Hawks’ Mutombo Improving On Offense

Lenny Wilkens had promised a major improvement in Dikembe Mutombo’s offensive skills by midseason. Well, Atlanta’s $56 million man apparently doesn’t want to wait that long.

The 7-foot-2 Mutombo, one of the NBA’s top defensive centers but always suspect at the offensive end, suddenly has become a scorer for the surprising Hawks, who have survived a brutal schedule and a rash of injuries.

Mutombo has averaged 18.8 points over the past five games, capped by a season-high 25 in a 110-81 victory over the Washington Bullets Friday night. Not surprisingly, Atlanta won four of those games.

“I know on defense I can do a lot,” said Mutombo, who also had 15 rebounds, five blocks and two steals against the Bullets. “But on offense, I have just been absent for the past two years because of all the coaching changes that happened in my life.”

With the Denver Nuggets, Mutombo played for three coaches the past two seasons and saw his scoring average dip each year - from 16.6 as a rookie in 1991-92 to 11.0 last season.

Still, the Hawks signed him to a $56 million contract - richest in team history - because he would finally give them a legitimate center. Mutombo is the first player in NBA history to lead the league in blocked shots for three consecutive years.

But Wilkens, the Hawks coach, wasn’t content to just get blocks and rebounds from Mutombo. He spent extensive time working on the center’s low-post moves and said he would be a different player by the middle of the season.

While Mutombo still moves a little stiffly on offense and doesn’t have the soft hands of a scorer, Wilkens’ crash course in Offense 101 has prompted the center to put up a few shots of his own, not just stand around and watch his teammates.

“Lenny is a great guy,” Mutombo said. “He believes in me and keeps telling me I can score. All I have to do is take the ball to the basket. He keeps telling me, ‘Take the ball to the basket.”’

Maybe it helped when the Hawks’ leading scorer, Steve Smith, went out with a badly sprained ankle. The shooting guard has missed the last 10 games, forcing Mutombo to step up his offensive output.

His performance against the Bullets was the best yet: 10 of 17 from the field and 5 of 6 at the foul line.

“I had an opportunity to get a couple of baskets early in the game, and that helped me build my confidence,” Mutombo said. “I just kept going because my teammates started believing in me. They kept telling me, ‘You can do it, you can do it.”’

That the Hawks (9-7) have managed to get above .500 is no small feat. In addition to Smith’s injury, key frontcourt reserve Alan Henderson has missed the entire season with viral pancreatitis, first-round pick Priest Launderdale is sidelined with a sprained knee and Ken Norman also spent time on the injured list.

Plus, the November schedule was nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. Eleven of 16 games were on the road, and Friday night was the first time the Hawks didn’t have to head to the airport immediately after a home game.

The upcoming months look more promising. Smith has been working out and may return for Tuesday’s game against Boston. In addition, 15 of the next 24 games are at the Omni, where the Hawks have a four-game winning streak.