If the resurrection of Dwight Howard had to begin somewhere, it’s fitting that it’s here, in Atlanta, the city where Howard developed into the near-7-foot terror who would go on to become the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NBA draft. Success was followed by a sharp — and well-chronicled — fall, but if the early returns foreshadow anything, it’s that the Hawks, who inked Howard to a three-year, $70.5 million deal last summer, may have been just what Howard needed.

When Hawks coach/president Mike Budenholzer dug into the idea of signing Howard, he followed one principle: “Focus on the positive,” Budenholzer told The Vertical. “That’s just how we do things here. All the other stuff, we didn’t think too much about.” The “other stuff,” of course, was Howard’s role in a messy breakup with the Lakers and why the Howard-James Harden relationship self-destructed a year after a run to the conference finals. What Budenholzer saw was a player who could improve one of the NBA’s worst offensive rebounding teams and backstop an already stingy defense with a still elite rim protector.

And what do you know? An Atlanta team that ranked dead last in the NBA in offensive rebounding rate has vaulted into the top five. An active Howard has morphed a team that rarely won the battle for second-chance points into one that gobbles them up regularly. In past years, Atlanta de-emphasized offensive rebounding in favor of tight transition defense. This year, players say, the Hawks routinely send bigs careening toward the offensive glass. Howard, Budenholzer says, is not just pulling down his own offensive boards (4.6 per game) but is creating the space for Mike Muscala (1.7 per game), Paul Millsap (1.3) and others to contribute on the offensive glass.

Scouts who have seen Howard 4.0 agree: This is the best he’s looked since Orlando. “He’s as active as I’ve seen him in years,” remarked one scout. “With him there, everyone is playing up and aggressive on the ball,” added another. Atlanta was the NBA’s second-stingiest defense last season, surrendering 101.4 points per 100 possessions. Before a quad injury forced Howard out of Wednesday’s game against Milwaukee, that number dipped to 97.9, and Atlanta was pacing the league in steals (10.6) and forced turnovers (17.9), which have yielded around 20 points per game in transition scoring.

The Hawks lost some offensive versatility when they swapped Al Horford for Howard, but while Howard’s days of regular 25- or 30-point eruptions are over, he remains a reliable double-digit scorer (14.8 per game) who produces with frightening efficiency (a career-best 62.2 percent from the floor). Howard has developed a nice on-court chemistry with point guard Dennis Schroder, whose elevation to the starting job has been a resounding success, and isn’t — for now — bemoaning a single-digit shot output like he did in Houston.

“Since he came here he has been all about winning,” Budenholzer said. “He’s been great in the locker room, he’s been great alongside Paul. In every way he has been a positive addition to this team.”

The field of contenders behind Cleveland is crowded, and it’s best to see how Toronto plays when DeMar DeRozan cools off, what Boston looks like when Horford and Jae Crowder come back, and if Indiana’s defense can come around enough to balance out a vastly improved offense before making any predictions. But there is every reason to believe a Howard-led Hawks team is a threat to secure a top-three seed. Budenholzer points out that despite some high-profile defections in recent years, key pieces of Atlanta’s core — Millsap, Schroder, Kyle Korver — remain, which has helped the Hawks avoid some of the growing pains rivals have experienced this season. And for those expecting Howard’s oft-battered body to break down, he did play in 71 games last season and has suited up for at least 71 in three of the last four years.

There’s evidence — early evidence — that this Hawks team could be the best of the Budenholzer era. Last week Atlanta traveled to Cleveland to play a Cavs team that had whipped them 11 straight times, including back-to-back sweeps in the playoffs. The Hawks won, with Schroder pouring in 28 and Howard, with 17 rebounds, powering the Hawks to a rebounding edge (62-51) they rarely enjoyed in prior matchups.

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