Dwight Howard striving to add 3s to his game in order to prolong career

Sure, why not?

Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard, who used to be the most dominant center in the game before back injuries undercut his career, insists that he will expand his range this summer with the help of a trainer.

"I've been working on my threes, really trying to add some range to my game," Howard told ESPN's "The Jump" on Tuesday. "Which is going to be weird for people to see, I guess. They are used to seeing me in the paint battling."

Through 13 seasons in the NBA, Howard has made 5-of-56 from beyond the arc with the majority of those looks being end-of-quarter heaves. The outside jumper has never been a core part of Howard's game since he used to be so effective in the paint, but there's also very little evidence that Howard can be useful anywhere else.

Howard's career free-throw percentage, for example, is 56.6 percent. His career shooting percentage from 10-to-16 feet away from the hoop is 27.8 percent, and those attempts have comprised of less than two percent of his total career attempts.

But if he did add the 3-pointer to his game, Howard figures it will allow him to keep pace with trends in the modern NBA, in addition to prolonging his career.

"In order for me to play longer, I have to expand my game. The game is not just back to the basket, get the ball in the post and go to work," Howard said. "It's more stepping away from the basket, setting screens, popping, shooting threes and stuff like that. People haven't seen me do that.

"It's going to be an adjustment for me, but also the fans. I think it's going to be fun."