The Atlanta Hawks- Return Of Superman?
Is Dwight Howard back? In a pleasant surprise for fans of the Atlanta Hawks, seemingly somewhat yes! Over six games, the Dwightmare is currently averaging 17 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game while posting a very impressive 26.31 Player Efficiency Rating. He’s not as athletic as he was in his Orlando heydays (surprise) but he seems to still be a very athletic and effective roll man who is parlaying his strength and explosiveness into a mildly ridiculous .617 FG%.
Atlanta currently has a very solid 4-2 record, but their wins haven’t exactly been over the most impressive collection of squads. The only somewhat impressive win has been over James Harden’s defenseless Phoenix Rockets; the Wizards, Sixers, and Kings have not exactly lit the world on fire this year. Will the team continue to win when faced with stiffer competition. Dennis Schroder has been overall underwhelming production and efficiency wise as a starter, will he end up being a playoff-level starting point guard?
Furthermore, no one is averaging more points per game than Paul Milsap’s 17.8. Measuring team success by points per game is admittedly a bit arcane at this point but it is very rare these days to see teams have legitimate playoff success without at least one player (preferably two) scoring in the mid 20s per game.
Unless other players match Milksop’s quite excellence and Howard’s random resurgence, its unlikely the Hawks will have a truly meaningful playoff run. Seeing Dwight dominate (domin8?) for stretches however, has been a pleasant surprise.