I'm reading Bill Simmons' epic "Book of Basketball", and just finished the section comparing Bill Russell to Wilt Chamberlain. I've heard people make the Howard/Russell comparison before, based of course on their domination of the boards and blocking shots. But I never realized how great of a passer Russell was.

It never occured to me to check Howard's assist stats, but he's averaging barely 1 per game.

Halfway through his seventh season in the league, it's unlikely Howard has much more room to evolve his game (and obviously doesn't need to). But I wonder if SVG ever pushed Howard to become a better passer, to develop his court vision, etc.

As Howard's low-post repertoire grows, it will be that much easier to draw the defense and setup teammates for easy buckets.

If Howard never kept his PPG above 20, but pulled his APG up around 3-4, maybe even 4-5, I think the impact could be enormous. It may be especially helpful when playing a team like the Heat, when Howard is our only legit mismatch.

Thoughts?