a guy like John Wall as a point guard, so why lose that opportunity?”
This partnership will open up the chance for Wall to lead the league in assists once again, as Howard is still a viable lob target that can finish on the block and gobble up offensive rebounds.
Howard has a similar respect for Wall's talents with the ball, and he made that clear shortly after, lauding him as the best point guard he's played with.
“No disrespect to any of the point guards I played with my in career, John is a different type of animal,” said Howard.
No disrespect to Rafer Alston, Jason Williams, Jameer Nelson, Steve Nash, Dennis Schroder, or Kemba Walker — you guys are just not John Wall.
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