Howard admits he's trying to improve his shooting

Dwight Howard is seemingly a one-dimensional offensive center, picking up virtually all his points on dunks and post moves.

While Howard has a high career field-goal percentage (58.2) owing to that, he is a career 27.5 percent shooter from 10-to-16 feet - an incredibly poor statistic accompanied by a sub-57 percent career mark from the foul line. Approaching age 31 however, the new member of the Atlanta Hawks says he's committed to extending his range.

"I think in the past I've started to shoot and then I've stopped," Howard told the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Chris Vivlamore. "I can't allow missing or anything like that to affect how I play on the floor."

Videos surfaced this summer of Howard taking shots out to the 3-point line with a revamped stroke, and he candidly admitted he's taken that aspect of the game more seriously as he's gotten older.

Related: Dwight Howard has 'slowed down' on eating sweets

"It's the mentality," Howard said. "In my younger years, when I shot those shots I laughed and joked. I don't think people took it serious when I did that even if I made it. If people see that I'm taking that part of my game seriously, then they'll get used to it. I think it’s something that they’ve never really seen."

To be fair, Howard actually shot 40 percent from 10-to-16 feet last season, a number that contributed to a career-high 62 percent field-goal percentage in his final year in Houston. He hopes to keep building on that as he comes home to Atlanta.

"It’s all about being able to grow and just having confidence," he said. "Coach (Mike Budenholzer) has total confidence in me shooting the basketball."