Trainer: Howard wants to evolve into 'his own version' of Davis, Durant

No one has ever mistaken Dwight Howard for a multi-dimensional big man, but at age 32 and while joining his fourth team in four years, he's apparently hoping to expand his repertoire.

"He wants to evolve into Anthony Davis, into Kevin Durant," Howard's trainer, Justin Zormelo, told the Washington Post's Candace Buckner. "But his own version of that."

Zormelo's partner, Ed Downs, added that Howard hopes to play until he's 40.

Howard has been working with Zormelo and Downs the past two summers, shedding 20 pounds in the process. But in an era when centers need to be more versatile offensively and able to switch defensively, Howard remains something of an NBA dinosaur.

The eight-time All-Star still gets most of his points in the post and on dunks, shooting just 33 percent from midrange last season. Additionally, despite sometimes teasing the notion of developing a three-point shot, Howard has taken a grand total of nine attempts from beyond the arc the past two years, connecting on one.

Still, Zormelo and Downs have been preaching more transition and less post-ups to Howard as he prepares to join the Washington Wizards. Howard knows the game has changed drastically from his peak, when he inherited the mantle of the league's most dominant big man from Shaquille O'Neal.

"When I came into this league, I was playing against the Shaqs, the Alonzo Mournings, the Jermaine O'Neals ... it's like an arm wrestling match for the big guys," Howard said. "And nowadays, it's not the same game. So it's either evolve, adapt or get left behind."