What is Dennis Schröders ceiling?

In sports, a players “ceiling” is the best state they can be in as a player if they fulfill their potential. Some players, such as Anthony Bennett and Greg Oden, never really hit their ceiling. That could be for a variety of reasons, whether it be a bad work ethic, injuries, a lack of talent, or poor scouting, a players ceiling is hard to tell before a player is in the NBA. Atlanta Hawks point guard Dennis Schröder, despite being only 24 years old, has been in the league for over 4 years. During his first couple of seasons, many people believed he was at best a good bench scorer. However, after Jeff Teague left Atlanta and Schröder was given a starting spot, he had a huge jump in impact, and now, this season, he’s balling out. As a 24 year old, he’s currently averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, on decent efficiency. But this raises the question: what is Dennis Schröder’s ceiling?

First, let’s break down Schröders game. He’s a ball dominant, score first point guard, who’s not a bad playmaker. When we break down how he gets his buckets, we see that Schröder is actually really good from within the 3 point line. He shoots about 58% at the rim, which is good for a 6’1 point guard who isn’t the most athletic player out there. He shoots 56% on shots 10-16 feet from the basket, and 39% on deep 2 pointers. So, what does this tell us exactly? Well, while Schröder isn’t an amazing 3 point shooter, (still decent at 32%, but below league average),

but he’s crafty around the basket, as well as a phenomenal mid range shooter. He’s got one of the best pull-up mid range jumpers in the game. You take that skill as a jump shooter and his willingness to shoot 3’s, I’m sure with another couple of years of experience and working on his range he can undoubtedly become a good 3 point shooter. Even if he can’t get to elite levels of 40% from deep or being able to pull up from 30 feet out; the defense having to apply more pressure from 3 gives him more opportunities to beat his man off the dribble and give him either a pull-up mid range, a look at the rim, or another opportunity to kick out and get an assist. And if the defense opts to not guard him from out there, he can make them pay with a 3 of his own. He’s pretty close to that already, and due to his improvement to his play making since joining the league, we can see he has a great work ethic and a desire to get better every day. I think Dennis Schröder will definitely be an all star one day. However, I don’t think he has the potential to be the #1 guy on a championship team unless he has another jump in his playmaking. Scoring 25 points per game (which I think he can achieve in his prime) can only do so much for you. Due to his size and small frame, despite being quick on his feet, he’s not a great defender. However, I think he can be the perfect 2nd option. The Hawks are horrible this year and will most likely end up with a top pick in the draft, and I think Luca Doncic or Marvin Bagley III would both be perfect fits next to Schröder, as Doncic has the ability to shoot from deep, as well as amazing court vision and playmaking ability, while Bagley is one of the beat pure defenders coming out of high school we’ve seen in years, as well as being very versatile on offense and very athletic.

So, what is Dennis Schröders ceiling? I think he can obtain averages of 25-27 points per game, as well as 7-7.5 assists per game with increased efficiency as a 2nd option on a championship contenter. What do you guys think? Leave a comment on the article or tweet at the writer @RisKOutlawS what you think about Schröder. And follow us on twitter @TheHoopCentral for NBA news, updates, and much more!

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