Splitter expects defensive improvement for Hawks with Howard
Will going from Al Horford to Dwight Howard and Jeff Teague to Dennis Schroder give them the best defense?
By
Zach Harper
•
2 min read
It may surprise some people to know the Atlanta Hawks had the second-best defense in the NBA last season. While the San Antonio Spurs were flirting with setting historical records with their defensive rating for most of the season, the Hawks steadily improved throughout and became almost impossible to score on. The Hawks allowed 98.8 points per 100 possessions, which was 2.2 points per 100 behind the Spurs. It was also significantly ahead of the third place Indiana Pacers, who allowed 100.2 points per 100 possessions.
Ask Tiago Splitter what the addition of Dwight Howard will do along with the switch from Jeff Teague to Dennis Schroder as the full-time point guard, and he thinks the Hawks can be even better defensively. He said he thinks Howard is "a bit more of a defensive player" than Al Horford, who left for the Boston Celtics this summer. He also says Schroder is a better defender than Teague, and that defensive pressure over the whole court will help. From the AJC:
"(Howard) is a little bit more of a defensive player than Al, more rebounds, more physical presence on the court," Splitter said. "That is going to change our team. ... Dennis, he is also a great defender. He's a better defender than Jeff. He will pressure the point guard the whole court. He is growing up and getting more solid."
Howard is a more physical presence inside and is a much better rebounder than Horford, but the Hawks' former center was one of the best defensive big men in the NBA. His ability to defend all over the court was huge for them and allowed them to feel comfortable switching a lot of things. Howard, who has struggled with injuries since 2012, won't be as mobile on that end of the floor unless we see a resurgence with his physical health this season. But it doesn't mean Horford was a better defender than Howard will be; it just means it's a different type of weapon.
Being able to end possessions with defensive rebounds after protecting the rim will be huge. The Hawks were the sixth-worst defensive rebounding team in the NBA, so being able to end possessions with those boards from Howard could definitely shave some points off their defensive rating. According to Nylon Calculus, Horford actually did a better job of preventing points at the rim last season than Howard. However, it's not crazy to think swapping the Houston situation for the Atlanta situation will see a turnaround for Howard in that department. He'll be in a better system with more committed defenders to help him be utilized better in protecting the rim.
As for the Teague to Schroder switch, it'll be interesting to see if the Atlanta's new starting point guard is able to keep up expending that kind of energy on defense with greater responsibilities all over the court and more minutes. Teague suffered defensively last season from the previous year, but also said following the Hawks' elimination from the playoffs that he was playing with a knee injury for much of the year.
