Playoff Picture: Atlanta Hawks
By Luke Duffy
Potential X-Factor
It’s Dennis Schroder. The young German is a whirlwind on the court, but in a manner that is looking more and more controlled as time goes by. He’s only 21 years of age, and went from 3.7 points as a rookie to 9.8 this year. He still plays a shade less than 20 minutes a night, and so is usually full of energy when he checks into the game for a second unit that needs his hustle.
The comparisons to Rajon Rondo have been mentioned before, although he lags behind Elfrid Payton of the Orlando Magic in that category. Still though he can make a pretty pass, even if he does have almost two turnovers (1.9) for every four assists he provides (4.2). An underrated part of his game though, and one that could become critical when the playoffs begin, is his game management.
| G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 0 | 13.1 | .383 | .238 | .425 | .674 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 3.7 |
| 72 | 9 | 19.7 | .421 | .351 | .440 | .827 | 2.1 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 9.8 |
| 121 | 9 | 17.0 | .412 | .324 | .437 | .796 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 7.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Oftentimes when a backup point guard comes into the game, the team dips in performance with a less talented player running the show. Schroder’s Player Efficiency Rating of 15.7 is right around the league average of 15. So when he’s playing, he’s not hurting this team badly. He can fade in and out of games, but he presents genuine problems for opponents.
Next: Early Exit Shock On The Cards?