Dwight took jumpers last year. In fact, according to 82games, he took quite a few of them.
Shot selection | Shot | Att. | eFG% | Ast'd | Blk'd | Pts |
| Jump | 21% | .413 | 66% | 19% | 2.3 |
| Close | 61% | .546 | 40% | 6% | 9.0 |
| Dunk | 15% | .945 | 69% | 2% | 3.9 |
| Tips | 3% | .333 | 0% | 0% | .3 |
| Inside | 79% | .615 | 48% | 5% | 13.1 |
Or, allow Magic blog Pinstriped Post to explain further:
Howard has made strides in several areas, but among the most notable and prevalent is in his jump-shooting. Prior to this season, he had shot
30.6 percent on two-point jumpers. This season, that figure has moved to 39.1 percent.
Specifically, Howard has improved his facility in taking jumpers from the wings after receiving the ball with his back to the basket. In prior years, if a defender managed to leverage him a few steps out from where he'd like to catch, Howard didn't have many options; he could turn, face, and fire an iffy jumper or try to drive a longer to the basket, opening himself up to strips from help defenders. Now? He can turn, face, and fire a markedly more reliable jumper, in addition to driving the lane.
In 74 games, Howard has shot 38-of-92 (41.3 percent) on such attempts. To be clear, we're only talking about a very specific type of jumper here: ones he shoots following a post-up when he faces up.
The improved accuracy is one aspect to note here, but don't ignore his willingness to fire away: he's tied Zach Randolph for the league lead in this sort of jumper attempt this season, at 1.2 per game. Howard, Randolph, Carlos Boozer, and Al Jefferson stand as the only players averaging at least 1 such shot attempt per game. Of those four, only Jefferson (45.3 percent) tops Howard in accuracy.