Dwight Howard shot 3 for 14 from the free throw line in last night's loss to the Mavericks.
He has always been a bad free throw shooter (58.7% for his career), but the Magic were never so good offensively that teams would resort to a radical "Hack-A-Dwight" strategy — where you foul him whenever he gets the ball near the rim.
Well now that he is on an offensive juggernaut with the Lakers (on paper, at least), we're already hearing that teams will start fouling him at will.
The Portland Trail Blazers will put Dwight on the line whenever possible tonight, according to the Columbian:
So after Howard goes 3 of 14 @ FT line in last nite's opener, #blazers coach Terry Stotts says he will return 2 the line 2nite #HackADwight
— blazerbanter (@blazerbanter) October 31, 2012
Re: DH, Leonard wants 2 keep him off block & since rookie led team in whistles: "If all else fails, put him on the foul line" #HackADwight
— blazerbanter (@blazerbanter) October 31, 2012
Teams have tried this strategy in the past with poor free-throw shooters (most famously, Shaq). But not this early in the season.
It'll be something to keep an eye on.
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