How to Pick and Roll Like Dwight Howard

The lack of dominant post players in the NBA has led some to believe that a true center may be outdated. However, that was before Dwight Howard came onto the professional basketball landscape. He is just past the legal drinking age and dominates the league. He is most deadly on offense in the pick and roll. where he employs tactics that anyone can incorporate into his own game.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Square your shoulders before your set the pick. Dwight Howard is superb in his understanding of fundamentals, despite his great physical size and strength. Dwight will usually bring his shoulders straight when setting a screen.
2. Fake one way and then go the other way on the pick and roll. Dwight Howard will use a head-and-shoulder fake to get the defender going one way, and then he will roll towards the basket for the pass.
3. Go and get the pass on the pick and roll. Do not wait for it come to you. Dwight Howard attacks the pass, so the defender cannot step in and steal it away from him. In a recent article in the "Detroit News", Tayshaun Prince recently said this about Howard, "I knew it was going to be a problem the way we were playing it. The reason we were playing it that way was because of Dwight. Dwight is rolling to the basket, so if 'Dyess stays out there too long, then he makes that pass to Dwight for a dunk."
4. Roll straight to the basket if no one picks you up. When you are rolling in the pick-and-roll play, head straight towards the basket after setting the pick. One of Dwight Howard's strengths is that he does not waste motion and when he rolls, he rolls straight towards the rim for the pass and the dunk.
5. Make certain that you do not pick up an offensive foul on the roll to the basket. One of the few weaknesses Dwight Howard has is that he picks up offensive fouls. This is because he does not pay attention to smaller players on the pick and roll who are trying to draw the charge.