John Wall's interaction with center Dwight Howard prior to his commitment to the Washington Wizards is a long-known anecdote, but one that will have to morph into chemistry to really reap the fruits of this offseason effort.
Yet it is Howard's reputation that has plagued him since leaving the Orlando Magic after requesting a trade. This will be the big man's fifth team in the last seven seasons and the first in which he's been recruited to come — something Wall has taken into account.
“You know, he's played on a lot of teams. [His former teammates] have certain things they say, some good, some bad,” John Wall said last week, according to Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report. “Everybody [has] got something they have to improve on, but it's my job as the point guard now, with him being on my team and [me] being the leader, to get him settled in with our team and be comfortable and getting him to play the way we want him to play, and if he does that, we'll be fine with it.”
Dwight Howard fits the mold of an “athletic big” that can score, rebound, and block shots — still possessing plenty of juice in his legs at 32 years of age.
Though it will be up to Wall to point Howard to favorable spots to make his game flourish. The big man won't get the barrage of touches he did with the Magic, but if he can be effective on the court, it will ultimately impact his commitment to the defensive side of the ball.
Howard is coming off one of his best seasons in recent memory, posting 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 81 games played — numbers that bode much better than Marcin Gortat's declining ones through the 2017-18 season.
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