5. Dennis Schroder
A year ago, the idea of Dennis Schroder making Jeff Teague expendable would have made most people scoff. Yet in his second NBA season, the Atlanta Hawks‘ backup point guard is inching closer to doing exactly that, especially since the team already considered shopping Teague at this year’s trade deadline.
Though Teague is still the better player at this point, Schroder’s youth and rookie-scale contract give him the edge moving forward, especially since he’s posting an impressive 11.0 points, 4.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds in only 20.7 minutes per game this year.
Schroder still needs work with his offense, posting a 43.0 field goal percentage and a 33.0 three-point percentage on the season. He still makes routine mistakes attacking the basket and his conversion rate around the rim (50 percent) is well below the league average of 55.3 percent.
But Schroder plays with an attitude and competitive fire rarely seen from Teague, and it’s only a matter of time before the Hawks feel completely comfortable entrusting him with the starting job. Give him enough time and nights like his 25-point, 10-assist, eight-rebound outing against the Bucks in late February will become less of a rarity.
Next: No. 4