Dwight Howard not turning into someone else but himself, says Kevin McHale

Houston Rockets owner Les Alexander holds Dwight Howard’s jersey in front of general manager Daryl Morey, left, and coach Kevin McHale during a news conference and welcoming ceremony for Howard to the NBA basketball team, Saturday, July 13, 2013, in Houston. AP

MANILA, Philippines — Dwight Howard won’t be the next Hakeem Olajuwon or the next Kevin McHale.

Kevin McHale, Howard’s head coach with the Houston Rockets, let everyone know that his prized center’s not following one’s footsteps but his own.

“Dwight is not going to turn into Hakeem or McHale, he’s going to turn into Dwight Howard,” the Boston Celtics legend said during the Rockets’ media availability Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. “Everybody does things differently. He needs to incorporate that into his game and do what he’s comfortable doing and what we work with him on.”

The six-foot-11 Howard, who opted to sign with the Rockets this offseason after a disappointing year with the Los Angeles Lakers, was all praises for his head coach.

“It’s great. We’ve been training together all summer. He’s a great guy, he’s a great coach.
We have the same beliefs. We understand that bigs have to dominate the paint and that’s what I want to do,” said the three-time Defensive Player of the Year Howard.

Already a seven-time All-star, McHale believes that Howard still has a lot of room for improvement and that what’s vital for the 27-year-old Olympic gold medalist is staying healthy.

“He can definitely improve. I think one of the biggest things from last year to this year is he’s healthy again so he has really got to work hard on staying healthy, staying flexible, making sure his back stays as good as it can possibly be he had surgery on it and I really thought that hindered him last year.”

McHale also added that he wants Howard to play with more speed.

“I think he has got to play with the speed more. I think his best quality as a big man is his speed and if he can play with that speed game more it will help all of us. He’s got really good defensive instincts, he’s got a good feel for what’s going on the floor. He’s better in some areas that I thought he should be.”

There were times last season when Howard wasn’t his usual dominant self after coming off back surgery but now, feeling healthy, Houston has a lot to feel good about this coming season.

“Last season’s over with. I feel a lot better than I did physically so I’m looking forward to this season.”