It’s no secret that this team is struggling right now. The Hawks finished their West Coast road trip winless, losing to the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night, 109-107. Despite Atlanta’s misfortune, one positive takeaway from the last few outings is the leap in Dennis Schroder’s scoring.
The Hawks are searching hard for an identity on offense. Some nights Paul Millsap is the go-to-guy, sometimes its Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, or even Tim Hardaway Jr. off the bench. You just never know who’s going to show up and show out for the Hawks night in and night out. Some would say this is a good thing because it makes them unpredictable. But for Atlanta, it only exposes their lack of a consistent scorer.
Luckily for the Hawks, Dennis Schroder is learning how to take what the defense gives him. During the Hawk’s West Coast road trip, Schroder averaged 20.5 points, and 6.25 assists. These aren’t top 5 point guard in the league type numbers, but they’re good enough to rack up some wins if the Hawks can all stay on the same page. Much of Dennis’s success has come from his ability to shoot from midrange. This season, Schroder is shooting an efficient 44.8% on shots 10-16 feet away from the basket.
In recent games, Dennis Schroder has taken full advantage of this spot on the floor. Schroder scored 24 points in Golden State, and 31 in Phoenix. Not only did he score 24 points against chef Curry, but Dennis also held Curry to 36.4% on 11 shots from beyond the arc on Monday night. This is way above Curry’s average of 42.1% from 3. Schroder’s aggressive defense only allowed 24 points from a guy who could put up 35 on any given night. He went toe-to-toe with one of the NBA’s deadliest guards and made the matchup look even on both sides of the spectrum.
Wednesday, Schroder scored his career-high in points against the Suns thanks to his newfound midrange jumper. He also handed out 9 assist’s to go along with his scoring barrage. Schroder’s suffered some turnover woes this season, which is to be expected from a new guy in the starting lineup. Fortunately, those mistakes can be corrected. It’s much harder to become a consistent threat on offense, and get your teammates involved at the same time.
Schroder has always had an abrasive scoring mentality, but now it seems like he has a spot on the floor he can go to and knock down a shot when Atlanta needs it the most. One the biggest issues with the Hawks is taking their man one-on-one. The Hawks are top 10 in assists, but on the bottom of the list in offensive efficiency. They rely on each other faithfully to make baskets. If Dennis can master the midrange shot, he’ll provide the Hawks with an offensive weapon they so desperately need.
Many people questioned whether or not Dennis was ready to take on this role as a starter. So far, it seems like he’s learning things pretty quickly, and we all have the privilege to witness his growth.
All Stats obtained from ESPN.com and BasketballReference.com
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