Dwight Howard Has Impressed Hakeem Olajuwon

The master likes what he’s been seeing from his pupil. Just don’t tell Stan Van Gundy about it. The Orlando Sentinel reports: “One of the greatest centers in basketball history attended the Orlando Magic’s 118-104 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday. Hakeem Olajuwon liked what he saw from one of his most accomplished pupils, Magic center Dwight Howard, who scored 22 points and collected 14 rebounds. ‘He can do so much more,’ Olajuwon said. ‘It’s so easy. You can see the potential that he can do so much more. Unbelievable.’ Last June, Howard spent three days working with Olajuwon in Texas. Howard attributes the improvements in his game to being a gym rat. But Howard says those sessions with Olajuwon did boost his confidence … Olajuwon said that of all the big men he’s worked with, Howard has done the best job of putting the lessons into practice. Olajuwon said: ‘You see all the moves that we worked on, the steps and the recognition of what they’re giving him. He had 22 points, but he could easily get 30 or 35 easily. I saw opportunities that were just missed. With time, it’ll just get better.'”