Dennis Schroder — The Time is Now

Schroder is now the face of the Atlanta Hawks. Can he accept the challenge and take on a larger role on the team?

Dennis Schroder (USA Today)

The Atlanta Hawks have been a solid force in the Eastern Conference for a good amount of time. Since not making the playoffs in 2007, the Hawks have been in the playoffs for nine straight years.

Their most dominant year in that stretch was the 2014–2015 season. Atlanta finished first in the Eastern Conference with a record of 60–22.

The five man group of Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap, and Al Horford all came together and were resembled as the “San Antonio Spurs” of the Eastern Conference. Ranking 4th in field goal percentage, 2nd in three point percentage, 5th in free throw percentage, 2nd in assist, 5th in steals, and 10th in points, the Atlanta Hawks made their presence felt throughout the NBA in the regular season that year.

Since that year, the Hawks’ solid core has slowly been replaced or lost. First, DeMarre Carroll left that offseason signing a four year $60 million with the Toronto Raptors. The following offseason both Al Horford (four years, 113 million with the Boston Celtics) and Jeff Teague (traded to the Indiana Pacers) had gone their separate ways. Then last season the Hawks traded Kyle Korver to Cleveland and let Paul Millsap walk to the Denver Nuggets in free agency.

Every single member of that starting five is no longer a part of the Atlanta Hawks Organization.

Yet, one man remains. The man who averaged the sixth most minutes per game in 2014–2015. The man Mike Buldenhozer had entrusted the starting point guard spot last year. His name is Dennis Schroder.

Six years ago, instead of attending a university for one year, Schroder chose to play basketball overseas after high school. This was an easy decision because Schroder had grown up in Germany; it was home. He lived in Germany his entire life before getting the chance to come to America to pursue his dream in the NBA. Schroder played one year for Braunschweig in Germany before declaring for the draft.

Schroder was drafted in the 17th overall in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Since then, his role has increased year by year, going from a rookie playing 13 minutes a game to starting his fourth year playing 31.5 minutes per game.

Grabbing ahold of his new role as a starter, Schroder had his most efficient season as a scorer at its highest volume. He shot 45.1 percent from the field as well as 34 percent from three, giving him the highest true shooting percentage of his career at 53.3 percent. This is in the 60th percentile for all NBA point guards, making him a slightly above average scorer concerning efficiency.

He also added two assists per game to his stat-line, leading the Atlanta Hawks as a team. Schroder was able to take on the role of a high usage point guard and led the Hawks to a playoff series.

He averaged nearly 18 points per game (20.5 per 36 Minutes) nearly leading the Hawks in scoring, only .2 behind Paul Millsap, who no longer is there to provide that scoring. Schroder as a 23 year stepped up to a starting role, which he has never had, and excelled. He had 10 double-doubles on the year, and consistently averaged at least 15 points every night for the Hawks.

His best performance of the year? Schroder led Atlanta to a win against Russell Westbrook’s MVP campaign and the Oklahoma City Thunder, dropping 31 points and 8 assists. The highlights are below.

Schroder is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. His rise as a player continues to trend. Schroder has to now embrace his role as the “Lone-Ranger”, the last man standing, of the Atlanta Hawks.

After the departure of Paul Millsap (Atlanta’s only All-Star) Schroder has the opportunity to be the face of the Atlanta Hawks. In the upcoming season their offense will run entirely through Schroder, allowing him more minutes, playing a bigger role for the Hawks. Give him 4–6 minutes more a game, Schroder could easily average an assist or more per game and bump up his scoring total near 23 or 24, making him a potential All-Star in the Eastern Conference.

That’s not to say he is a perfect player either. His scoring efficiency in transition is below average, because of his tendency to turn the ball over. His mid-range pull up jumper also isn’t always on, holding Schroder back from being an elite pick’n’roll’ ball-handler. He’s only an average three point shooter. His defense leaves some to be desired — the effort is there, but at times the off-ball awareness isn’t.

These are things that he can always improve on as he nears his prime, and can be seen as nitpicking. Schroder is a very solid point guard who can put up 20 a game. And is only 24 years old. That is worth something.

The time has come for Schroder to be the face of the Atlanta Hawks. Will he accept the challenge?