Why did Dwight Howard take so few shots in the past?

because he was the ultimate garbage man

 

OP-

I dont think this is a terrible question.

The answer is two fold- Teams defend accordingly against Dwight and double/triple team him, and if they can't do that they foul him.

Teams dont even try to guard him one-on-one. Last week against Hibbert/Pacers you saw one of the only team in the league now that can guard him one-on-one, and even they had to double team him at certain points in the game. They usually just double/triple team him or foul him.

-For instance, back in 2010, the Miami Heat (the best team in the league who rely on the 3 to space for their attacking wings) took something like 1,400 Three point shots in the season. The Spurs took 1700. Even a team like the Rockets ( who love & believe in the 3) took 1800.

The Orlando Magic took 2100+

That's 300 more than the most three point happy team in the league.

-In regards to free throws attempted, in 2010 the #2 league leader in free throws attempted in the league was Blake Griffin at 695.

Dwight shot 916!!

So that's why Dwight doesn't lead the league in shots attempted, even though he's one of the most high impact players in the game even today. He's right up there with Lebron and KD.

 

Dwight's shot totals are low primarily because he takes very few jump shots. All those other guys except Shaq got their extra shots outside of 10 feet.

As for Shaq, he was just better inside due to his size. Also, the defensive three second rule change in 2001 seems like it made it harder to post up.

 

The Dwight Effect has been discussed in the SLOAN conference and in this forum

 

This thread is about Dwight's offense, not his defense.